​Christchurch Boys’ High School are Maadi Cup champions for the first time and their plan for the U18 coxed eight was simple, explains crew member Cameron Henderson.

“The plan for the prestigious final race was to get ahead of the other crews from the outset. We managed to do this in the four and the quad. We felt over the last 1900m we were the fastest crew so if we were first off the start, we had a good shot,” he said.

Of course in the heat of battle the plan didn’t quite materialise as intended with reigning champions Christ’s College shooting ahead.

“The start didn’t go according to plan, but at least we were within striking distance and managed to move through College with about 500 meters to go. From there I can’t say I remember much,” Henderson reflects.

It’s no fluke Christchurch was in a position to usurp Christ’s as the top rowing school in the country. Henderson provides an insight into the arduous training.

“We’ve been training since the end of September, but our final crew was never really cemented until a few weeks out from Maadi. We were really lucky this year to have a big group of U18’s along with some younger boys pushing for the top eight.”

“Our training over a week would generally involve eight sessions. Most of the sessions were on water of which three would be at maximum intensity.”

Henderson is an intense sportsman. He’s also a No.8 forward for the First XV who last year won the UC Championship and reached the National Top Four finals. Henderson is unsure as to his preference at this stage, but shares a theory on the difference between rugby and rowing.

“I think the main difference between rugby and rowing is that in rowing we spend the entire season training to perform in one big race at the end. In rugby you have to reset the focus weekly. Rowing training involves a lot more volume, but with rugby there are more breaks because of the explosive nature of the sport.”

Christchurch was in explosive form throughout the whole meeting winning the most gold medals of any school with eight. The boy’s U17 single sculls was the first race of the day and Scott Shackleton claimed the first of his personal haul of four titles in that decider.

Made from segments of South African wood, the Springbok Shield is awarded to the winners of the boy’s U18 coxed four and replicates a shield in South Africa called the Kiwi Shield. Won in 2018 by Hamilton Boys’ High School, the trophy has been won eight times by Tauranga Boys’ College, six times by Christ’s College and four times by Westlake Boys’ High School.

This year’s final was taken out by Christchurch Boys’ High School ahead of Westlake Boys’ High School and Christ’s College.

Henderson, Shackleton, Timmy Heritage, Tom Fraser, Cameron Long, Ethan Alderlieste, Angus Templeton, James Glover and Ben Brown were the Maddi Cup winning eight.
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Each of the eight rowers had taped their oars with 'rainbow' tape, and had successfully messaged all seven other crews competing in the final to do likewise, in a statement against homophobic bullying that Heritage had endured earlier this season. The gesture made nationwide headlines.

Christchurch Boys' High School Maadi Cup success 2019:

GOLD
Boys u17 single sculls - Scott Shackleton
Boys u18 coxless pair - James Glover and Tom Fraser
Boys u17 coxed eight - Scott Shackleton, Liam Behrnes, Will Bentley, Henry Woelders, Oli Taylor, Angus Lill, Jose de Sousa, Liam Bunting, Tim Heritage
Boys u18 coxed quad -  Angus Templeton, Cameron Long, Ben Brown, Sam Wield, Tim Heritage
Boys u17 double sculls - Scott Shackleton and Liam Behrnes
Boys u18 coxed four - James Glover, Tom Fraser, Cameron Henderson,  Ethan Alderlieste,
Boys u17 coxed quad - Liam Behrnes, Sam Wield, Angus Lill, Liam Bunting, Caleb Fitzsimmons
Boys u18 coxed eight - Scott Shackleton, Tom Fraser, Cameron Long, Ethan Alderlieste, Cameron Henderson, Angus Templeton, James Glover, Ben Brown,  Tim Heritage

BRONZE
Boys u17 single sculls - Sam Wield
Boys u16 coxed eight - Charlie Baker, Ben Zino, Will Bentley, George Pirie, Archie Pascoe, Ed Lopas, Will Lindsay, Harry Medlicott, Tim Heritage

St Peter’s School rowers returned to the classroom on Monday following a successful  Maadi Cup NZSS Rowing Championships regatta, held at nearby Lake Karapiro last week.

The 59-strong St Peter’s team made 18 A finals, 10 B Finals and one C Final – winning three gold, three silver and four bronze medals and coming third overall and winning the Presidents Trophy for the top sculling school in New Zealand.

St Peter’s was the only school to have both a Girl's Eight and Boy's Eight in the U18 finals at the end of the regatta, the Girls winning bronze and the Boys making the A final for the first time.

St Peter’s won the Presidents Scull for overall top sculling school for the ninth time in the past 10 years.  There were 129 schools at the regatta and 52 of them won medals.

This was led by Jason Nel, who dominated the field in the U18 Boy's Single to win his second single sculling title after winning the U16 Boys Single in 2017.
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He then partnered up with Patrick Griffin to win silver in the U18 Boy's Double. 

Beckie Leigh led the way for the girls, winning four medals from her four races to top off a very successful school rowing career. She won gold in the U18 Double with Terri Wyatt, who is only in her second year of rowing. Then she picked up bronze in the U18 Girls Single, Quad, and Eight.

The U16 Girls Quad won their third gold medal. Leading from start to finish Holly Williams, Atlanta Bruce, Emma Stead, Maddie Brown and coxswain Teagan Carvell picked up their second medal of the regatta, after also winning silver in the U16 Eight on Friday.

Q and A with Jason Nel

What were your expectations for the week?
 This Maadi Cup was my fifth and final one so I didn't want to have any regrets at the end of the week. The only thing I expected from myself and crew was that we gave it our all in every race. My aim was to make the A final in all four of my boats and then race it for the medals. This was achieved and highlighted by the St Peter's u18 eight making the A final for the first time in school history.
 
How were you feeling in the lead up to the U18 Single Sculls final? 
 I would be lying if I didn't say very nervous. The final was filled with many great scullers and I knew it was going to be a painful race no matter what. It was also the first time I was racing Ben Mason this season, the South Island Champion, so I was unsure of what his pace would be. However, my coach Megan Glenn and St Peter’s rowing director Janey Wackrow reassured me that I had done the work during the season and instead to just enjoy the race and have fun. This made me relax a little bit and just focus on my own race. During the season I've also been lucky enough to warm up with Beckie Leigh who races the U18 girls single for St Peter’s and who achieved a bronze in the singles race at Maadi. She's always in a friendly and buzzing mood, which definitely lightens the room. 
 
How did the final race pan out?
With strong opposition, I knew that I had to get out fast from the start so I could control the race. I managed to do this but, Ben was still sitting on the stern of my boat. This gave me the motivation to push away further. I maintained the lead and knew it was essential as Eric Gruythusen from Hauraki Plains and Tom Hall from Kings College had a sprint that they were well known for. The pair didn't disappoint, coming through flying in the last 250 metres, taking out silver and bronze. Looking back I'm happy with how I executed my race. 
 
How did you feel after you realised you had won?
 One word, satisfaction. This is because all the hard work had just paid off in a few moments. This wasn't just the long hours that I had put it in. The reason behind my achievement was the support and commitment from my family, coaches, school and friends. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today and the feeling of them being proud was greater than the victory itself.