18/01/2022
Canterbury Champs Regatta Report 2022
Over the weekend Wanaka Rowing Club attended the Canterbury Championship Rowing Regatta in Twizel.
We took a squad of 20 competitors comprised of 12 Novice rowers (Abbey Pedersen, Annie Wells, Annika Massey, Ashleigh Peat, Chloe Murray, Isabella Noble-Kirkbride, Lola Ritchie, Lucy Maibach, Lucy Radford, Philip Massey, Ruby Laming, Thomas Mitchell), 3 Intermediate rowers (Anton Jones, Jem Curtis, Jess Gould), 5 Masters (Chelsea Lodge, Dana Leishman, Kahn Cawte, Sandra Booth, Shane Gibson) and 4 Coaches (Rachel O’Connell, Matt Rickard, Rob Bruce and AJ Humphreys).
Over the regatta the weather reached 30+ temperatures making it challenging conditions to race in, but our crews worked hard and came away with some outstanding results. An extra special well done to all the novice rowers who stepped up and enjoyed getting out on the water to race, as it is still very new to them!
Some stella performances to mention were:
1st place in the A final of the Woman’s Novice Coxed Quad Sculls, the crew made up of Lucy Maibach, Annie Wells, Lola Ritchie, Isabella Noble-Kirkbride and coxswain Thomas Mitchell brought their boat across the finish line with a comfortable lead – well done girls!
Woman’s Novice Coxed Quad Sculls made up of Lucy Radford, Ashley Peat, Chloe Murray, Jess Gould and Thomas Mitchell (cox) making a B Final and placing 7th!
In the Women’s Novice Double Sculls, Lucy Maibach and Annie Wells had a spectacular race in the A final coming home with 2nd place! In the B final Lola Ritchie and Isabella Nobel-Kirkbride also took home a 2nd place finish.
Men’s Masters Single Sculls (1000m) had novice Kahn Cawte gain a 4th position and Shane Gibson, our Master’s Coach took home an impressive 2nd place! These two then teamed up to compete in the Men’s Coxless Double (1000m) where they came home with 2nd place in the A final. Kahn also teamed up with Dana Leishman in the Mixed Masters Double Sculls (1000m) and they raced a solid race taking home a 2nd place in the A final.
Shane Gibson then joined in with the Masters ladies (Chelsea Lodge, Sandra Booth and Dana Leishman) in the Mixed Masters Coxless Quad Sculls (1000m) to keep the 2nd place streak continuing bringing home a 2nd place in the A final.
The Woman’s Masters Coxless Double (1000m) made up for Chelsea Lodge and Sandra Booth came home with a 5th place in the A final.
Our Men’s Novice Double Sculls took home a 9th position in the A final with the crew including Thomas Mitchell our talented coxswain and Philip Massey.
The Novice Girls also competed in the Coxed Eight where they all loved the opportunity to get out and sweep in a big boats race.
To finish up the regatta Jem Curtis absolutely blew everyone away with his performance in the Single where he gained 7th place in the Boys u17 Single and headed straight back up for the Men’s Intermediate Single Sculls where he smashed out a 1st in the B final!
It was a superb weekend filled with great WRC rowing talent, passionate supporters on the side-line and coaches leaving with big smiles on their faces! Everyone is now concentrating on two weeks of hard training before we head back to Twizel for South Island Champs.
Report Written by Angela Rickard (Regatta Liaison)
