Scott Bezett and Corey Lewis recently finished secondary school, but that does not mean it is time to put the oars away.
The biggest drop-off in rowing numbers occurs when pupils leave school. However, Bezett and Lewis are not about to join those moving on from the early-morning starts.
Bezett (18) and Lewis (18) will compete at the largest Otago championships to date on Lake Ruataniwha today and tomorrow.
Entries total 1117 athletes from 31 clubs for the regatta, comfortably more than last year's, which saw about 1000 entries.
The pair have been rowing at Otago Boys' High School, which is affiliated with the North End Rowing Club, since 2011.
They teamed up in the double a couple of years ago, and will contest the men's club double this weekend.
While they have not been getting in as much training as they would have liked, Bezett hopes they can build on the second placed finish they recorded at the Lake Dunstan regatta last weekend.
Bezett and Lewis will also combine with Ben Sinnamon, Aaron Roydhouse and coxswain Luke Hurdle in the men's club coxed four, before William Sinclair, Oliver Higgins, Hayden Henderson and Todd Bezett join them for the coxed eight.
Tate Drummond is the coxswain for the eight.
The Otago Boys' coxed four of Bezett, Lewis, Sinnamon, Roydhouse and coxswain Robbie Lindsay won the Gibson Trophy for best secondary schools senior boys coxed four in Otago last season.
Bezett will also contest the men's club single, while Lewis will contest the men's under-20 single.
"It will be interesting,'' Bezett said.
"I've been coaching the Otago Boys' rowers, so I haven't been doing as much rowing as Corey has been doing. But we went all right at Dunstan, so we're trying to build on that a wee bit.''
Bezett, the head boy at Otago Boys' High School this year, has been coached by Royce Wilson since he started rowing at the school.
He is now an aspiring coach, and received a Meridian coaching scholarship to assist him in coaching young rowers at his former school.
"It's something I'm passionate about and is something I'd like to foster. As head boy, the school has given me a lot, so it's a way of giving back to the school,'' he said.
However, he does not have any plans of giving up rowing himself, and will instead juggle coaching and competing at the Otago University Rowing Club and North End.
He will study for a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Otago next year, and also plans to gain a certificate in teaching.
Lewis will study physiology at the University of Otago next year, and will also row for the university club.
With six 5am starts a week for training, he is set to be busy.
"You've just sort of got to push through it and keep going,'' he said.
"You do the hard work now, then on race day it's that much easier.''
Lewis and Bezett travelled to Twizel on Thursday night, with the first heats set to start at 7am today.
With a large Otago contingent competing, the women's open single sculls could be one of the closest-fought races at the regatta.
Oamaru's Maysie Scott will line up against North End's Emma Wallace, while Otago university rowers Hannah Duggan and Penelope Barnsdale are also in the talented field.
