But they were not and next spring Niamh O’Dockerty, 18, will head to Tulsa University, in Oklahoma, on a full scholarship for four years’ study.
She said she quickly discovered it really was Princeton, Washington State and Tulsa universities offering her scholarships based on her performance in the South Island secondary school rowing championships last year.
University scouts had watched the championships and contacted Niamh, who was second in the singles event and third in the quad.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times this week, she was still annoyed at failing to win the singles.
"I should have won it but I looked at the boat and wobbled ... it’s fine."
However, that wobble did not deter the scouts: 10 universities ultimately reached out.
"I got home, finished the regatta, and then I got a message on Instagram from a guy with Princeton and it was, like, "Hi, here’s a link, fill in your details".
It took several more approaches from other universities to convince her it was genuine.
Eventually she narrowed her choices to three options and in September went with her mother Kylie to scope out Tulsa, Washington State and Oregon State universities.
"We came home, had a few conversations and then ended up picking Tulsa.
"I think I like the connection with the coaches at Tulsa. Most of the team’s international, . . . there’s quite a few Brits, because the recruitment co-ordinator is British. And the head coach is Canadian.
"And then I stayed with a girl from Egypt, which was quite cool. She just casually rows on the Nile ... there was a girl
from Hungary ... so being an international student is the norm."
Tulsa’s size also appealed.
"It’s a smaller campus, so it’s only 5000 [students], compared to Oregon State and Washington State are like 30,000."
The scholarship covers all her costs other than flights from New Zealand and spending money.
Medical, housing and tuition meant the scholarship value was about $US80,000.
It was not a free pass despite being a talented athlete. As well as training with her coaches she would have to keep up her academic performance.
"If my grades drop below a certain level I won’t be allowed to compete," she said.
She is training at the Dunstan Rowing Club five days a week, with two sessions on two of those days. She has a job lined up to keep her busy and saving money until she leaves in August.
Niamh follows in the footsteps of other former Dunstan Rowing Club members Mackenzie Ealson and Sophie Smith who were offered scholarships in 2021.
The Dunstan club is a New Zealand summer development hub created by Rowing New Zealand to extend up-and-coming rowers without taking them away from their home area or their rowing clubs.
