For the third year in a row, a Wakatipu High School product’s made the under-19 New Zealand rowing team in the double sculls.
In 2024, it was Marley King Smith, who rowed for NZ in the quad at the U19 worlds the year before.
Last year it was Harry Lightfoot, and this year it’s Charlie Manser.
The 18-year-old, who’s studying structural engineering at Canterbury University, won two golds for Wakatipu High at last year’s secondary schools Maadi Cup regatta, and one the previous year.
He attributes his success to Whakatipu Rowing Club coach John Morrison, though since October he’s been under Dunstan Arm Rowing Club head coach Simon Smith.
Leaving 4.30 each morning, he and Harry drove over to Clyde this past season, where they outshone older and more experienced rowers.
Charlie, who’s rowed since year 9 at Wakatipu High, says he had to work "extra hard" at the start because he was very skinny.
"I think my being skinny paid off at the end of the day because my power-to-weight ratio is a lot stronger than other boys."
He rowed in the trials for the U19 team on Cambridge’s Lake Karapiro this month.
"They race you like dogs, just back to back, there’s no breaks — it’s the last person to break, really, and that’s how they prove you’re the strongest."
For the U19 worlds in Bulgaria in August, Charlie’s paired up with Marlborough Boys’ College’s Aidan Bennett.
• Other ex-Wakatipu High students recently selected for rowing teams include Harry Lightfoot and Seb Watson (U22 South Island men’s doubles for Oceania U22 team champs in Queensland next month), and Lucy Clark (NZ universities transtasman women’s eight competing in Sydney in July).
