At the prestigious Maadi Cup regatta on Lake Karapiro, near Cambridge, last week, the school won the ‘President’s Scull’ for a possibly unprecedented fourth year in a row.
Crews collected seven medals — three golds (up from two last year), two silvers and two bronzes.
Charlie Manser, days before his 17th birthday, won two golds and a bronze, and Harry Lightfoot and Sebastian Watson were in two crews that won gold, setting a Maadi record in the under-18 double.
Wakatipu High also finished fifth on the points table and was the only public school in the top seven.
The school took 41 rowers to the North Island, 20 more than they sent there last time, due to the talent surfacing from this season’s large influx of novice rowers.
Whakatipu Rowing Club president Amy Wilson-White, whose club delivers the school’s rowing programme, says the novice crews’ performances were "probably the most pleasing result from the regatta".
A large number made A finals with the girls’ U15 octuple winning bronze and the boys’ U15 quad silver.
"It shows us the coaching programme we’re rolling out is right up there with the best in the country."
All the coaches who went to the regatta — Jimmy Cavanagh, Ashton White and Mia Pagan, Shane Muir and John Morrison — had medal-winning crews.
Wilson-White also gives a shout-out to Stu Clark who drove the boats all the way to Cambridge in a ute loaned by Marcus Barnett whose daughters, ironically, rowed for Christchurch’s Rangi Ruru.
She also thanks the community for support with fundraising — taking the rowers to Cambridge cost about $80,000, excluding food.
Roll of honour
Gold: Charlie Manser and Max Davis in boys’ U17 double sculls;
Gold: Manser, Davis, Sebastian Watson, Harry Lightfoot and Cameron Hall in boys’ U18 coxed quad sculls;
Gold: Lightfoot and Watson in boys’ U18 double sculls;
Silver: Manser in boys’ U17 single sculls;
Silver: Reuben Davis, Phineas Thomas, Henri Monnier, Baxter Kingan and Jessie Glover in boys’ U15 coxed quad sculls;
Bronze: Caitlyn Julian, Keira Lightfoot, Scarlett Cavanagh, Cinnamon Williams, Liberty Hide, Annie Clark, Mimi Blundell, Jesse Bates and Bella Noton in girls’ U15 coxed octuple sculls;
Bronze: Lucy Clark and Amy Paterson in girls’ U17 double sculls
