A month training under the watchful eye of New Zealand rowing guru Fred Strachan helped Anna McAslan (North End) win the women's club single sculls at Lake Ruataniwha on Sunday.
The South Island championships was her last competitive outing before she leaves for the New Zealand championships at Lake Karapiro from February 14 to 19.
McAslan and her pairs partner Katherine Millar relished the hard training under the hot Twizel sun and they now have the confidence to hunt for medals at the national championships.
McAslan (18) demonstrated the value of the hard work with a dominant display in the women's club single sculls.
She was in a good position at the 1000m mark and then pushed away during the third 500m to win by the big margin of 20.52sec.
McAslan was followed home by Hazel Cunliffe (Port Chalmers) and Hannah Baddock (University in third.
McAslin and Millar won a silver medal in the women's club double sculls in a time of 8min 58.25sec behind the Cure Boating Club.
McAslin will be competing in the senior and club singles sculls at the national championships and will contest the club double sculls with Millar.
There was an upset in the women's under-17 double sculls when the North End combination of Claudia Grave and Claudia Dyet beat Otago's more fancied pair of Zoe McBride and Hannah Duggan.
This was a big surprise because the Otago pair won two gold medals together at the Maadi Cup regatta at Lake Karapiro last season.
The North End pair won in the impressive time of 4min 8.60sec on the course that was shortened to 1000m because of the conditions.
McBride and Duggan were five seconds back.
Wind was a problem at the regatta and Saturday's rowing was stopped at 12.30pm. Only the heats were completed on Sunday, with the fastest times wining the medals.
In the men's under-17 double sculls Jack Waddell and James McNicol (Otago Boys') won in a time of 6min 58.92sec, ahead of James Redai and Eachann Bruce, of Wanaka, who were timed at 7min 10.23sec.
In the women's under-19 pairs the Oamaru Kearney twins, Caitlin and Johannah, won the silver medal with a time of 8min 5.97sec.
Otago single scullers impressed in the age group events with McBride winning the under-19 single sculls in 8min 49.91sec and Duggan won the under-17 event in 9min 46.92sec from North End's Briar Alexander, just 1.25sec behind in second place.
The under-16 single sculls saw the promising Columba College sculler Emma Winders finish second in 9min 39.73sec.
