Out of the freezer and into the fire.
That will be the experience of the Otago University women's eight when it competes in China this month.
Otago University won the Chinese international universities rowing series last year and has been invited back again.
The crew has had a novel mixture of training before the event.
They trained on Otago Harbour in very cool temperatures in the morning and, in the afternoon, moved to the School of Physical Education sport and exercise sciences heat chamber in temperatures that reach 36deg C.
The Otago University crew used the heat chamber last year and went on to win the rowing series from the highly-rated French crew included four members of French under-23 eight.
The strong French crew faded in the regatta at Wuhan, in Hubei province, under extreme temperatures that ranged from 38degC to 41degC.
''Wuhan is known as the oven. It is so hot,'' rowing crew manager Glen Sinclair said.
The crew is spending seven days preparing in the heat chamber.
Each session lasts an hour.
''It gets the girls used to the heat they will experience in China,'' coach Natalie Matheson said.
''It is also mental, as well. They know they can handle the heat because they have had practice in it.
''When they get to China they will not be overwhelmed by how hot it is.
''The training wouldn't be super intensive outside the heat chamber but because we are in such hot temperatures, it is physically demanding.''
The Otago University crew sought the advice of Jim Cotter, of the School of Physical Education, and will wear ice jackets as they warm-up for their races in the heat of China.
Otago University last year beat crews from Yale in the United States, the University of Paris, Italy, China and the University of London.
It will be a three-race series this year, with events at Chengdu, in Sichuan Province, Wuhan and Linfen, in the southern province of Shanxi.
Five members of this year's crew competed in China last year. They are Ruby Tew, Kirsty Thompson, Holly Fletcher, Morgan Shepherd and cox Hannah Kennedy.
The Otago University eight retained the Tamaki Cup for the eighth successive year at the New Zealand universities championships in April, the longest reign for any university in New Zealand.
Crew members Tew and Holly Greenslade were in the New Zealand under-21 team that competed in a two-test series against Australia at the end of June.
Lisa Owen will compete at the world university championships in France in the single sculls.
She won a bronze medal in the lightweight double sculls at the under-23 world championships in Austria last year.
Otago University
Crew
Holly Greenslade, Ruby Tew, Kirsty Thompson, Holly Fletcher, Charlotte McIntyre, Morgan Shepherd, Oliver MacDonald, Lisa Owen, Hannah Kennedy (cox), Annabel Ronald (reserve). Natalie Matheson (coach), Glen Sinclair (manager).
