Blenheim rowers get down to business
BY JOHN ALEXANDER
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The Blenheim Rowing Club's season will begin to hot up this weekend with the first of several excursions down to Lake Ruataniwha at Twizel.
The occasion is the Otago championships, and for Blenheim Rowing Club head coach Bill Campbell it is an opportunity to see how his charges are progressing ahead of more important missions.
Campbell is taking a strong squad down, ranging from novices up to under 18s. The club's under-18 novice crew has potential, he feels, and how they perform this weekend could decide if that crew is persevered with.
A club coxless quad also looks promising, that crew comprising Ethan Ward, Stefan Meaclem, Geoff Boyce and Ashley Thoms. Meaclem has a busy regatta, being involved in the under-18 single scull as well as a useful-looking pair with Elliott Harvey.
Campbell is happy enough with his crews' progress to date during a period when he said it had been difficult to get everyone together at one time because of school examinations and the Christmas-New Year holiday period.
"Some crews are really coming along. The under-17 crews should go all right. We've got a good quad and a double. The under 16s are starting to go well. There are still places open in some crews. There is certainly competition there."
Heading into the business end of the season, Campbell said his charges would attend the South Island championships on February 6 and 7 at Twizel. Then a novice four and cox, plus a club quad, would go to the nationals at Lake Karapiro.
That is followed by the Canterbury secondary school championships at Lake Hood at Ashburton, the South Island secondary school event at Twizel and the big one, the Maadi Cup national secondary school championships, also at Twizel in March.
- The Marlborough Express
