After a fun and intense Education Outside The Classroom (EOTC) week, the squad headed back down to Lake Karapiro to compete in the North Island Secondary Schools regatta. This was the final regatta that the full squad would compete in, as only the Maadi squad will continue to train in the following weeks leading up to the Aon Maadi Regatta. The girls ended the season on a high, achieving an astounding 17 A Finals, 6 B Finals, and 3 C Finals, as well as 3 Bronze medals! This was the highest number of finals that the squad had reached in the past five years, so this was a huge achievement for Dio.
Racing kicked off bright and sunny with blue skies and pristine water on Friday 1 March, for the heats. There were many tough progressions, but the girls did extremely well, with many crews making it straight into A Finals, and the smaller boats getting into semi-finals. It was a long day for everyone, but the squad did not let this deter them from racing the following day.
Saturday proved to be as good as Friday, with the weather once again providing blue skies and sunshine. Again, this proved to be a very successful day of racing, as more crews secured places in A and B Finals, and the girls in C Finals smashed their races!
Sunday dawned with a heavy downpour and grey skies, but this didn’t dash any spirits. Despite the bleak conditions, the squad gave every race their all. The Under 17 Eight came away with a Bronze medal. The crew consisted of Iris Tooman, Sophia Sandlant, Mia Eriksen, Daisy Wrapson, Emma Maxwell, Susie Finlayson, Ruby Hulme, stroked by Isabelle Dunlop and coxed by Yasmin Phillips. Soon after, the Under 15 Eight came away with another bronze! The crew consisted of Margot Wilson, Lucinda Day, Poppy Donald, Sofia Glass, Ada Findlow, Olivia Bethell, Addison Hewlett, stroked by Ellie Buckland and coxed by Amelia Self. The Novice U18 Four also came out successful, with yet another bronze! In the crew were Maddie Worrall, Emily Keene, Sophie Priscott, stroked by Odessa Key and coxed by Rose Finlayson. The girls had been working extremely hard leading up to the weekend and were thrilled with these results!
For those not going to the Maadi Regatta, these were great results, and the girls could bring a close to the season knowing that their hard work had paid off. The Maadi squad will continue to train hard in preparation for Maadi before they leave on Firday 15 March. The girls can’t wait for their trip down to Twizel, which brings the opportunity to race on Lake Ruataniwha for the first time for most of the squad, against the South Island schools. This is a big step up from the previous regattas in the season, as racing is incredibly close and intense. The squad is ensuring they keep up the hard work!
We wish them all well for an enjoyable and successful 2024 Aon Maadi Regatta.
