The most recent regatta looked a little different, with the selected squad travelling down to Twizel for the Aon Maadi Regatta (the National Championships for secondary school rowing), this year held on Lake Ruataniwha. The regatta took place from 18 – 23 March, with over 2200 competitors and 104 schools entered, it was the biggest high school championship sporting event in the Southern Hemisphere! This was the first time all season that the girls got to race South Island schools, so the competition is fierce and a huge step up from previous regattas.
On 15 March, the squad departed Auckland and flew down to Christchurch, and from there they travelled down to Twizel. Racing officially commenced on Monday 18 March, so the first few days were spent training on Lake Ruataniwha and taking in the amazing surroundings. Monday turned out bright and sunny, perfect racing conditions for the beginning of the heats. The crews did very well, with the U15 Four making it straight through to the A Final, and many others advancing into semi-finals and repechages.
Tuesday finished off the heats and marked the beginning of the repechages. The heats proved to be very successful for Dio, with everyone making it through to a semi or repechage, or even straight through to the A Final!
The semis proved to be extremely tough competition with some very tight racing, but everyone in the squad managed to make it through to an A or B Final.
Dio qualified for 18 A and B Finals overall, (12 B and 6 A). This was more finals than Dio has had in its history, illustrating the great depth of the squad. Of the B Finals, Dio had three crews coming first place; the girls U17 Quad, U18 Single, and U17 Single, a second place from the girls U16 Eight, and a third place from the U18 Double. These were all great outcomes that the squad can be proud of. Of the A Finals, the U15 Eight achieved fifth; the U18 Novice Eight, U15 Coxed Four, and U17 Double all came seventh, and the U17 Coxed Eight and U18 Quad came eighth. Getting into a final is a huge accomplishment and the girls were extremely proud of getting into so many.
Maadi Regatta marks the end of the season, and the offseason now begins. For the U18’s, this was the end of their contribution to Dio Rowing, and as sad as they were for it all to be over, they were thrilled to end the season on such a good note. For those that still have seasons ahead of them, they will continue to train in the winter months, to be prepared for the seasons to come!
