PHOTO LEFT-RIGHT; RIORDAN MORRELL HOLDING THE JACK FLYN MEMORIAL TROPHY,ALASTAIR RIDDLE

PHOTO JPC U15 QUAD; CHRIS PEARSON COACH, WHHS U15 QUAD;   (L-R)ANGELA O’SULLIVAN, GEORGINA HYDE, GRACE ERIKSEN, OLIVIA ASHBY, WILLOW SPERRY, CHRIS PEARSON, ALICE WEST, HANNAH COX, EMMA CRONSHAW-HUNT, STACEY TAMBLIN, MORGAN MCHALE

PHOTO THE FINISH FOR THE GIRLS UNDER 15 QUAD SCULLS WITH JPC CREW IN THE FOREGROUND AND THE WESTERN HEIGHTS CREW IN THE BACKGROUND.JPC   (L-R)   WILLOW SPERRY, ANGELA O’SULLIVAN, GEORGINA HYDE, GRACE ERIKSEN, OLIVIA ASHBY.WHHS (L-R) MORGAN MCHALE, ALICE WEST, HANNAH COX, EMMA CRONSHAW-HUNT, STACEY TAMBLIN

Solid results on the podium today at the N.I.S.S Rowing Championships

Rotorua Schools rowers are definitely ready for ‘Maadi’(New Zealand Secondary School rowing Champs) which was named in celebration and remembrance of the NZ Soldiers who fought in the Western Desert in 1941 .

A spectacular day with Rotorua crews gaining 4 Bronze and 3 Gold medals. Altogether Rotorua Crews had fifteen A finals and thirteen B finals. An excellent result for the club. Western Heights High School had a medal tally of 2 Golds and a Bronze and John Paul College won 1 Gold and 3 Bronzes

The highlight of the day was the Boys Under 18 single sculls. Riordan Morrell of Western Heights High School took the line with plenty of gas left in his tank and a good lead . He rowed away with a well –deserved Gold and the Jack Flyn memorial trophy. This bodes well for the race of his school rowing career at ‘Maadi’ .  Even with the introduction of some fine competition from the South Island, Morrell stands to keep his advantage and take the Gold medal in his event, for New Zealand.

Morrell has the makings of a singles champion not unlike Mahe Drysdale. He does the  hard work and it shows. He is a big yard of fresh water, with an easy fluid style and definitely one to watch. He has benefited from Alastair Riddle, Head Coach for Rotorua Rowing Club’s considerable coaching experience, from the beginning days when Riordan (and Hugh Spiers) were the only 2 rowers from Western Heights High School. Morrell was rewarded, with his 2^nd Gold of the day in the Boys under-18 double sculls. Crewing with Riordan was Hugh Spiers-good work Hugh.

Morrell has also gained good results;  training and racing with the Bay of Plenty Academy team during the Club season in readiness for the school regattas, under the stewardship of Rob Francis , another fine Rotorua Rowing Club coach.

The most exciting race of the day was the Girls Under 15 Coxed Quadruple sculls. Competitiveness took these 2 Girls quads to dizzying heights. The more experienced John Paul College crew took the lead and  ‘newbies’  Western Heights High Girls fought for a position . The John Paul College crew of Olivia Ashby (stroke),Grace Eriksen, Angela O'Sullivan,Georgina Hyde + Willow Sperry (cox) won Gold and the Western Heights High School Quad of Stacey Tamblin (stroke), Emma Cronshaw-Hunt,Hannah Cox, Alice West + Morgan McHale (cox).rowed a fine race to Bronze. There was little over a second between first and third places and it was a breath-taking finish to a well-rowed race by all crews

Coach Chris Pearson coached both crews and this was a first for a Rotorua coach to have 2 crews from opposing schools on the podium for the same event. Pearson was obviously delighted with his 2 crews and there was a little humour on the podium as Chris gained a Bronze medal with the WHHS crew and then slid sideways to be awarded his Gold medal as coach of the JPC crew.

Good results from John Paul College and Coach Chris Pearson, with Claudia Hyde in the Girls under-18 single sculls. Hyde has impressed before many times and although this is by no means her best result, she has the true grit and focused coaching with Rob Francis to make the top 3 at the New Zealand Secondary Champs.Also JPC had  a solid Bronze in the Girls under-15 Double Sculls with crew Olivia Ashby (stroke) | Grace Eriksen gaining their 2^nd medal of the day -a Bronze to add to their earlier Gold.

Promise in the Boys Under 17 Single Sculls – John Paul College’s Jakob Zohs will be one to watch. A relative newcomer , Zohs should be showing in A final results next year in the Under 18 slot or in the club regattas. Crewed with adept Callum Taft in stroke made for a fine result in the Lightweight Boys Under 18 Double Sculls, the double taking a Bronze medal. Once again excellent coaching with Alastair Riddle and Rotorua Rowing Club Coaches Team.