‘Big Red’ will row at Eton

Rotorua Riordan Morrell will row in the Junior Men’s Double Sculls at the 2011 Junior World Rowing Championships at Eton,  England, this August.

 “It was a bit touch and go” Riordan said “but I’m happy now. I wouldn’t say I was confident before coming to trial, I was completely undecided. All I knew was I was going to be working hard“ ..

This determination and drive did not go unnoticed. “Riordan is a very pleasant young man with an awesome attitude to the sport” commented Junior Squad coach Duncan Bydeley. “ He was unwell most of the trials and showed guts to perform to the level he did-which did not go unnoticed by myself and the other coaches”.

On the last day of trials, Riordan’s new Men’s double sculls and the other crews completed a time trial, racing the 2ooo metre course on Lake Karapiro. Even if crews are selected, Rowing New Zealand insists they achieve times which will place them in the top six places in the A Final.

The double seemed to be an ‘add-on’ after the selectors had selected the four and then the quad, Riordan believes.The crew of the Men’s coxed four is 2 pairs of rowers from two different schools.“These rowers have rowed so well together , in the past, the selectors try not break up the pair. The two Napier rowers won the U18 pair by so much, at Maadi“ Riordan said “ and the two Auckland Grammar School rowers were 2^nd in the pair , won the four and won the eight at Maadi” .

The Men’s quad has 2 sets of scullers too, much the same as the Men’s four . “The two Nelson College scullers won the U18 double sculls at Maadi “ Morrell said “and the two Westend Rowing Club scullers were originally from St Peter’s School and won the U17 quad sculls at Maadi” .

Riordan will head off to The Gallagher High Performance Centre at Karapiro to train with the Juniors Squad on the 15^th May. He will be working on two Waiariki Marketing and Management Business papers while in Cambridge and  Rowing New Zealand will find him a flat ;most likely with the two Westend Rowing Club scullers. Morrell and the New Zealand Junior Rowing squad depart for England on the 18^th July ,to train for  2 weeks before the regatta from the 3^rd to the 7^th August.