PHOTO JULIA EDWARD

PHOTO ISLA EDWARD AND OTHER ROWING FANS;(LEFT TO RIGHT )ISLA, DAUGHTER-IN-LAW SUE EDWARD, SON HARRY EDWARD,SIMON O’DONNELL(ISLA’S GRANDSON CHRIS’S ROWING COACH) SUE WHITE (ROWING MOTHER) NAT STEVENS(RRC PATRON)

Go Julia

Rotorua rower Julia Edward’s ‘rowing gran’ would have been very proud of her beloved granddaughter this weekend.   Sadly, Isla Edward passed away on the 6^th january and missed seeing Julia, in all probability, gain a place on the shortlist of lightweight women rowers, the selectors will choose from,

for the two seats they have in the Women’s Lightweight Double Scull , to compete at the 2012 London Olympics ..

At the 2012 North Island Rowing Champs, Edward (WRPC) closed in on her long- time goal to compete at these Olympics. She won Gold in the Women’s Premier Lightweight Single Scull, ahead of her 2011 World U23 Rowing Championship’s  partner; Alyce Pulford.

Julia also gained a silver medal in the Premier Women’s Double Scull and bronze medal in the Premier Women’s Quad Sculls and will have the 2012 New Zealand Rowing Champs in mid- February to cement herself, as a front runner in the eyes of the selectors.

Julia’s grandmother was a keen rowing enthusiast.  Even into her nineties, she made many trips to Lake Karapiro to see her rowing grandchildren compete.

Her grandson Chris Edward was in the coxed eight which put Rotorua rowing on the ‘Maadi Cup’ map. At Lake Ruataniwha, at Twizel, the Rotorua Boy’s High School’s eight came in a close 4^th place at the 2006 NZ Secondary School Champs, the closest result Rotorua has ever had in the prestigious Maadi Cup event.

Julia Edward was also a 2011 Halberg Finalist last year in the ‘Emerging Talent’ Category and won Bronze at the 2011 U23 World Championships in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls.