The Christmas spirit was on display at this year’s Christmas Regatta, held at Lake Karapiro in mid-December.

With more than 2600 rowers (including Australian clubs) competing in club and age group events over three days, the regatta was a testing ground for coaches to assess where crews were at for medal regattas in the new year.

Temperatures were in the high 20s over the three days, with water conditions pristine with little wind.  The heat meant rowers had to carefully manage hydration and time in the sun to ensure they were able to last the long and demanding days.

In the heats for the age-group events, Whakatāne Rowing Club fielded crews in the Boys U16, Boys U18, and Girls U16 categories.

Stand-out performances in the age group racing came from the U16 quad of Adam Albert-May, Callum Hughes, Luka Hagger, Finn Madsen and cox Rhianna Rowe, who placed second in their heat to make the A Final, where they placed third.

In the U16 double scull, Adam combined with Kohl van den Anker to place second in their heat, making the A Final and coming a commendable fourth.

Senior rowers also put in a dominant performance to finish first in their heat and proceed to the A Final.

The established trio of Travis Talpos, Ash Schutz and Alex Iremonger have been joined by Sam Knapton and cox Rhianna Rowe, with a first place in the A Final of the U18 Coxed Quad. Travis and Ash also put in a strong performance in the U18 double scull and were definitive winners in the A Final.

In club events, the dynamic duo of Piper Reddish and Kate Staples were out on the water early. After a strong showing at the club regatta earlier in the month, they consolidated their form to make the A final in the Girls Novice Double Scull, where they placed fourth.

The Men’s Intermediate coxed quad of Kohl, Sam, Finn Anderson and James McKay, coxed by Alya Rowe, also performed strongly with a third-place finish in their A Final. Later in the day, Finn was joined by Callum Hughes in the intermediate double sculls – another great performance saw the boys make the A Final, where they placed eighth.

Grace Iremonger and Ayla Rowe (senior girls) rowed in a composite Women’s Club quad with Francis Hazeldine (Rotorua) and Adah Williams (Taupō). In only their second time in the boat together, the crew did enough to progress to the A Final, where they came a commendable sixth place.

In their most testing event of the regatta, the U18 boys, joined by Joseph Williams of Taupō, took on the Men’s Club Coxless Quad. Winning their heat, the crew were placed in a centre lane for the A Final. They raced neck and neck with an older Waikato Club crew, who held on to first place for the last 500 metres.  

The U16 Boys crews joined forces to enter the Men’s Intermediate Coxed Octuple and again showed their aptitude in this event, winning their heat. Placed in a centre lane of their A Final, like the Senior boys, they too were bested by an opponent in the last part of the race to place a hard-fought second.

Coaches can now hone their crews over the next month with training and intensive camps as the business end of the season approaches. The next event for the club is the Dewar Shield Regatta, which is held at the Blue Lake.

This is a major fundraising event for the club, with rowers seeking sponsors for races.

If your whānau or business would like to sponsor a race for $115, visit the club’s website or Facebook page for more information.