Victoria University Rowing Club’s season featured; triumph, enjoyment, adventure and unforgettable memories, with some rowing somewhere in-between. 

The pandemic left the club in a state of disarray at the beginning of the season, with a relatively new board of committee members and no signed on rowers. With much hard work the crew managed to recruit a collection of rowers, coxswains and coaches in a short space of time. These crews quickly went from being a random assortment of current and ex-rowers, to a tight-knit cohort of athletes and friends who formed a fantastic bond.

After a few weeks of training on the washing machine that is the Wellington Harbour, the majority of the club took a weekend up north for the annual Whanganui Training Camp. Here we made some significant progress, jamming in three massive rows throughout the day, our athletes bared the heat and put in a massive effort to clock up some much needed mileage. Once many of the cobwebs were dusted off, we finished the night in true university fashion and had our annual toga party, which was very quiet and we all were in bed by 10pm. 

On the 1st of April our band of rowers ventured down to the beautiful Lake Ruataniwha to strap in, sit up and row their hearts out. After a jam packed season of only five weeks, the clubs managed to wrangle together 40 rowers and coxswains to partake in what was ultimately a very successful regatta for the university. In a tragic beginning to the regatta, the premier, marquee events of the championship eights, alongside the brand new event of the championship mixed quad, had to be delayed until the following day due to the weather conditions turning the lake into a wave pool. This was to be the main day of racing, meaning that many athletes had to race over four events in a single day. Despite this, not a single complaint was heard from the Victoria camp as we held our chins high and took the challenge in our stride. Ultimately the weather made for some perfect rowing conditions, even if coaches were left braving Antarctic temperatures on the bank, gripping coffees to resist the cold. Our athletes swept up some fantastic results.

Overall, we’re thankful as a club to be up and running once again, after such a successful year, we’re coming into 2022 with high hopes and a strong vision for the future. 

Nga mihi,

Thomas Walsh - President 

Results:

• Men’s Tournament Coxed 8+ | Silver
• Men’s Varsity Coxless 2- | Silver
• Men’s University Novice Coxed 8+ | Silver
• Women’s Tournament Coxed 8+ | Silver
• Women's Tournament Coxed 4+ | Bronze 
• Men’s Varsity Coxed 4X | Bronze

Article added: Wednesday 12 May 2021