© Kevin Strickland
© Kevin Strickland
Canterbury Senior Men’s Eights
holding the Hebberley Shield.
Canterbury beat Otago University
ending their 8 year winning streak.
Bond was named the New Zealand University
Sportsperson of the Year and Storm Uru became the
Maori University Sportsperson of the Year for 2009.
Glen Sinclair (New Zealand
University Rowing President)
giving out the prizes at the end of
racing at Lake Waihola.
A couple of years ago journalism student
Dan Shenton decided to head down to the
rowing at the New Zealand University
Games. It was his first time at a regatta.
Shenton turned up waterside at 7.30 am
already slightly out of sorts due to the
earliness of the hour. He left with these
observations:
This is university rowing, New Zealand-style. It’s
perhaps a little quirky, there is bound to be lots of
fun and then there’s the serious racing side.
University rowing is nothing like the American
powerhouse model. There are no scholarships
for student athletes and students do not tend
to pick their university on its rowing reputation.
But amongst the different sports available at
New Zealand universities rowing has earned one
of the higher profiles.
Looking back at the recent university rowing crews
there is a generous sprinkling of names that have
gone on to international success. Current World
Champion in the men’s single, Mahe Drysdale, is
the most renowned. Drysdale first picked up an
oar at university hoping to be part of the infamous
annual university sports event, Easter Tourney.
“I wanted to go for the drinking, not the rowing,”
says Drysdale. That was 1997. Drysdale raced in the
novice eight and came away saying the drinking
was good.
•;There;aren’t;a;lot;of;fat;rowers
•;Most;rowers;are;tall
•;Female;rowers;have;nice;legs
•;Rowers;enjoy;the;odd;quiet;beer
•;Some;rowers;like;to;row;without;their;clothes;on
Rowing regularly dominates the university sports
awards and in 2009 World Champion Hamish
Since Drysdale raced, the inter-university sports
competition has gone through a complete
revamp with sport becoming the emphasis
over other pursuits. The name has changed
and the New Zealand University Rowing >
