Junior Rowing Squad Announced

Junior Rowing Squad Announced

Rowing New Zealand today announced a squad of 23 athletes who will travel to Beijing later this year for the 2007 Junior World Rowing Championships.

The squad will be Women's Quad, a Women's Coxless Four, a Men's Coxed Four, a Men's Single Sculler and a Men's Eight which will be aiming to retain the title won in 2006 in Amsterdam.

Brett Crow, who achieved notable success this year with the Waikato Men's Eight and the coach of the successful 2006 Junior Eight, is retained as its coach while former New Zealand international Gary Roberts makes his international coaching debut as assistant coach for the Men's Coxed Four.

Ian Weenink, the Nelson coach who has achieved remarkable success this year with his group of Nelson College athletes, will coach the Women's Quad while Janey Wackrow will coach the Women's Coxless Four. Bruce Lodder is once again the Team Manager.

Hamilton Boys High School, who had an excellent AON Secondary Schools Regatta which culminated in victory in the AON Maadi Cup, are well represented with six athletes in the squad while Nelson's outstanding two young male athletes, Blair Jones and Jamie Orsbourn, were also named. Athletes from Christ's College, Auckland Grammar, West End Rowing Club and St Bedes also made the international team.

The Women's squad includes athletes from Wanganui Collegiate, Nelson, Rangi Ruru, Hauraki Plains, Rotorua Rowing Club, Cambridge Rowing Club and Christchurch Girls High School.

The crew announcements followed an intensive final trial, which included rowing machine testing, 'seat racing' on the water to establish the better rowers and boat time trials.

"There are a number of excellent athletes in the group, as well as some with experience of last year's World Championships, which will stand them in good stead," explained High Performance Manager Andrew Matheson. "Obviously we intend to put up the strongest defence possible of our Eights title, but we are also quietly confident that we can turn out competitive boats in the other events as well. There was no shortage of competition for these Junior squad places and every single athlete in there can be proud of what they have achieved to make it this far."

Men's Eight

Stroke: Tyson Williams
7 Ben Lynton
6 Jaime Orsbourn
5 Tyler Sherman
4 Brad Ross
3 Josh Payne
2 Benjamin Wooding
Bow James Lassche
Cox Robert Salvesen

Coach Brett Crow

Men's Coxed Four

Stroke James O'Connor
3 Blair Jones
2 Geoffrey Cornell
Bow Joseph Morgan
Cox Matt Cameron

Coaches Brett Crow, Gary Roberts

Men's Single Scull

Henry Poor

Coach John White

Women's Quad Scull

Stroke Laura Fisher
3 Kate Reymer
2 Lucy Spoors
Bow Alyce Pulford

Coach Ian Weenink

Women's Coxless Four

Stroke Ali Burnside
3 Sian Jones White
2 Anna Dawson
Bow Paparangi Hipango

Coach Janey Wackrow

Team Manager

Bruce Lodder

ENDS

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