Oarsmen ready for big test

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32542, 27 February 1971, Page 14

Oarsmen ready for big test

r A FTER four hard months of rowing and five months spent in winter training, Christchurch oarsmen will, next week, be able to show just how much they have benefited from all this preparation when they take part in the national rowing championships at Lake Karapiro. All three Christchurch clubs have concentrated on a rigorous winter programme, followed by further conditioning on the water, with the accent on competence in varied kinds of boats and in different status classifications. Well known to followers of the sport in the South Island is the Avon rowing club’s maiden eight, which has been coached by Mr F. Strachan, convener of the national selection panel. The combination has been unbeaten in maiden rowing this season, and has won the admiration of fellow oarsmen and spectators in every regatta for its thorough grasp of the internationally recognised power rowing technique. The crew has rowed to many an effortless victory lengths ahead of its nearest rivals at a low, controlled rating. The oarsmen are all big men, and one of them, A. Earl, represented this country overseas last year. The crew is entered in the junior eights event at the championships, and should have little difficulty in reaching the finals, which are to be rowed next Saturday. At this stage it would be premature to predict anything further, but the crew has every chance of success in this event. Avon will also have a junior four at the regatta. This crew comprises the stem half of the eight and it has beaten the Canterbury senior four at many regattas. Once again, it is not presumptuous to predict that a placing in the finals is within the crew’s grasp. Avon is also taking a novice eight and four to the regatta. The eight has a good record this season, and at last week-end’s regatta, won the event by

a distance from Union in a time only 20 seconds slower than the winner of the maiden eights race. Union has entered by far the largest number of crews: a senior eight, four, pair and single and a maiden eight, four .and single. Of these, the senior eight and maiden four deserve special mention. The eight has performed consistently well at all regattas this season and showed signs of promise at last week-end’s meeting, in spite of the handicap of trying to adapt to a new boat and rowing style. Mr T. Smith, a former national title-holder, has successfully introduced the latest rowing technique the IMS. style—to this crew, and although the expected results of this move have

not yet been attained, there is every chance that the crew will reach its peak early next week in time for the first heats of the senior eights event. The Union men seem confident that this will happen, and there is nothing in their way to achieving a good placing in the race, with every Oarsman at the peak of physical fitness and a two-week old Australian shell at their disposal? The club’s maiden four, made up of the “power” section of the maiden eight, has been unbeaten during the last weeks and is as fit and well-trained as any crew entered in this event. The crew won a division of the maiden fours at the Otago rowing championships and took first place

at last week-end’s regatta, three lengths ahead of the Sydney University junior four. The combination is rowing in one of the latest style shells from Australia and has the added advantage of consisting of men of powerful build with a lighter than usual' average weight. Union’s two main scullers, T. Armstrong and T. Cheyne, have a number of victories to their credit this season and are assured of a highly successful week of racing.

The Canterbury rowing club is sending its unbeaten senior eight to the championships as well as a senior four, maiden pair and single and a senior sculler. Although the eight has gained victory in all its races this season, it has not won by sufficient distance from crews of lesser status to establish itself as a fancied combination at Karapiro. The senior four will comprise three rowers from the eight, and the fourth member is one of the club’s scullers.