Future in sculling for Veldman?

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 25

Future in sculling for Veldman?

By

TIM DUNBAR

Wybo Veldman, arguably New Zealand's greatest oarsman, obviously has some sort of future as a sculler if he chooses to stick with two ears.

Veldman only started sculling seriously last season but finished second in the national champion singles final in March, only 2ft behind Ted Hale, of Sydney. Consequently, many local enthusiasts keenly followed the performances of Hale — who later won the Australian title — at the recent Olympic Games in Montreal. Hale eventually finished •econd in the petit-final at Montreal for eighth place overall — no earthshaking performance, certainly, but a good yardstick on which to rate Veldman’s abilities. Veldman was of course primarily in the nationals as an oarsman — he filled no. 7 seat in the Whakatane eight — and his success against scullers who had been specialising in their art for vears was an astounding achievement. It would not be too outrageous to suggest that he could have improved sufficiently to again match Hale almost stroke for stroke and finish in. say, the top 10 in the world at Montreal. . Veldman gained ms

awesome reputation as a wielder of a single oar for New Zealand eights from 1967 to 1972, when he was a member of the gold medallist crew at Munich, and numerous Whakatane crews. His total of 21 red coat titles is a national record.

At Lake Karapiro six months ago. Veldman was “rapt” with his singles win (he took the title as outsiders are not eligible) and admitted that he had only dabbled in sculling before that season and had ‘‘spent more time under the boat than in it.

“A lot of people have been telling me I could make it as a sculler but I didn't believe them until now. I’ll have to come back to this now,” he said. If Veldman does “come back to it” it is unlikely that he could ever reach any great heights as a single sculler as he is already 29. But earlier this year the Dutch-bom oarsman talked of hopes that he could finish his international rowing career at the 1977 world championships at Amsterdam and this ties in with views that he could well succeed as a quadruple sculler.

The chairman of the national rowing selectors (Mr Fred Strachan) said last week that finance would preclude the sending of an eight to Amster-

dam but “some sort of crew will have to go.” Perhaps it is wishful thinking but one possibility' is a quad which would therefore have a chance to redeem the relative failures of similar crews at the last two world championships in Lucerne (fifth) and Nottingham (ninth).

Veldman has not been available for New Zealand crews since he and Noel Mills had a mighty silver medal row in the coxless pairs at the 1973 European championships in Moscow and, apparently, his club coach, Mr Tom Reid, had a little difficulty getting him to train last summer.

But if he is given some fresh goal — and representing New Zealand in a sculling boat at Amsterdam would obviously be an incentive — then Veldman, still technically perfect in the view of the best judges of style, would be a definite asset.

Even though no eight will go away next year, the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association has planned at least two tours, both by colts, to build up depth for the world championships at Lake Karapiro in late 1978. A colts eight will have an internal tour, with competition against an Australian state crew, later this year and during the Christmas period next

year a reciprocal tour of Australia will take place. Prospects for a strong senior eight in 1978 are reasonably good at this stage as only three members of the Montreal

bronze medallist crew — Tony Hurt, Lindsay Wilson and Athol Earl — have definitely retired and Earl (he would still be only 26) might be persuaded to return by then.

None of the other members of the Montreal eight are more than 26 and two —Peter Dignan (Auckland University) and David Rodger (Waikato) — are just 21.