Keys makes timely move

Press, 8 November 1984, Page 38

Keys makes timely move

TIM DUNBAR

George Keys, twice a World Championship gold medallist oarsman, will row this season for Nelson, ending his long association with the Avon Club. At the Nelson club Keys will team up in a pair-oared boat with the former international oarsman, Duncan Holland, who has returned to competitive rowing after spending three seasons as a coach. Keys is now a partner with two of his brothers in a cartage contracting business and he does a trucking run every day between Christchurch and Nelson. This means he spends every second night and the week-ends in Nelson. “So it’s more suitable to row there,” Keys said in Christchurch yesterday. Last season Keys and his fellow Olympic oarsman, Les O’Connell, combined to bring Avon a national red-

coat title in the coxless pairs at Lake Karapiro. In spite of bis heavy involvement in Nelson Keys had been negotiating with his old club. But, he said, certain disagreements “made it impossible” for him to row for Avon. Keys said that he and the new Avon club captain, Don Symon, another Olympic representative, had not been seeing eye to eye. And, he added, O’Connell did not want him to continue rowing for the club. The big 24-year-old oarsman has been a member of the Avon club since he was 12 years of age and still at primary school. He won the first of his four red coats when aged only 16 years two months. “It’s sort of a shame leaving,” said Keys, who had enjoyed giving senior and intermediate rowers in the club the benefit of his experience. “I feel bad

about leaving those guys. But there's a new era in the club now; I was the last of the old school.” While Keys has resigned from all active membership he is still a social member of Avon and intends to train out of the club at Kerrs on Monday and Wednesday nights. He has

his own boat there. At Nelson Keys and Holland, also a former Avon man, will have the full use of a Gardiner pair-oared boat which is only a year old. Keys and Holland rowed together in a few pair-oared races in 1981 before Holland’s back injury forced him out of rowing. “We were going 0.K.,” Keys said. Over the last three seasons Holland has added four green coat national titles as a coach (with the Canterbury club) to the three red coats he won as a rower with Avon. Now, says Keys, Holland’s back seems to have mended itself and his desire to get back into active rowing coincides with a recent move from Christchurch to Mapua, 35km from Nelson. - At this stage the pair are leaving their options open regarding the New Zealand championship

regatta at Lake Horowhenua in March. But Keys said: “The training rows we’ve had have felt good. Well sure give anything Avon has to offer a race.” Keys was a member of the New Zealand eight which, at Los Angeles, was unable to add an Olympic medal to the two world golds it won in 1982 and 1983. Whether he is available for the 1985 world championships in Belgium will depend on the sort of club season he and Holland have. “If the pair doesn’t go well there’s not much point putting my name forward,” said Keys. “If I have a reasonable season, my name’s in the hat.” He is looking forward to the Picton regatta on December 8 and the first clash with the Avon premier crews.