BAD WEATHER SPOILS TRAINING FOR WAIHOLA

Southland Times, Issue 23716, 14 January 1939, Page 11

BAD WEATHER SPOILS TRAINING FOR WAIHOLA

By

CLINKER

With only one more week before the Dunedin regatta at Lake Waihola no boat-work of any advantage has been done by any of the Southland crews. The heavy wind has been the cause of this. Crews competing at Lake Waihola will notice the absence of great buoyancy in the water of the lake, so that unless they are very fit the drag of the dead water on the boats will be a definite handicap.

So far the only clubs sending crews from Southland are Awarua and Railway. Both clubs are competing in every class. It is expected that the Awarua junior crew will be entered in the welterweight junior race also. This is the first time for many years that a big regatta has been held at Lake Waihola and it is hoped that its revival will surpass any previous similar event.

It is understood that it is the intention of the Awarua senior crew to compete at the New Zealand championship regatta at Picton. Although this crew has put up some good performances this season, it would be well advised to give the best-and-best rowing a fair trail before definitely deciding to travel so far afield. It is unlikely that J. Parry the stroke of the Awarua junior crew will be available to travel to Waihola and if so, either P. Roderique or A. Reid will more than likely fill the vacancy. Unfortunately through the lack of members and support the Invercargill Club did not compete at the regattas at Riverton and Bluff. However, it is now understood that sufficient keenness has been displayed by members and it is expected that this club will be represented at the South Island championship regatta which is to be held at Port Chalmers. It is most-certain that this club will be competing at the Invercargill regatta, the date of which has not yet been fixed.

Mr R. Bagrie, of the Invercargill Club, has been appointed coach for this season’s eight. Although Mr Bagrie has had no experience of eight rowing, he has good capabilities as an oarsman and the style he endeavours to cultivate should be quite satisfactory for the eight. Most of Mr Bagrie’s rowing was done while he was a member of the Awarua Club. As a youth oarsman he had a record which will be hard to beat. After leaving Bluff he joined the Invercargill Club and performed well in the same crew for which S. Tall was stroking for that particular season. The training of the eight will be done on the Dunn’s road course. There being plenty of good water on this course, and it being a good three-mile course, there should be no excuse for the crew not being fit. It is understood that the 10 oarsmen selected for the eight are to meet at the Railway Rowing Club’s sheds on Sunday, January 22, to clean the boat and give it the usual overhaul. It is also expected that all necessary arrangements for training will be discussed at the same time.

At a meeting of the Southland Rowing Association it was decided that Southland would definitely challenge C Lago for the Edmond Shield. This race as in recent years will again be rowed in eights.

A matter which caused brisk discussion at the recent Southland Rowing Association meeting was the new course which was tried cut at the Bluff regatta for the senior fours. The many beacons and sticks which have to be passed on this course make it very difficult to get a straight run from start to finish. An example of steering past one of these beacons was given by the Awarua seniors on regatta day. On this occasion there were only two starters in this race, so that the confusion among these obstacles could be imagined if there were more than just two competitors.

Besides having smoother water the other course along the south shore of the harbour is far more popular from the spectators’ point of view because they can follow the race from start to finish. However, it has been decided by the association that in future the course for the senior fours at Bluff will be from the head of the bay above Ocean Beach to the usual finish.