Medals at Maadi

A team of 35 St Paul’s rowers and coxswains qualified for the 2023 Maadi Cup. This achievement in itself was huge with qualification criteria requiring crews to finish in either the top three at the Aon Junior Regatta or the top five at the North Island Secondary School Championships.

These prior racing experiences and successes meant the teams were going into the regatta with high ambitions. Six months of training and dedication, as well as the focus and professional approach on race days, meant that the St Paul’s crews were quickly shining both on and off the water.

Coming into finals days, St Paul’s lined up in 15 A Finals and 4 B Finals and even more impressively, every member of the team was still competing in the regatta. The level of racing this year was at a level that the coaches struggle to recall, and in many events, the top three crews crossed the finish line within the same second. Racing to a medal required crews to not only have done the hard mahi over the season but to row to their very best and be brave enough to dig deeper than they ever have before.

St Paul’s finished the regatta with 7 medals and 18 crews finishing in the Top 10 in New Zealand. This achievement would not be possible without the outstanding support from the wider rowing and school community. The support on the bank from fellow St Paul’s students, rowers and alumni was inspiring as has been the care and commitment of the coaching team, parents and the rowing committee. The rowing squad would also like to send out a heartfelt thank you to the teachers and housemasters of St Paul’s who have been supportive and encouraging throughout what has been a very busy few months.

The medallists from the 2023 Maadi Secondary School Championships Regatta are:

• National Champions and gold medallists in the boys U17 coxless pair oars - Sam Jefferis and Gane Harbutt.
• Silver in the girls U18 double sculls - Jenna Brangwynne and Sophie Dunn
• Silver in the girls U16 coxed quad sculls - Zara Brangwynne, Sophie Dunn, Olive Montgomerie, Freddie Savill + coxed by Reegan Isaac
• Silver in the boys U15 coxed quad sculls - Caleb Blake, Angus Weir, George Benjamin, Lachlan Murphy and coxswain James Verry
• Bronze in the boys U15 octuple - Caleb Blake, Tyler Tretheway, Angus Weir, CJ Snyman, Te Kokoru Thompson-Evans, George Benjamin, Harry Parham, Lachlan Murphy and coxswain James Verry
• Bronze in the girls U16 double sculls - Zara Brangwynne and Sophie Dunn
• Bronze in the boys U18 novice coxed quad sculls - Caleb Blake, Angus Weir, George Benjamin, Lachlan Murphy and coxswain James Verry

We wish Jenna Brangwynne, Gane Harbutt and Sophie Dunn the best of luck as their performances at Maadi have led to an invitation to trial for the New Zealand Junior and North Island Rowing Teams.

A well-deserved break is now in store for the rest of the rowing community. However, the boats will be back on the river before we know it, and we look forward to welcoming many returning and new faces down at the boat club as we already look forward to the 2023-24 rowing season.