Rowing is a well-supported and successful sport at Westlake Girls, and the 2023/24 season was no different. At the Head of Harbour Regatta at Lake Pupuke in February, the team earned three 3rd places, one 2nd place and six 1st place finishes, including winning the U18 eight, four and pair. Not long afterwards, the squad travelled to Karapiro for North Islands where the U17 four and U18 eight won bronze, the U18 four won a silver, and the U16 four were crowned North Island champions.  Two weeks later, the U16 four continued their good form to win a bronze medal at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Rowing Championships on Lake Ruataniwha in Twizel.

As a result of their hard work, two of our team members were selected for the North Island U18 team and three team members were selected for the Auckland U20 Interprovincial team. These results add to a long history of success in rowing for Westlake Girls High School.

If you’re interested in being involved, please see the information below.

PROGRAMME:

The rowing season begins in September with Spring Camp and concludes in March at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championship. Learn to Row is offered to beginners and it is an excellent programme for novice rowers to get started. The 8-week coaching sessions begin in June and run through winter so students are ready to sign up for Spring Camp at Karapiro during the first week of the September school holidays. Senior Students begin off season training in June.

Rowing is run by the Rowing Society and they start every season with an Open Day for parents to learn more about the programme including cost, commitment and the event schedule. This takes place in Spring.

REGISTRATION

For more information, or to register for this activity, please go to “CLIPBOARD”. It is a NEW platform to view All Westlake Girls Sports and it is located on the Student and Parent Portals or just contact the Manager.

Rowing Contact:
Ian Bright – Head of Rowing
P: 09 489 4169 Ext 764
E: [email protected]

What can you expect from rowing

Rowing is a unique high intensity sport, and perhaps the ultimate team sport.  This means that the girls work together and support each other.  While it is important that the girls enjoy their rowing, we also expect them to work hard, be committed and have a good attitude towards each other. The competitive summer rowing season runs from September to March or April depending on the timing of the final regatta for the season (Maadi Cup). Winter training begins late May early June each year, this training is optional and winter commitments take priority through to the end of winter sport. Once winter sport is complete the number of training sessions steadily increase from September to March in preparation for the North Island Secondary Schools Championships (NISS) and for selected girls, the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships (Maadi Cup Regatta).

For parents, the sport of rowing is also quite demanding, but can be extremely fulfilling.  You can expect to be a taxi driver, help out at events and assist in fundraising. Further, the demands of rowing  provide healthy challenges to your daughter, so they may need some guidance to become self-reliant in an intense sporting environment.  As a parent you will also become a member of a much larger family and develop new friendships with other parents.

We have a Facebook page for past and present rowers, and all friends of Westlake Rowing. You can find it HERE.

Season Handbook 2024-25

Rowing New Zealand

Rowit

NZ Secondary Schools Rowing Association