Rowing: Selection fires up Olympic dream

Tauranga Girls' College sports captain Huia Ackerman was honoured at a special assembly yesterday. Photo / John Borren

Tauranga's latest rowing sensation is still coming to terms with making the New Zealand under-21 team to race their Australian counterparts in a two-test series in Sydney in July.

Huia Ackerman, 17, will join forces with Otago's Emma Winders to contest the women's lightweight double sculls.

She impressed selectors by winning the girls' under-17 single sculls at the North Island Secondary Schools and Mighty River Power Junior championships in March.

That was enough to win a coveted spot in the team, despite a less-than-successful Maadi Cup regatta.

"The North Islands were great, and everything up until then was going great, but Maadi did not go so successfully for me," Ackerman said. "I guess it was good because I realise it doesn't get handed to you on a plate and you have to work for it.

"I have been working hard for five seasons now to get what I want and now I have got it. It is pretty surreal as I didn't really think I would ever do it. I am the youngest in the team and did not expect to get in this young, that's for sure."

Ackerman, who is the sports captain at Tauranga Girls' College, was honoured at a special assembly yesterday. She is looking forward to 10 days in camp with the NZ team at the Lake Karapiro Regional Performance Centre in June before flying out to take on the Aussies.

"We will be training out of the New Zealand High Performance Centre and living together dormitory-style. It will be great to be there with the team."

Ackerman has given up her other sporting loves to concentrate on rowing. which has paid dividends.

"When I was younger I was doing surf, water polo, swimming, triathlons, everything. I had to quit so many different sports to be able to row so I guess all my passion for all those other sports came into this one."

Ackerman has an Olympic dream burning brightly but is also planning to attend university next year.

"Ever since I was little I thought the Olympics would be cool but never ever thought I'd do it in rowing.

"It would be great to get there but I need to balance rowing with getting an education and thinking further in life. That is the point I am at now."