Young Taupō rowers excel at Karāpiro

Papillon Poynter gets into her boat ahead of her win in the A Final Girls' Under-16 Single Sculls at the North Island Junior Rowing Regatta.

Taupō junior rowers brought their A-game to Karāpiro over the weekend, competing well against the big schools to claim a number of notable podium placings.

The 12-strong team of junior rowers from Taupō Rowing Club, the majority with less than two years’ experience, competed at the AON North Island Junior Regatta at Karāpiro.

The club punched well above its weight to make nine finals on day two. This translated into one A Final win and numerous placings and strong finishes by the relatively inexperienced crews.

The race commentators at the regatta were often surprised to see the Taupō rowers vying for a place. Their strong finishes in the last 500 metres pushed them up out of the pack to place against the more well-known and larger teams.

The Taupō junior rowing squad. (Back row, left to right): Oscar Strik, Harry Febery, Joe Williams, Mark Freeman (coach) and Zach Bidwell. (Middle row, L-R): Jessica Hawkes, Papillon Poynter, Hunter Sapsford, Nico Febery and Maya Berger. (Front row, L-R): Dasha King, Adam Williams, Emmeline Martin and Lucy McKay.

A highlight of the day was Papillon Poynter, who blew the field away in the Girls’ Under-16 Single Sculls A Final.

Papillon comfortably won her race by two and a half boat lengths to claim her North Island title.

Papillion and Jessica Hawkes also claimed second place in the Girls’ Under-15 Double Sculls. Harry Febery also rowed well to place second in the competitive B Final of the Boys’ Under-18 Single Sculls race.

The juniors have been training hard under coach Mark Freeman for the last 12 months.

Hunter Sapsford (front) and Zach Bidwell compete in the Boys' Under-15 Double Sculls.

Freeman is over the moon with the team’s results.

“They have worked their guts out for this for so long, putting in hours and hours on the water most mornings. They are a small team with big hearts and have performed so well, especially given the high calibre of the competition.”

The AON North Island Junior Regatta is the first big regatta of the season, with the team off to the North Island Secondary Schools Championships and the Maadi Cup National Secondary School competition in the coming weeks.

Grant Febery, the school’s club captain, is very pleased with the way that the team has developed over the last 12 months.

“They are a great bunch who deserve their success. They train hard and also have fun as a group, and are pleasure to be around.”

Jessica Hawkes competing in the B Final of the Girls' Under-16 Single Sculls.

Finals Results

• 1st A Final Girls’ Under-16 Single Sculls – P Poynter
• 3rd A Final Girls’ Under-15 Double Sculls – P Poynter and J Hawkes
• 6th A Final Boys’ Under-16 Single Sculls – J Williams
• 7th A Final Boys’ Under-16 Double Sculls – O Strick and J Williams
• 2nd B Final Boys’ Under-18 Single Sculls – H Febery
• 4th B Final Girls’ Under-16 Single Sculls – J Hawkes
• 6th B Final Girls’ Under-16 Double Sculls – P Poynter and L Mckay
• 7th B Final Boys’ Under-16 Coxed Quad Sculls – O Strik, J Williams, H Sapsford, Z Bidwell and N Febery
• 7th B Final Boys’ Under-18 Double Sculls – H Febery and O Strik