Rowing: Seattle event pointer for eight

The NZ men's rowing 8 have been invited to contest the Windermere Cup. Photo / Thinkstock

New Zealand's youthful men's eight will have an early test of their potential in Seattle next week.

The eight - last year's under-23 world champion crew plus newcomer Michael Brake - have been invited to contest the Windermere Cup next Saturday.

The annual event will be contested against crews from Columbia and Washington Universities over the standard 2km distance.

Australian and British crews have previously been invited and with the annual European campaign beckoning, this offers a good trial run for more important events to come.

"Our crew combination has been together for two solid years now and we are looking forward to our first race as international elites," stroke Stephen Jones said.

"We have heard a lot about Washington University and we are looking forward to the experience in Seattle. It will be good to have a race earlier in the season to see how our boat speed is going before we head away on our international campaign."

It is the 29th edition of the regatta and over 800 athletes will compete.

Given that this is Olympic qualifying year, it should help sharpen the focus on the Rio Games next year.

"This event offered the men's eight their first step towards Olympic qualification and some top quality men's eights racing," Rowing New Zealand high performance director Alan Cotter said.

"It is all about achievable steps along the way and the confidence to keep pushing forward.

"We hope this event will help them get some top form in the build-up to the world cups and world championships where they will face some tough competition."

The elite crews leave New Zealand on June 12, heading for World Cup regattas in Varese, Italy and Lucerne, Switzerland before finishing with the world championships in Aigubuelette, France, starting on August 30.