Rowing: Tall timber wanted for boot camp treatment

By JULIE ASH

Wanted - men who are around 1.93m (6ft 4in) tall and weigh between 95kg and 105kg.

Must be in their early 20s and have a desire to row for New Zealand in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

National rowing coach Brian Hawthorne, team manager Paul Dunphy and Jon Ackland, of the Performance Lab, have set up Project Athens, which aims to introduce people to rowing and to identify potential Olympians.

The project requires those interested to take part in an eight-week boot camp at the North Shore Rowing Club to determine their potential to be champions.

The first camp started last month with 12 participants.

Eight have dropped out, but Dunphy says even finding one or two rowers with potential will be an achievement.

"The guys who come along are not just from rowing, they are from all sports.

"We have had a couple of ex-Auckland and North Harbour basketball players. We are looking for guys who are tall timber with a lot of strength. What we are trying to do is give young guys an opportunity to achieve their Olympic dream."

Dunphy said the ultimate goal was to create a men's eight. "We'd love to find eight Rob Waddells."

The group is now seeking participants for a second camp.

Dunphy said for those who survived the camp the next step was to prepare for the national championships in March, when they would compete in the novice class.

Rowing New Zealand chief executive Mike Stanley has given the project the thumbs-up.

"I congratulate them on their inventiveness in promoting the sport in this way."

Stanley said that previously recruitment had been up to clubs but the new approach was built around finding people who had the potential to succeed in the sport.