Rowers Maadi Cup . Photo supplied.The Maadi Cup is back on the agenda and Ashburton College’s rowing fraternity are jetting off to make their presence known.

A 25-strong squad of rowers from the school will fly north today for the week-long regatta at the internationally renowned Lake Karapiro with high hopes of some outstanding performances on the water.

After last year’s event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, it’s been a long time in between rows for the students at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ rowing showpiece, but missing out last year will become a distant memory from the moment the first boat touches the water on Monday morning when the regatta officially begins.

More than 2000 athletes from schools around New Zealand will be at the event competing for their schools and themselves with the regatta known as a great pathway for future success in the sport as has been shown by former Ashburton College student, Veronica Wall, who earlier this month was named in the Rowing NZ Under 23 Squad.

The group from Ashburton heading north features not only the competitors but also a strong base of supporters to form the overall crew and while a relatively youthful squad, there are high hopes for some great results throughout the course of the week.

The regatta begins on Monday, March 22 and runs through until Friday, March 23, with heats and repechages held before semi-finals and finals in the various age brackets and also disciplines and divisions.

© The Ashburton Guardian - 20 March 2021