Baxter McGillivray (Year 13, Averill) and Callan Ogilvie (Year 12, School) were in the first A final race on Friday, the Boys U17 single sculls. Both boys rowed a courageous race but it was Baxter’s strong rhythm and well timed gear change that saw him finish in third position and earning himself a well-deserved bronze medal. Callan fought all the way down the course and finished in a very respectable fifth place.
Baxter and Callan were in action in the boys U17 double later on Friday. They rowed a great race but I suspect that the effort earlier in the day meant that the legs just weren’t firing on all cylinders. They finished in 7th.
On Saturday morning the Boys U16 double was in action in their A final and the team of Louis Upton (Year 11, Selwyn) and Alex Shannon (Year 12, Parnell) finished in 6th in their event, which was a great result for these two young boys.
Jack Mitchell (Year 13, Averill) was in the A final of the Boys U18 single sculls later that day. Jack had a tremendous row which saw him sitting in third for most of the race. Unfortunately towards the end of the race it looked like he ran out of steam and he was overtaken and had to settle for 5th place.
The last A final for King’s was the Boys U18 double scull with Jack Mitchell and Callan Ogilvie. This was their last opportunity for a medal at the regatta and incredible performance from the boys. They had a fantastic start and were up in the leading pack until the last few strokes of the race where they were pipped into fourth place by a strong finishing crew from John McGlashan College.
The U17 Boys Quad had a cracking race in the B final and finished in second place, earning themselves a top 10 finish.
The team has come a long way since the start of the season where we were unable to train on the water for three months while other clubs around the country could. It’s been a long, tough road but they kept training and pushing their limits and they can be very proud of their efforts this past week. Thank you to everyone for your support throughout the season and especially this week. The team certainly appreciates it.
Just before flying home yesterday we received some wonderful news! Jack Mitchell has been selected to trial for the NZ U19 rowing team and Callan Ogilvie and Baxter McGillivray have been selected to trial for the U18 North vs South team. This is a fantastic result for these boys and a testament to the hard work and dedication that they have demonstrated throughout the season. The boys will have a few days off before starting their preparation for their trials in April.
Brendan Boreham
Head of Rowing
Thanks to Continental Cars Porsche and Structurflex for their support of King's Rowing.
