New Zealand announces elite team

Bridgewater back in the pair

As the summer starts to wane in New Zealand, rowers have already raced at their national champs, completed national selection trials and prepared to head into winter training.

Capping off the end of the season, rowing selectors recently announced the New Zealand elite rowing team that will compete at the 2005 BearingPoint World Rowing Championships to be held in Gifu, Japan in August and the national Under 23 team to go to the World Under 23 Championships in Amsterdam, the Netherlands in July.

Leading the elite men are George Bridgewater and Nathan Twaddle in the pair. Bridgewater and Twaddle finished fourth at Athens and haven’t showed any signs of slowing down with Bridgewater recently finishing second at the World Indoor rowing championships and Twaddle finishing third in the single at last months nationals.

The men’s four has one change from the fifth-place finishing crew at Athens. Steven Cottle, who rowed at the Under 23 Regatta last year, replaces Mahe Drysdale and will join Donald Leach, Carl Meyer and Eric Murray, while Drysdale returns from training in Europe and will compete in the single.

There were no surprises in the women’s double selection with Georgina and Caroline Evers-Swindell back in the boat together and aiming for their third World Championship title. The women’s pair remains the same as last year again featuring Juliette Haigh and Nicky Coles.

The small Under 23 squad includes the men’s four of Hamish Bond, Hamish Burson, David Schumacher and Campbell Winter with Storm Uru competing in the men’s lightweight single at his first international event.

Coming out of the gold medal winning quad Fiona Paterson and Jaime Nielsen will join together to race this year in the Under 23 women’s double. Bess Halley and Darnelle Timbs remain in the quad to defend their title and will be joined by Rebecca Scown and Celmentine Marshall.

Emma Twigg moves up from two years of junior racing and will compete in the single.

Head coach Dick Tonks noted that the standard of New Zealand rowing continues to improve. “The number of people competing in regattas continues to increase, no doubt influenced this year by the win in the women’s double.”

The squad will now start their preparation for the coming season with internal races planned to help their preparation. Already arrangements are being made for the boats that will be used for racing to be shipped to the other side of the world. the boats will leave New Zealand shores as early as April.

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