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Aoraki Dragon Boat |
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Shirley Boys High race against the bestThe Shirley Boys’ High School Dragon Boat team racing as the New Zealand Junior Open team were the sole New Zealand representatives to compete at Racice, a small village 60km north of Prague in the Czech Republic. Racing took place on a purpose built rowing course which had one month earlier hosted the World Under 23 Rowing Championships so there was no doubt as to the quality of the race course. 3055 competitors made up 134 crews from 25 countries and raced in Open, Premier, Under 23, Masters Over 40, Masters Over 50 and Junior Divisions over a five day programme. We raced over four different distances and performed with great credit, especially when considering that all our opposition were selected from throughout their respective countries, whereas our crew was selected just from Shirley Boys’ High School. Our programme opened with the 2000m race which sees the crews started every 12 seconds and competing 2 laps of the course. There are strict rules relating to passing, and we did remarkably well to make up 23 seconds on the Australia 2 crew in the first 400m. We were just short of achieving an overlap as we entered the turn but had to wait until the next straight before we could overtake, and this drop in pace definitely cost us at least one place. The Czech crew caught us after the first lap on their way to victory, but no other crew passed us. An eventual ranking of 6th saw the boys reasonably angry as they had wanted better, but their time was 42seconds quicker than they had ever raced the distance before. An extremely creditable result. Our journey back to our Prague accommodation saw us travelling through an incredible electrical storm which proved to be the only rain on our trip. Our programme the following day in the 1000m was a gut-buster, with a potential three races in 3 hours, and we had boys unable to paddle due to sudden illness. If we won our heat we would go straight to the Grand Final and in a titanic battle we were beaten by less than a second by Canada. Into the Semi Final and having to either win or be the fastest 2nd place, we finished third behind Singapore and the Czech Republic. The boys struggled manfully in the Minor Final, enjoying a good start and leading for a long time, but were finally run down by the USA and beaten by 0.04seconds! A ranking of 8th meant we had equalled our 2005 Sydney result. In an amazing Grand Final and in a display that showed how close the racing was, all six crews finished within 0.72seconds of each other Next was the 200m sprint and for the first time ever, we won a heat (in 52.056) and went straight to the Grand Final. In spite of the fact that we had different boys ill this day, we were in a positive mood. Singapore blitzed the field winning by 2.5seconds but the next four boats finished within 1.2seconds. Again the boys were initially disappointed with their 5th placing, but when considering who they finished behind and the fact they beat Poland who had won the 1000m title, they were eventually very happy to again improve on the Sydney result and be less than 1 second from a medal. Our final day of racing was the 500m, which is the distance we race at home and still illness was affecting our selections. In our heat we again put the pressure on from the start but could not match the finish of the Germans, eventually finishing third behind Poland. In our Semi it was a similar battle, this time with Canada and we held our breath after finishing 0.8seconds away in 2nd. Unfortunately we just missed making the Grand Final on times. Rather than let that have a negative impact, it fired up the boys and they blitzed the field to win the Minor Final and enjoy a ranking of 7th. In summary, an excellent effort from a group of Shirley Men, competing at an elite world level. They gained improved placings in three out of the four events when compared to Sydney and while it was always going to be a difficult task to win medals, the boys were never far from that point, and it makes for some interesting thoughts going forward. Do we aim for Worlds again in 2011 in Tampa Florida, or do we compete as Shirley Boys’ at the World Club Crew Championships. Times at this World Championships This was a wonderful experience for our team, travelling to the Czech Republic and living in a completely different culture. Highlights outside of racing would have to be the sightseeing around Prague, our trip to Vienna, and Singapore. A special thanks to our Coach Russell Stocks for his latest 18 months of training, and to his partner Judy for all her help on tour. Also to the parents who accompanied us, John Allen, Ian Barnes, Iain Osborne, Christian Frunt, Kay and Ross Major. The trip would not have been possible without yours and the other parents fundraising efforts, and your work and enthusiasm on tour was invaluable. John Fox Results
In the 1000m Heat, we recorded 4.24.01, In the Semi 4.26.14 and in the Minor Final 4.27.63, beating Ukraine, Australia 1 and Australia 2
Crews in the Minor Final of the 200m were USA, Ukraine, Australia and Great Britain New Zealand won the Minor Final of the 500m in 2.10.41, beating USA, Australia and Ukraine. Our fastest time was 2.08.45 in the Semi Final. The 2009 New Zealand Junior Open Dragon Boat Crew was |
To contact us, email Aoraki Dragons Shirley Boys qualified for Prague after winning the Nationals at the end of March, and have now qualified six of the last seven years. TV3 news ran a story on our Christchurch-based Shirley Boys team who are heading to the World Champs. As it says the boys "trying to raise around $175,000 to get to Europe for a dragon boating regatta have been training in the dark and in sub-zero conditions". More...
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| home - contact us - faq | updated:
15-May-2011
(c) Noel Anderton |
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were definitely slower than at Sydney and this can be attributed to a slightly different Rowing Course and depth of water, and a change to the “Swift” design of boat. Our times in Sydney would have won us Gold in the 1000m and 500m, and Silver in the 200m at Racice. However, Mr Stocks and I believe the 2009 crew is a faster unit than the 2007 crew and proved that in Rotorua so slower times from all countries have to be a consequence of Boat and conditions. In a series of close races, every distance was won by a different country with our crew being ranked in 5th place overall when comparing crews who raced over all four distances.