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Blues Squads representing Auckland on a pathway to success
Auckland Rowing Association's vision of building solid foundations for school rowers
School rowers in Auckland, keen to continue their journey through Winter were able to thanks to Auckland Rowing Association.
The ARA offered a "Baby Blues" winter school holiday programme for Years 10 & 11, a "Light Blues" programme for promising Year 12's and the Auckland Regional Team for athletes either currently at U23/Elite level or on the pathway to these levels.
The response has been incredible.
The programmes allow for a 3-month break post-Maadi, providing a well-needed break from rowing and time to experience other sports. The training intensity and frequency are less for these programmes than in the summer, providing a solid but easily manageable training base leading into next season.
"It's massive this year, absolutely, massive. I mean, we usually get a good response, but this year, we've had over 100 nominations for each of the Baby Blues and the Light Blues programmes, which is amazing," says ARA Chairman, Mike Smyth.
When RowingHub visited the first Light Blue's session at North Shore Rowing Club, these young rowers had already made new friends.
"I think not only are you making lifelong friends, but you're also improving. Going to different Auckland clubs each weekend like North Shore and trying out their boats is also good too," says Ryan Slater, a cox at Sacred Heart College.
Ella Rogers of Wentworth College says she likes rowing with different people as it's a different experience from rowing with the same crew at school.
Rowing with different people is one of the reasons Wentworth College's Ella Rogers (second from right) signed up to the Light Blues Auckland squad.
Head coach of this year's Light Blues squad, Sam Grant, hails from Great Britain and now coaches at Takapuna Grammar. From the first row on a windy Saturday morning, Grant says it's clear the rowers are committed.
"It was quite hard to actually make even an initial selection of the boys and girls from all the nominations, as the standard is so high in Auckland. I think it's an exciting group. It's also good for the coaches, and another string to the bow to spend time with other good coaches."
ARA Chairman Mike Smyth says Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand, and in the rowing sense too.
"We're the biggest region in terms of the number of athletes so as the ARA, we feel a huge responsibility to develop our Tamariki for whatever opportunities they want to pursue, whether that's rowing at the Olympics or for their club or school. I think the Baby Blues and the Light Blues are just part of that whole Auckland pathway to help them, to become the best that they can be."
The Auckland Rowing Association sits beside Auckland's rowing clubs and schools with a more holistic approach, offering opportunities that young rowers may not otherwise get. Established in 1882, its vision is also to support Rowing New Zealand.
ARA's Regional Manager, Sachin Arulambalam says they strongly feel athlete development doesn't start at the high-performance level.
"Athlete development starts with a strong foundation of participation, confidence, and connection. The Baby Blues is intentionally not a high-performance pathway; rather, it's a space where rowers can try new things, meet peers outside their schools and gain skills they simply wouldn't have time to explore during the busy summer season. This broader foundation helps them to build more confidence and form long-lasting friendships, both of which are crucial elements for a person to continue participating in our sport long-term."
Arulambalam says the ripple effect across the community is significant.
"Athletes return to their schools with new skills, new energy, and broader perspectives, which in turn lifts the standard for their peers. Clubs benefit from a smoother and more confident transition of school rowers into their ranks. We've seen a really positive trend, particularly with female athletes continuing into club rowing after school, with many forming friendships through our Blues Programmes and joining the same Club together."
This rings true for Light Blues rower Noah Geelan from Westlake Boys College
"I thought it was a great opportunity to improve, but also to meet all these different people here. And if you do get into the squad to go to Australia, that's really cool."
Noah Geelan (stroke seat) from Westlake Boys College likes the opportunity to improve and to potentially go to Australia to compete at the Queensland State Schools Championships with the Light Blues Squad.
A squad will be selected from the Light Blues squad to go to the Queensland State Schools Championships in September for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, racing against some of Australia's best school-aged athletes.
Sachin says it's a chance to apply everything they've developed during the winter training block and add memorable life experiences - travelling as a team, representing Tāmaki Makaurau, and gaining international exposure at a key development stage.
For the Auckland Regional U23 Team, it's a trip to the Head of the Yarra Regatta in November, widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and competitive events in rowing. This is the first time the ARA has sent a team.
So, what is the biggest barrier for rowers in our biggest city? Mike Smyth says it's the cost.
"It's an expensive sport and we're in a bit of a cost-of-living crisis as we know, which means that, if you look at the national level, and this is across the entire sporting sector, funding has been cut. So one of the big things that I'm going to be looking at this year is seeing how we can maybe secure a sponsor or get some more philanthropic support at this level. We want to try and keep the cost as low as possible for our athletes and our parents."
With a seamless rowing pathway in place in our biggest city and consecutive winter seasons of building hopes and dreams, the ARA is hoping to see its athletes go on to represent New Zealand all the way to the Olympics.
Wendy Petrie
A favourite news presenter on our screens for many years, Wendy Petrie has now hit her stride outside the studio. Telling stories for Rowing New Zealand's RowingHub, Wendy can often be found lakeside during big regattas interviewing rowers, parents and coaches. A love of people and their stories is what drives her. With three sporty children, two rowers and a swimmer, she knows the dedication that goes into a sport.
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- Home
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- School Rowing
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- Blues Squads representing...
Blues Squads representing Auckland on a pathway to success
Auckland Rowing Association's vision of building solid foundations for school rowers
School rowers in Auckland, keen to continue their journey through Winter were able to thanks to Auckland Rowing Association.
The ARA offered a "Baby Blues" winter school holiday programme for Years 10 & 11, a "Light Blues" programme for promising Year 12's and the Auckland Regional Team for athletes either currently at U23/Elite level or on the pathway to these levels.
The response has been incredible.
The programmes allow for a 3-month break post-Maadi, providing a well-needed break from rowing and time to experience other sports. The training intensity and frequency are less for these programmes than in the summer, providing a solid but easily manageable training base leading into next season.
"It's massive this year, absolutely, massive. I mean, we usually get a good response, but this year, we've had over 100 nominations for each of the Baby Blues and the Light Blues programmes, which is amazing," says ARA Chairman, Mike Smyth.
When RowingHub visited the first Light Blue's session at North Shore Rowing Club, these young rowers had already made new friends.
"I think not only are you making lifelong friends, but you're also improving. Going to different Auckland clubs each weekend like North Shore and trying out their boats is also good too," says Ryan Slater, a cox at Sacred Heart College.
Ella Rogers of Wentworth College says she likes rowing with different people as it's a different experience from rowing with the same crew at school.
Rowing with different people is one of the reasons Wentworth College's Ella Rogers (second from right) signed up to the Light Blues Auckland squad.
Head coach of this year's Light Blues squad, Sam Grant, hails from Great Britain and now coaches at Takapuna Grammar. From the first row on a windy Saturday morning, Grant says it's clear the rowers are committed.
"It was quite hard to actually make even an initial selection of the boys and girls from all the nominations, as the standard is so high in Auckland. I think it's an exciting group. It's also good for the coaches, and another string to the bow to spend time with other good coaches."
ARA Chairman Mike Smyth says Auckland is the biggest city in New Zealand, and in the rowing sense too.
"We're the biggest region in terms of the number of athletes so as the ARA, we feel a huge responsibility to develop our Tamariki for whatever opportunities they want to pursue, whether that's rowing at the Olympics or for their club or school. I think the Baby Blues and the Light Blues are just part of that whole Auckland pathway to help them, to become the best that they can be."
The Auckland Rowing Association sits beside Auckland's rowing clubs and schools with a more holistic approach, offering opportunities that young rowers may not otherwise get. Established in 1882, its vision is also to support Rowing New Zealand.
ARA's Regional Manager, Sachin Arulambalam says they strongly feel athlete development doesn't start at the high-performance level.
"Athlete development starts with a strong foundation of participation, confidence, and connection. The Baby Blues is intentionally not a high-performance pathway; rather, it's a space where rowers can try new things, meet peers outside their schools and gain skills they simply wouldn't have time to explore during the busy summer season. This broader foundation helps them to build more confidence and form long-lasting friendships, both of which are crucial elements for a person to continue participating in our sport long-term."
Arulambalam says the ripple effect across the community is significant.
"Athletes return to their schools with new skills, new energy, and broader perspectives, which in turn lifts the standard for their peers. Clubs benefit from a smoother and more confident transition of school rowers into their ranks. We've seen a really positive trend, particularly with female athletes continuing into club rowing after school, with many forming friendships through our Blues Programmes and joining the same Club together."
This rings true for Light Blues rower Noah Geelan from Westlake Boys College
"I thought it was a great opportunity to improve, but also to meet all these different people here. And if you do get into the squad to go to Australia, that's really cool."
Noah Geelan (stroke seat) from Westlake Boys College likes the opportunity to improve and to potentially go to Australia to compete at the Queensland State Schools Championships with the Light Blues Squad.
A squad will be selected from the Light Blues squad to go to the Queensland State Schools Championships in September for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak, racing against some of Australia's best school-aged athletes.
Sachin says it's a chance to apply everything they've developed during the winter training block and add memorable life experiences - travelling as a team, representing Tāmaki Makaurau, and gaining international exposure at a key development stage.
For the Auckland Regional U23 Team, it's a trip to the Head of the Yarra Regatta in November, widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and competitive events in rowing. This is the first time the ARA has sent a team.
So, what is the biggest barrier for rowers in our biggest city? Mike Smyth says it's the cost.
"It's an expensive sport and we're in a bit of a cost-of-living crisis as we know, which means that, if you look at the national level, and this is across the entire sporting sector, funding has been cut. So one of the big things that I'm going to be looking at this year is seeing how we can maybe secure a sponsor or get some more philanthropic support at this level. We want to try and keep the cost as low as possible for our athletes and our parents."
With a seamless rowing pathway in place in our biggest city and consecutive winter seasons of building hopes and dreams, the ARA is hoping to see its athletes go on to represent New Zealand all the way to the Olympics.
Wendy Petrie
A favourite news presenter on our screens for many years, Wendy Petrie has now hit her stride outside the studio. Telling stories for Rowing New Zealand's RowingHub, Wendy can often be found lakeside during big regattas interviewing rowers, parents and coaches. A love of people and their stories is what drives her. With three sporty children, two rowers and a swimmer, she knows the dedication that goes into a sport.
