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Crew that never was finally gets to shine with silver
Covid stole their first chance to race in the black rowsuit. But it's all come full circle for our U23 Men's Eight.
On paper, the selectors must have thought they had something pretty good.
Fred Vavasour was there, so was Ben Shortt and Cody Johnson after winning the Springbok Shield with Auckland Grammar. Matt Waddell was in the St Paul's Collegiate boat that was sixth that day. Nic Bryan had just won the U17 pair with Mt Albert Grammar.
Good on paper, alright, but unfortunately, the New Zealand Under 19 Eight of 2021 never got the chance to show what they could do on the water because of Covid.
They finally got to show their potential on the final day of racing at the U23 World Championships in Poznan, Poland overnight (NZT), where the Men's Eight of Vavasour, Harry Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Henry Kirk, Bryan, Waddell, Johnson, Ed Lopas and Oliver Duncan pulled off a brilliant race to take silver behind Great Britain.
"It's a bit of a full circle moment really," says Vavasour after the podium celebrations at the Lake Malta course.
"The stroke side's the same as our 19 eight that didn't get to go. There were five of us in the eight, and then Harry and Ed were in the team, but they were sculling.
"It's pretty cool to four years later get something across the line, eh!"
Cool alright. Considering where their rowing paths have taken them over those years.
The Men's Eight of Fred Vavasour, Harry Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Henry Kirk, Bryan, Waddell, Johnson, Ed Lopas and Oliver Duncan pulled off a brilliant race to take silver behind Great Britain on the final day of racing at the U23 World Championships in Poznan, Poland.
Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Bryan, Waddell and Lopas have all been in the US College system over that time. Vavasour and Johnson have been studying at Otago University.
Vavasour: "In passing, we've always sort of said, 'Oh yeah, you know, the Under 19 eight, what could have been?
Now they know.
In five short weeks together they've got up for a silver medal and seriously challenged a Great Britain boat that's won the U23 title for the past six years, guided by a man who's built his career around sculling.
"It's the first time I've coached an eight and I've absolutely loved the experience," says coach Calvin Ferguson. "I'm just stoked. Absolutely elated."
"I just said to them, 'You've got to go out there and be savage. No one's going to give it to you. Even if I've got to carry you out of that boat, you've got to empty the tank and just put everything out there.'
"And they did it."
The start was aggressive. They got to rhythm and went through the first 500m in third, just 0.88s down on GB, 0.53s behind last year's bronze medallists Australia.
They attacked the second 500m. GB through the 1K in 2.45.15. Germany was next, New Zealand third in 2.47.56.
Cox Oli Duncan set them up for the move and they went again.
They walked the Germans. A big dig at the Brits at 1350.
Second through the 1500m in 4.11.42, still with overlap on GB.
That forced something extra out of the reigning champions, who crossed in 5.29.60, New Zealand in 5.32.59.
"I knew after the semifinal yesterday that we had something special going," says Fitzpatrick.
They'd taken the first 1000 of the heat, and the second 1000 of the semi and put them together for the final, as well as some inspiration from the Olympic eight in 2021.
"Through that first 500 I was just thinking back to what the Kiwis had done in Tokyo and like how they took the race by the horns at that point."
When the big move came, Duncan delivered just what they needed to hear: "For like five strokes leading up to that move he was just talking about how this is our do or die moment and how we all needed to commit," says Fitzpatrick. "All the boys just believed in him, [we] didn't think about later on in the race, just thought about the right here, right now."
When the big move came cox, Oli Duncan delivered just what they needed to hear.
It had been eight years since an U23 raced at worlds. Back then US college athletes weren't considered for international representation.
Ed's brother Jack was the first to blaze the trail out of America with Ollie Maclean when they raced the Double Sculls in 2019, becoming the first US-based crew to row for New Zealand.
Big bro was watching from the grandstand last night.
Vavasour had talked about it being a full circle moment for those Under 19s of 2021.
You could say it was a full circle moment for the Lopas family too.
And even for New Zealand rowing: A Kiwi eight made up of university rowers from either side of the Pacific pulling something special out of just five weeks together with a coach who reckoned he'd found even more spring in his step.
"We're always going to lose athletes to the US system," says Ferguson. "We either embrace it or we lose them for good. What we're doing now is embracing them. We check in with them, we've got contact with their coaches. We've got more connection and I think they enjoy the connection. They enjoy that even though they're in the States, they're still connected to New Zealand.
"If we didn't have that connection, we wouldn't have the success we're having now."
BOYS OF '21: The U19 squad of 2021 that never got the chance to race.
Back row, left-right: Harry Fitzpatrick, Fred Vavasour, Ben Shortt, Oliver Welch, Dominiko Arnerich, Oliver Ransom, Reuben Cook.
Front row: Matthew Waddell, Sacha Dewancker, Nicholas Bryan, Oscar Ruston, Cody Johnson, Edward Lopas, Robson Wallace.
Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
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- Home
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- International Regattas
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- Crew that never...
Crew that never was finally gets to shine with silver
Covid stole their first chance to race in the black rowsuit. But it's all come full circle for our U23 Men's Eight.
On paper, the selectors must have thought they had something pretty good.
Fred Vavasour was there, so was Ben Shortt and Cody Johnson after winning the Springbok Shield with Auckland Grammar. Matt Waddell was in the St Paul's Collegiate boat that was sixth that day. Nic Bryan had just won the U17 pair with Mt Albert Grammar.
Good on paper, alright, but unfortunately, the New Zealand Under 19 Eight of 2021 never got the chance to show what they could do on the water because of Covid.
They finally got to show their potential on the final day of racing at the U23 World Championships in Poznan, Poland overnight (NZT), where the Men's Eight of Vavasour, Harry Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Henry Kirk, Bryan, Waddell, Johnson, Ed Lopas and Oliver Duncan pulled off a brilliant race to take silver behind Great Britain.
"It's a bit of a full circle moment really," says Vavasour after the podium celebrations at the Lake Malta course.
"The stroke side's the same as our 19 eight that didn't get to go. There were five of us in the eight, and then Harry and Ed were in the team, but they were sculling.
"It's pretty cool to four years later get something across the line, eh!"
Cool alright. Considering where their rowing paths have taken them over those years.
The Men's Eight of Fred Vavasour, Harry Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Henry Kirk, Bryan, Waddell, Johnson, Ed Lopas and Oliver Duncan pulled off a brilliant race to take silver behind Great Britain on the final day of racing at the U23 World Championships in Poznan, Poland.
Fitzpatrick, Shortt, Bryan, Waddell and Lopas have all been in the US College system over that time. Vavasour and Johnson have been studying at Otago University.
Vavasour: "In passing, we've always sort of said, 'Oh yeah, you know, the Under 19 eight, what could have been?
Now they know.
In five short weeks together they've got up for a silver medal and seriously challenged a Great Britain boat that's won the U23 title for the past six years, guided by a man who's built his career around sculling.
"It's the first time I've coached an eight and I've absolutely loved the experience," says coach Calvin Ferguson. "I'm just stoked. Absolutely elated."
"I just said to them, 'You've got to go out there and be savage. No one's going to give it to you. Even if I've got to carry you out of that boat, you've got to empty the tank and just put everything out there.'
"And they did it."
The start was aggressive. They got to rhythm and went through the first 500m in third, just 0.88s down on GB, 0.53s behind last year's bronze medallists Australia.
They attacked the second 500m. GB through the 1K in 2.45.15. Germany was next, New Zealand third in 2.47.56.
Cox Oli Duncan set them up for the move and they went again.
They walked the Germans. A big dig at the Brits at 1350.
Second through the 1500m in 4.11.42, still with overlap on GB.
That forced something extra out of the reigning champions, who crossed in 5.29.60, New Zealand in 5.32.59.
"I knew after the semifinal yesterday that we had something special going," says Fitzpatrick.
They'd taken the first 1000 of the heat, and the second 1000 of the semi and put them together for the final, as well as some inspiration from the Olympic eight in 2021.
"Through that first 500 I was just thinking back to what the Kiwis had done in Tokyo and like how they took the race by the horns at that point."
When the big move came, Duncan delivered just what they needed to hear: "For like five strokes leading up to that move he was just talking about how this is our do or die moment and how we all needed to commit," says Fitzpatrick. "All the boys just believed in him, [we] didn't think about later on in the race, just thought about the right here, right now."
When the big move came cox, Oli Duncan delivered just what they needed to hear.
It had been eight years since an U23 raced at worlds. Back then US college athletes weren't considered for international representation.
Ed's brother Jack was the first to blaze the trail out of America with Ollie Maclean when they raced the Double Sculls in 2019, becoming the first US-based crew to row for New Zealand.
Big bro was watching from the grandstand last night.
Vavasour had talked about it being a full circle moment for those Under 19s of 2021.
You could say it was a full circle moment for the Lopas family too.
And even for New Zealand rowing: A Kiwi eight made up of university rowers from either side of the Pacific pulling something special out of just five weeks together with a coach who reckoned he'd found even more spring in his step.
"We're always going to lose athletes to the US system," says Ferguson. "We either embrace it or we lose them for good. What we're doing now is embracing them. We check in with them, we've got contact with their coaches. We've got more connection and I think they enjoy the connection. They enjoy that even though they're in the States, they're still connected to New Zealand.
"If we didn't have that connection, we wouldn't have the success we're having now."
BOYS OF '21: The U19 squad of 2021 that never got the chance to race.
Back row, left-right: Harry Fitzpatrick, Fred Vavasour, Ben Shortt, Oliver Welch, Dominiko Arnerich, Oliver Ransom, Reuben Cook.
Front row: Matthew Waddell, Sacha Dewancker, Nicholas Bryan, Oscar Ruston, Cody Johnson, Edward Lopas, Robson Wallace.
Photo: Sharron Bennett Photography
Andy Hay
Andy Hay is a freelance producer, writer and Maadi Cup-winning coach. He was cox of the world champion New Zealand eight of 1982 and '83. He is NZ Olympian #446.
