2017 World Masters Games
24 - 28 September, Lake Karapiro
Where to begin? Perhaps I should go back a few years, when we first heard that the WMG 2017 would be staged in New Zealand, with the rowing regatta taking place at Karapiro. For those of us who had been to the 2009 WMG in Sydney, the 2017 Games presented a welcome opportunity to improve on our performances at Penrith, and to do so not hampered by the vagaries of boat hire.
For our new rowers, this year’s event provided the ideal occasion to experience a large international competition for the first time. In fact, it took several years to prepare our squad for the WMG regatta. This did not just include regular training sessions on and off the water, but also the purchase of new plant and the ongoing maintenance of our older boats. We also had to complete a considerable logistics exercise in terms of our transport and accommodation requirements.
As the results illustrate, Union RC did extremely well against top international opposition, which was especially numerous in the older age-grades. Personally, I attribute our success to exemplary teamwork, involving all members of the squad. Everybody pitched in as best they could and our team spirit was second to none. Overall, we were all as well prepared as we could have been, given some unfortunate accidents in the run-up to the regatta and the many other personal obligations we as masters rowers have to accommodate alongside our training commitments.
In the end, some of us were simply unlucky to miss out on some well-deserved medals, due to exceptionally tight finishes in many finals. What we can all share though are wonderful memories of a most enjoyable, well-run and exciting event, held on a lake which remained picture-perfect for us and the 1200-strong international rowing crowd for an entire week.
It has been said before, but I would like to thank Jim again for his pivotal role as coach and mentor, and for helping us to keep our eyes on the prize throughout the long months of preparation. My thanks go also to Dan Batchelor, for grappling with the complexities of the entry system (the one thing the organisers could have improved on, that and the availability of commemorative rowing merchandise), and to Mike, Brent, Tanja, Stuart and Dale for helping to get us there - and back.
Dorle Pauli
Club Captain
Results:
GOLD
Womens C Single
Kirsty Mahoney
Mens C Single
Greg McLaughlin
Mixed C Double
Greg McLaughlin, Kirsty Mahoney
Mixed E Quad
Dorle Pauli, Dale Maher, Deb Hymers-Ross, Mike Fowler
Womens E Coxed Four [with Port Chalmers]
Dorle Pauli, Robyn Cameron, Imogen Coxhead, Maureen O'Connell
Mixed B Quad [with Dunstan]
Simon Smith, Greg McLaughlin, Natalie Wilson, Kirsty Mahoney
Mens A Double [with Dunstan]
Simon Smith, Greg McLaughlin
Mens B Double [with Dunstan]
Simon Smith, Greg McLaughlin
Mens B Quad [composite crew]
Douglas Cryer, Cameron Elliott, Simon Smith, Greg McLaughlin
SILVER
Womens B Single
Kirsty Mahoney
Mens E Quad
Danny Blair, Dale Maher, Mike Fowler, Stephane Chretien
Mens D Four
Stu Wade, Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates, Murray McCartin
Mixed E Double
Dorle Pauli, Dale Maher
Mixed Coxed Four
Shelley Washington, Brent Mirfin, Murray McCartin, Olivia Smart
BRONZE
Womens E Single
Dorle Pauli
Mens D Eight
Andreas Giannakogiorgos, Stu Wade, Brent Mirfin, Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates, Stephane Chretien, Hamish Gray, Murray McCartin
Mens D Coxed Four
Stu Wade, Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates, Murray McCartin
Mixed D Coxed Four
Liz Blair, Robert Armstrong, Barry Meates, Wendy Lawson
Womens C Quad [with Blenheim]
Sarah Lissaman, Kirsty Mahoney, Cynthia de Joux, Dorle Pauli
Other WMG results [final result for each crew]
In Finals:
Womens E Double - fourth in final
Dorle Pauli, Deb Hymers-Ross
Mens E Double - fourth in final
Danny Blair, Mike Fowler
Womens E Quad - fourth in final
Joan Pendleton [USA], Dorle Pauli, Deb Hymers-Ross, Karen Rickerby
Mixed E Eight - fourth in final
Danny Blair, Robyn Cameron, Dorle Pauli, Dale Maher, Deb Hymers-Ross, Mike Fowler, Stephane Chretien, Karen Rickerby
Mixed D Eight - fourth in final
Liz Blair, Karen Rickerby, Stu Wade, Brent Mirfin, Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates, Deb Hymers-Ross, Wendy Lawson
Mixed D Quad - Div 1 - fourth in final
Dan Batchelor, Pam Strong-Van Gestel, Stephane Chretien, Wendy Lawson
Mixed D Quad - Div 2 - fourth in final
Liz Blair, Danny Blair, Andreas Giannakogiorgos, Karen Rickerby
Mens D Quad [composite crew] - fourth in final
John Hooten [USA], Greg McLaughlin, John Stroud [USA], Julian Geluk
Womens E Pair - fifth in final
Dorle Pauli, Deb Hymers-Ross
Mens E Four - fifth in final
Danny Blair, Dale Maher, Mike Fowler, Stephane Chretien
Mens E Eight - fifth in final
Danny Blair, Stu Wade, Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates, Dale Maher, Mike Fowler, Stephane Chretien, Quentin Anna
Womens C Double - fifth in final
Kirsty Mahoney, Deb Hymers-Ross
Womens A Pair – fifth in final
Wendy Duggan, Tanja McDonald
Mixed D Double – fifth in final
Wendy Duggan, Ian Cartwright
Womens D Eight - sixth in final
Liz Blair, Teri Gambrel [CAN], Wendy Duggan, Shelley Washington, Tanja McDonald, Deb Hymers-Ross, Karen Rickerby, Wendy Lawson
Mixed C Eight - sixth in final
Andreas Giannakogiorgos, Wendy Duggan, Shelley Washington, Tanja McDonald, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna, Murray McCartin, Olivia Smart
Mixed D Double – sixth in final
Dan Batchelor, Pam Strong-Van Gestel
Mens E Single - seventh in final
Dale Maher
Mixed D Quad - seventh in final
Birgit Maier, Wendy Duggan, Robert Armstrong, Ian Cartwright
Mixed C Double - seventh in final
Tanja McDonald, Ian Cartwright
Mens C Eight - eighth in final
Andreas Giannakogiorgos, Robert Armstrong, Brent Mirfin, Ian Cartwright, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna, Stephane Chretien, Hamish Gray
Mixed D Quad - eighth in final
Birgit Maier, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna, Olivia Smart
Mixed C Quad - eighth in final
Shelley Washington, Stu Wade, Tanja McDonald, Murray McCartin
Mens C Four - ninth in final
Brent Mirfin, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna, Hamish Gray
In Semis:
Mens F Single - fourth in semi
Mike Fowler
Womens D Double - sixth in semi
Liz Blair, Wendy Lawson
Mens D Double [composite crew] - sixth in semi
Andreas Giannakogiorgos, Ioannis Anastasopoulos [AUS]
Mens E Double - seventh in semi
Dale Maher, Mike Fowler
Mens C Single - seventh in semi
Stephane Chretien
Womens D Double - eighth in semi
Sarah Halcrow, Pam Strong-Van Gestel
Mens C Single - eighth in semi
Andreas Giannakogiorgos
In Heats:
Womens D Single - fourth in heat
Liz Blair
Womens D Single - fourth in heat
Pam Strong-Van Gestel
Mens F Single - fourth in heat
Danny Blair
Womens D Coxed four - fifth in heat
Liz Blair, Wendy Duggan, Karen Rickerby, Wendy Lawson
Womens A Double - fifth in heat
Shelley Washington, Olivia Smart
Womens D Quad - fifth in heat
Liz Blair, Wendy Duggan, Wendy Lawson, Pam Strong-Van Gestel
Womens C Quad - fifth in heat
Sarah Halcrow, Ruth Anderson, Lenette Moore, Susan Dyson
Womens B Single - fifth in heat
Tanja McDonald
Mens C Double - fifth in heat
Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna
Mens D Pair - fifth in heat
Stu Wade, Murray McCartin
Mens D Pair - sixth in heat
Dan Batchelor, Barry Meates
Womens D Four - sixth in heat
Liz Blair, Wendy Duggan, Karen Rickerby, Wendy Lawson
Womens C Quad - sixth in heat
Birgit Maier, Tanja McDonald, Karen Rickerby, Olivia Smart
Womens B Quad - sixth in heat
Ruth Anderson, Shelley Washington, Tanja McDonald, Olivia Smart
Womens B Double - sixth in heat
Wendy Duggan, Shelley Washington
Womens D Quad [with Blenheim] - sixth in heat
Kimberley Robbins [AUS], Suzy Scorer, Veronica Best, Karen Rickerby
Mens C Quad - sixth in heat
Rob Armstrong, Ian Cartwright, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna
Mens C Double - sixth in heat
Rob Armstrong, Ian Cartwright
Mens C Coxed Four - sixth in heat
Brent Mirfin, Spike Crowther, Brendon McKenna, Hamish Gray
Mens D Quad - seventh in heat
Thomas Dean, Robert Armstrong, Dan Batchelor, Ian Cartwright
Mens C Single - seventh in heat
Spike Crowther
