FISA World Rowing Masters Regatta
Oct 9, 2014 To Oct 12, 2014
Ballarat, Australia
A small team of Union masters rowers decided to make the most of the fact the 2014 FISA World Masters Regatta was hosted by Australia. Dale Maher, Danny Blair, Deb Hymers-Ross and Dorle Pauli entered eight sculling events, including two mixed doubles and a mixed quad. They prepared for the event with eight weeks of intensive winter training, including two weekly erg sessions set by coach Jim Little. On the whole the preparations went well, but Deb suffered a serious setback when she was knocked of her bike about half way through the programme. Fortunately she made good recovery from her injuries and was able to rejoin the rest of team in time for the last few weeks of on-water training.
The regatta attracted 1172 entries from 193 clubs including seven from New Zealand. The hire boats for the overseas teams were of a uniformly high standard, a marked improvement from the 2009 Sydney World Masters Games. As an established annual event, the regatta was well organised and supported by a large team of ever helpful, friendly volunteers. The only disappointment was the dreadful conditions on day two, when strong side winds made the course all but unrowable. Unfortunately, Danny's single race as well his double with Dale, was scheduled for that day. The boys did well to finish their outings in respectable fashion, with a third place for Danny in the single and the double coming second.
Dale Maher and Danny Blair - silver in E double
Danny Blair - bronze in E single
The women were luckier with their draw, competing on the first day of the regatta in tricky but still reasonable conditions and winning their Ddouble in an otherwise all Australian field. Dale followed suit with a tight win in the mens's D single. Dorle's won the women's E single on Saturday, easily the best day of the regatta in terms of the weather. Sunday morning was reserved for the mixed events, with Dale and Dorle blitzing the field in the D double, and Deb and Danny finishing second in the E category. Coming together in the D quad, the team lost a tough battle with the experienced Essenden Composite crew but recorded the second fastest time of all three heats of the event.
Deb Hymers-Ross and Dorle Pauli - gold in D double
Dale Maher - gold in D single
Dorle Pauli - gold in E single
Dale Maher and Dorle Pauli - gold in D mixed double
Overall, the regatta was a great success for the Union scullers, outperforming all other New Zealand clubs. It is hoped that for future international events, the New Zealand rowers will be able to pool their resources and also compete in the bigger boats. This was certainly the talk among the Kiwis at Ballarat, all of whom appear keen to enter future FISA regattas. The fours Ds appreciated the wonderful support they had from the club, and especially Jim Little's expert coaching advice.
On behalf of the team, D Pauli.
Gold medal winners Deb Hymers-Ross, Dale Maher and Dorle
Union at Ballarat
