Student Sport The Maadi Cup

“A Rising Tide Lifts All Ships” Rezulli, 1998

The Maadi Cup is the largest secondary school rowing regatta in the southern hemisphere with over 2,000 student-athletes competing, and this year it was on our doorstep at Lake Karapiro. For many school based rowers this is their Olympics, and this is the ultimate stage to perform.

We are extremely fortunate at Ōtūmoetai College to have access to two great great clubs and their respective coaches, Bay Coast Rowing Club (Ted Phelps) and Tauranga Rowing Club (Simon Aubrey & Steve Finlayson). Regardless of which club our rowers belong to, they put in countless hours of mahi and dedication for the 2023 Maadi Cup and this clearly raised the game of each one of our fantastic rowers.

Within our small groups of ŌTC rowers, from one inspiring performance to another, the standard and desire to perform to their best was clear and as one day of competing followed another our rowers were clearly living our school values through their actions on and off the water.

Working Together Respect One and All Standing Strong Strive For Excellence

For some this was their first Maadi Cup and for others it was their last. To our Year 13 rowers, Jack McClutchie, Nina Turner, and Sarah Laban-Ten Dam, we want to say ‘Thank You’ for the years of dedication and service to ŌTC rowing. You are an inspiration to our school community.

A Special Mention to Caitlin Wain

I am often told that good things happen to good people, this is most definitely the case for Caitlin Wain, one of our Year 12 rowers. Her dedication and clear drive to succeed is inspirational, her humbleness and approach to her sport is heartwarming. She had a fantastic Maadi Cup placing 5th in the A-Final of the U17 Single Sculls and 2nd in the B-Final of the U18 Single Sculls. Caitlin has been selected by Rowing New Zealand to trial for the Under 18 North Island squad. Selection would see her race against the South Island squad in the famous North vs South race during the upcoming Easter school holidays.

Our rowers could not compete, train the countless hours they do, and recover sufficiently to do this all again and again, day after day, week after week, regatta after regatta without the help and support from some incredible people. The ŌTC rowing parents were the backbone of this year’s Maadi Cup and our entire school rowing season. The mahi and organisation that goes into a successful regatta is incredible, supporting all our rowers, providing food and water, transportation to and from the lake, and being a constant fan base for every ŌTC rower as they come across the finish line. The effort and selfless actions of our rowing parents allowed our rowers to compete on the biggest stage at their very best - ‘A Rising Tide That Lifts All Ships’ Rezulli, 1998.