Te Awamutu teenager Georgia Kendrick has been selected to travel to Michigan, US, with the New Zealand Under 19 Development rowing squad.
Georgia Kendrick, right, and her rowing partner Lily Ashton at Lake Karāpiro. Photo: Sacred Heart Girls College.
Kendrick is a Year 13 student at Sacred Heart Girls’ College, Hamilton and previously attended St Patrick’s Catholic School in Te Awamutu.
“It will be a huge honour and an exciting opportunity to wear the silver fern for the first time at the International Rowing Challenge,” Kendrick said. “It has been a goal of mine to represent New Zealand since the beginning. It’s definitely the highlight of my career so far.”
Rowers from multiple nations will compete in the regatta, set to take place during US Rowing’s RowFest National Championships on July 14-16 in Ypsilanti, near Ann Arbor, Michigan.
After some great results at Maadi Cup, followed by an impressive 2km erg test, Kendrick was selected to trial for the New Zealand Under 19 team at Lake Karāpiro from April 12-19.
She began rowing in year nine linking up with Lily Ashton in both the coxed fours and double sculls. The two have become best friends.
“We formed a bond built on shared early mornings, tough sessions, race day nerves, and many laughs,” said Kendrick.
“Through the early mornings, multiple training sessions and tremendous amounts of hard work I have poured into the sport, I have achieved much success throughout my four seasons.
“For me and I know many of our girls, rowing becomes a second home, a place of laughter, growth, and friendship. This sport has taught me so much and shaped me to be who I am today.”
“There are so many life benefits I’ve got from rowing. The people I meet and the memories I make are among those. I think it’s a beneficial sport.”
Georgia Kendrick
Kendrick, who has earned 13 medals at North Island and New Zealand Championship regattas, is excited at the international opportunity and hopes it will put her in good stead for higher level New Zealand representation.
US Rowing director of learning and development Chris Furlow said the challenge is a unique opportunity for rowers to gain international experience while competing against the best of their peers
Each team will have four male rowers, four female rowers and a coxswain.
The nine athletes will compete in a mix of 1500m events – single sculls, double sculls, pair, four with coxswain, quadruple sculls and a mixed eight. Rowers will compete in sculling and sweeping boats.
Kendrick and the New Zealand team are training 11 times a week for the event. Some practices are on land and some on the Waikato River.
Aside from training, Kendrick is also looking for a sponsor to help meet the cost of competing at the event.
Sacred Heart Girls’ College rower Georgia Kendrick, back, with Lily Ashton is part of the New Zealand Under 19 Development team. Photo: Conrad Blind
