Rangi Ruru's success down to a combination of factors at play

Rangi Ruru’s sights are set on a record-enhancing seventeenth Levin Jubilee Cup title in the girls under 18 eights at the Aon Maadi Cup regatta on Saturday.

But it hasn’t always been smooth waters for the defending champions and it’s worth pondering how a school can become so dominant. Next best is their Christchurch rivals St Margaret’s College on seven.

Add in a collection of titles last year, plus their overall record, and the Christchurch school are clearly the one for the other schools to pursue and aim to emulate.

Last year Rangi Ruru made history as the first school to sweep all five girls eights event since the novices were introduced in 2014.

Rangi is defending the Star Trophy as overall champion school and if they win the Dawn Trophy for coxed fours it will take that tally to 15. Westlake Girls High are a distant second on four titles.

But it’s not always been like this.

‘’It’s had its ups and downs,’’ head coach Gary Hay, one of the sport’s very best mentors, points out.

‘’It wasn’t that long ago the rowing programme was languishing at the bottom of the medal table – in fact got no medals.

‘’Some hard work by key individuals has brought the school up to where it had been. Certainly, there were some dark times.’’

Hay’s return this year, after several years at Rowing New Zealand, has given the programme a boost.

After all, three years ago he was the International Rowing Federation’s coach of the year, and has overseen several Olympic and world championship medalists, including Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler, who won gold and silver medals at last year’s Tokyo Olympics.

There’s no one factor at play in Rangi Ruru’s success, Hay said.

‘’I don’t think there’s any one thing that makes a high performing school. There’s a number of factors,’’ Hay said.

‘’There’s the culture in the group. To me coming back, not a lot of things have changed. The girls still follow the same little traditions over the course of a season. Things are happening this week the same as when I was here years ago.

‘’Coaching is important. You often see a school have a downturn if there’s been a number of changes in the coaching department. So, there’s consistency across the coaching, and having a really good (coaching) team is good for any school.’’

Hay said the rowers don’t train excessively – ‘’but when they do, it’s done efficiently. It’s not big hours, not a lot of sessions but when they train, they train well.’’

The management, and the way the programme is set up, removes stresses from the rowers. Add in a good parent support network who don’t interfere with the rowing programme are also important factors, he added.

It needs to be pointed out that being a private school which has access to more funding and financial support than many others certainly helps, but only to a point.

Hay acknowledged the equipment would be ‘’the envy of some countries, so we’re fortunate to have good sponsors and benefactors and fund-raising opportunities to keep the fleet of boats and equipment to a high standard.’’

Hay oversees a programme of about 65 rowers but remove U15s and novices and the squad at Lake Ruataniwha numbers about 35.

‘’The fact we got 90 girls turning up at the start of the season is testament to the fact the programme must be doing something right.’’

Hay’s philosophy on coaching the best, and coaching school rowers, doesn’t vary much. He points out that ‘’it’s a pretty simple sport when you think about it – putting a blade in and pulling it out’’.

The only thing that might vary is the way you speak to the rowers, in the sense that the language may be modified to keep things simpler for the teenagers, more technical for those at the top.

Keeping the fun aspect alive is another important point. The rowers have self-driven activities most nights and ‘’there’s always something placed in their day to keep the enjoyment factor.

‘Most days after training or racing they’re off exploring the local area, finding swimming holes.

‘’It’s not all about rowing or winning. It’s about finding that fine balance so they can compete, and race well, but also have some fun along the way.’’

A lid is kept on expectations. The under 18 eight will know where their biggest challenges lie on Saturday, but Hay and the other coaches don’t discuss the opposition.

‘’It’s never mentioned. They just go about their rowing business and if it happens, they are out in front that’s great. If not, then good luck, well done to the crew who end up prevailing.

‘’It’s nothing we remind the girls of. Its just a given really. Something that filters through from previous rowers or squads from yesteryear.

‘’It’s about trying to maintain or hold the standards that have gone before them.’’

Efforts are made to keep the tension levels low for the rowers, Rangi rowing manager Olivia Ling added.

‘’We rarely do media interviews leading up to regattas,’’ she said.

‘’I am sure as teenage girls they put pressure on themselves, but we say, ‘trust the process that’s got you here, the training that’s been put in place and that will see you out on race day’.’’

With spectators allowed back for the two finals day, Rangi anticipates plenty of parents, grandparents and siblings will be on the bank.

‘’Last year when won the eight, we had videos flood in of (past school rowers) in tears, they felt they had contributed even though they didn’t win the Jubilee. ‘’

Ling -- whose husband Adam was a New Zealand lightweight rowing representative coached by Hay to gold at the World Champs in France in 2015, and now Hay’s assistant -- emphasised the holistic view of the rowers.

‘’I say I don’t care what medals you come away with, but I want you after four years to walk away with lifelong experiences and lessons. Medals are a bonus.’’

And a final point: of this year’s under 18 eight, six are expected back next year plus the cox. The under 18 eight last year included six U16 rowers.

That’s accumulated experience you can’t buy.