New Zealand rower Emma Twigg. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Rowing New Zealand is hoping the introduction of coastal rowing as an Olympic sport will open up a whole new group of athletes to the sport.
The beach sprint part of coastal rowing has been included in the programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
While the Paris Olympics have only just finished, the four year cycle for the next games starts this weekend with New Zealand athletes involved in the World Rowing Coastal Championships in Italy.
Mark Weatherall, the general manager of community and development for Rowing New Zealand, said they're hoping with the help of Surf Life Saving New Zealand that the Maori and Pasifika communities can get on board.
"It actually creates an opportunity for rowing to go into different communities because getting into a coastal boat is so much easier for the likes of you and me, but if we were to get into a flat water rowing boat we'd tip out straight away," Weatherall told RNZ.
"We're getting Maori and Pasifika communities involved through coastal because it's more accessible and cheaper than flat water rowing."
Coastal rowing Photo: World Rowing
Weatherall said Rowing New Zealand was working with Surf Life Saving New Zealand to develop a memorandum of understanding, but they had started reaching out at the community level.
"Things like have a go day, kids from schools jumping in coastal boats and having a great time.
"We're also working with our charity gaming partners around investing in equipment across the country."
He conceded two things that were holding them back at the moment: the availability of boats and coaches.
"We have a lot of rowing coaches, but because it is so new they don't understand the ocean, so that's another opportunity to work with Surf Life Saving NZ because they have amazing surf coaches."
Weatherall, who has also been involved in surf life saving for much of his life, believes having coastal rowing in the new Olympic cycle provides a huge opportunity to get new athletes involved.
"I know a lot of athletes in surf life saving that are really exciting about jumping in a coastal boat and potentially go to the Olympics."
Eight-time Olympic kayak champion Dame Lisa Carrington and sprint star Zoe Hobbs both came from surf life saving.
"Waka Ama and Dragon Boating are two other organisations we're looking to work with and again their communities are different to our communities.
"We know that rightly or wrongly rowing is a sport that attracts a certain type of our society that have the means and resources and so we want to break that down and coastal rowing is an opportunity to do that."
New Zealand has an open and under-19 team in Italy with Olympic athletes Emma Twigg, Jackie Kiddle, Matt Dunham and Joe Sullivan taking part.
Beach sprint rowing involves a run (on the beach) to the boat, a 250m slalom row out and back followed by a sprint finish on the beach.
