The New Zealand elite men's eight will have their first international outing at the Windermere Cup in Seattle, USA on Saturday 2 May at Montlake Cut. The crew leaves New Zealand on 27 April to travel over to the United States to compete against Columbia University and Washington University over the standard 2km distance
Stroke of the men's eight Stephen Jones is looking forward to the crews first race of the 2015 international season "Our crew combination has been together for two solid years now and we are looking forward to our first race as international elites. We have heard a lot about Washington University and we are looking forward to the experience in Seattle. It will be good to have a race earlier in the season to see how our boat speed is going before we head away on our international campaign. "
The newest member of the crew Michael Brake is looking forward to gaining some good quality racing experience with the eight "I'm excited to line up against two other eights in Seattle. What our crew is most looking forward to is smashing out a good race with the pressure of crews of a similar speed beside us. It will be a good opportunity to gauge our speed against some of the best university crews in the world."
Rowing New Zealand high performance director Alan Cotter was delighted the New Zealand eight was invited to compete at the Windermere Cup "This event offered the men's eight their first step towards Olympic qualification and some top quality men's eights racing. It is all about achievable steps along the way and the confidence to keep pushing forward. We hope this event will help them get some top form in the build up to the world cups and world championships where they will face some tough competition."
The New Zealand men's eight was invited by University of Washington Rowing and Windermere Real Estate to compete at the event. This is the 29 th edition of the Windermere Cup which is loyally supported by Seattle-based Windermere Real Estate. Windermere Real Estate have supported collegiate crew racing since 1987, when the company sponsored the first Windermere Cup regatta in Seattle. More than 800 athletes a year from around the world come to Seattle to participate in the Windermere Cup title races. The regatta is held in partnership with the University of Washington and the Seattle Yacht Club, and the Windermere Cup has become one of the largest community events in Seattle, where they welcome national and international crew teams for exciting competition. International crews to have been invited in the past include Australia in 1997 and Great Britain in 2014.
Men's Eight competing at the Windermere Cup 2015
Stephen Jones (West End RC, Auckland RPC)
Brook Robertson (Nelson RC, Central RPC)
Alex Kennedy (Te Awamutu RC, Waikato RPC)
Joe Wright (Wellington RC, Central RPC)
Isaac Grainger (Auckland RC, Auckland RPC)
Shaun Kirkham (Waikato RC, Waikato RPC)
Michael Brake (North Shore RC, Auckland RPC)
Tom Murray (Blenheim RC, Central RPC)
Coxswain: Caleb Shepherd (Waikato RC, Waikato RPC)
Marion Horwell (Travelling Coach)
Rose Sewell (Team Manager)