Injured Collegiate rower back into training

by David Ogilvie, Wanganui Chronicle on 6 Jul 2006 Collegiate’s Georgie Baker, closely following 'doctor’s orders', is expecting to be back training with her New Zealand junior coxless four team-mates today.

The crew – destined for the world junior rowing championships at Amsterdam from August 2-5, and coach David Thompson, spent the weekend in Wanganui giving the girl’s two Wanganui crew members a chance to visit their families – and also giving the crew a break from training on Lake Karapiro.

Baker injured her back earlier in the week, but says there’s no serious problem – and certainly not a world championships-threatening one.

Coach Thompson, formerly from Hawke’s Bay, has had the crew together for seven weeks at Karapiro – where the two Wanganui girls have been doing school work by correspondence.
Other Wanganui crew members heading for the worlds are Anna Stantiall (junior women’s quad) and Tyler Sherman (junior men’s eight).

Thompson coached the boys’ junior double to a bronze medal at the worlds last year.

He’s a trifle cautious when describing the progress of his crew.

'We’re going okay – almost going to plan. We’ve got Georgie Baker out injured, but she should be back in the boat early this week.'

Collegiate team-mate Charlotte Burson stood in for Baker during the two days of rowing in Wanganui – which included some racing against a couple of Masters crews yesterday. Thompson admits the crew has yet to hit target times on Karapiro – 'but we haven’t had ideal conditions. Hopefully when we do get those conditions we’ll be right.

'And we won’t really know how good we’re going until we meet our opposition overseas.'

Thompson reports Austin and Baker had both improved and developed through the training campaign.

Source: www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz