MAADI News - The Daily Camp Diary
Day 1 (Saturday 28th March)
We arrived safely, unpacked, rigged and got out on the water, pretty much in that order.
The happy campers arrived circled, pitched and settled. The tent to caravan ratio is currently pretty even, with a number of parents and coaches opting for the safe confines of harder walls and softer beds.
There was some discussion regarding placement of the portaloos but we now understand why they are called portaloos – they are very portable. As you can see, complete with dust cloud, one portaloo was safely moved into tent city, fortunately before use and without spillage!
We had the first injury when camp mother fell out of her caravan and rolled her ankle. Fortunately Dr Tom was on hand to tend to said injury. He did however need to instruct her to go and sit down and put her foot up.
The under 16s were rather restless, and resorted to dabbling in a bit of beauty therapy. A set of clippers appeared, and Reece played model of the day. Mum is probably pleased to hear, it didn’t last and was “recut” soon after. Consensus is that none of these boys appear to have a future in hairdressing. Better keep rowing!
Day 2 (Sunday 29th March)
The morning dawned, and with it came a thick blanket of fog. Safe to say, winter has hit the Waikato. A number of campers made quick trips into Cambridge to buy or borrow extra blankets and warm socks.
Access to the lake was postponed until the fog lifted (around 10am), and the setting around the lake was like a scene from Lord of the Rings. Coming down the hill towards the dam, you’d think you had reached the end of the world as you could not see beyond the road.
The days schedule was very much like Day1 - except no unpacking and a lot more parents playing bus driver, being kept busy with the to and fro between lake and Leamington. One trip saw the senior crew becoming somewhat friendly with a van of females. Messages were written and put in a back window for the boys to read. I guess everyone admires our boys, but thenwho can blame them.
The day ended up being absolutely gorgeous – lots of sunshine and there were well over 100 boats on the water at once. With that of course, came absolute mayhem!
Kitchen crew were somewhat taken aback when they entered the kitchen in the evening to find an oar being baked in the oven by our resident handy man Chris Brake. There was some discussion over what condiments we should put with that.
Day 3 (Monday 30th March)
It was the senior crew that decided to dabble in beauty therapy today, with several boys opting to shave their legs. One boy was later overheard discussing the merits, saying he reckoned it took 5 seconds off their race time. Yeah right! You could make a Tui billboard out of that one.
A happy birthday shout goes out to Toby Hurley (under 15s) who turned 14 today. What better way to spend your birthday than at rowing with your team and family? The cake was pretty nice too.
The first day of racing and some good results all round. Many crews are straight through to A finals, so we are all hopeful that Wednesday/Thursday will be quiet and relaxing with talk of some retail therapy (mothers), and schoolwork (boys). Coaches are pretty pleased too!
The days results as follows:
U17 4+, U18 LW 4+, U17 4X, and the U18(A) 4+ all straight to A finals on Friday.
U15 4X, U18 4X, U16 4X, and U15 8+ all get a second life with repecharges on Wednesday.
Racing completed, and while some boys stayed at the lake to go out for a light training row, others returned to the club for ergs and runs.
A new fridge arrived, with more space for supplies. We all know that rowers have rather voracious appetites and we need somewhere to store the food before it’s cooked and eaten. Not that any food lasts long with these boys around. The old fridge is still in use, but has been gainfully repurposed elsewhere.
Not being one to feel left out, Jeremy Burfoot jumped on the makeover bandwagon and now has a lovely set of blue toenails. I think next time he could choose Westlake colours though – perhaps a nice shade of red or green?
Day 4 (Tuesday 31st March)
The day started with 2 very nervous U16 coaches, seen pacing the dark corridors before the kitchen staff had even surfaced and before the coffee had brewed. The nerves spread as the day wore on with a number of frazzled mothers nibbling nails and twisting hair on the sideline. The boys were probably the calmest of the lot!
First up was the U16 4+ - with both crews making it to semi-finals on Thursday. Next up the U17 8+, straight to the A final on Saturday. The U15 4+ crews followed in the U16 footsteps, also making the semi finals. A quick turnaround for the U16 crew who were back on the water for the U16 8+. Fortunately, the short rest was sufficient enough for the boys to secure a spot in the A final. Nice not to have to worry about the repecharges on Wednesday!
All the excitement became too much for Helen, seen here having a wee nanna nap before lunch. Not sure if it’s the early starts or the late finishes that are to blame.
Back to camp for a bite to eat and a mountain of washing to attend to. We temporarily misplaced the washer women but they appeared later safe and sound, albeit a bit smelly.
While we were dining on delicious chicken burritos back at Leamington, the U17 2X were out on the water, following the trend for the day and qualifying for the semis. Everyone then piled back to the lake for the last race of the day – the U18 8+. More great results in the first heat with the senior crew taking a spot in the A final – in the new KIRS 8 and making the other crews look like they were towing anchors. The B8 came a close third in their heat with some heavy competition (in the form of Hamilton 1 and Christs College 1). They stand a good chance of securing a spot in the final with the repecharge tomorrow.
One of the senior crew was overheard late afternoon asking the others if they fancied a game of poker tonight. He was promptly reminded by one mother that they had guests arriving soon (the BBQ with Westlake Girls). His words? “Exactly!” I guess we can assume he’s not going to be distracted by the girls. Sure enough, later in the evening they were far more interested in watching rugby than watching girls. A fun night was had by all.
Day 5 (Wednesday 1st April)
We woke to a blustery wind this morning, with the water more suited to surfing than rowing. Racing was postponed so there were a number of restless bodies lurking around Leamington.
The under 16s once again resorted to dabbling in hairdressing, although this time it was a pair of hair straighteners that were utilised, not scissors. Why they brought hair straighteners to camp, is the big mystery!
Laptops, ipods, and even the occassional school book were pulled out and put to use. Everyone had time to spare and the banner that sister/supporter Emily has been painting, is coming along nicely. She had quite a bit of assistance from the U15 squad.
Contrary to popular belief, Chris Cole does have more than stubbies in his wardrobe. Unfortunately no photographic proof – he’s very adept at making a quick exit when a camera appears – but everyone noticed he was wearing jeans.
After lunch, and racing was still postponed. We took a drive to the lake to see just how windy it was – with the van nearly being blown off the road. It made for quite a scary ride. The water was rough with waves crashing up over the pontoons and the lake resembling a west coast beach.
While the seniors took an 8 to Epworth for training, the under 17s lined up for ergs. They’d even positioned them like a boat with Alex in stroke and Russ in bow.
Mid-afternoon and the call was made for a 3.30 start, with the U16 4X and the U15 8+ fired up and ready to race. Van loads of supporters were lined up, and just as we were about to leave, we had a phone call to say all rowing for the day had been cancelled - but not before 13 crews had been sent down the course. Luckily, not our boys as it would not have been a pleasant experience for the rowers, or the worried parents watching from the sideline.
April 1st, 2009