Maties Rowing recently had their annual 24-hour ergathon, where they exceeded their goals by rowing 567km and raising R60 000.
The goal of the ergathon was to row 400km and raise R50 000 for Boat Race 2022. This is according to Alistair van der Riet, chairman of Maties Rowing Club.
“We are thrilled with what we achieved in this year’s ergathon – to say expectations were exceeded would be an understatement. Our initial goal was to erg a distance of 400km but, all in all, clocked up a grand total of 576km rowed,” said Caileigh-Rose Forsyth, captain of the Maties Rowing Club women’s team. Pictured above in front of Huis ten Bosch is, at the back, from left to right: Matthew von Bulow, Adrian Salzwedel, Anika Pretorius, Leigh Cundill and Nick Baxter. In front are Campbell White, Kayla Delport and Bradley Watson. PHOTO: Supplied/Maties Rowing Club
“[Boat Race] is a competition that is raced down the iconic Kowie River, with all major universities in South Africa competing,” Caileigh-Rose Forsyth, captain of the women’s team, said.
The ergathon took place from 19 August at 12:00 until 20 August at 12:00 across campus, where participants had to row for 24 hours non-stop. It started in the Neelsie Student Centre, before heading to the Rooiplein, engineering building, Maties gym and residence lawns, said Van der Riet.
The highlight of the ergathon was seeing the club members stand together and support each other, said Ash Zeely, Maties Rowing head coach. AUDIO: Dominique Fuchs
Riveting results
The rowing club is ecstatic about the results, said Van der Riet.
“Our goal was to hit 400km, which we thought would be a challenge but still achievable, but through the hard work of our rowers and some late night shifts, we managed to hit 576km,” he said.
Another goal was to raise R50 000, but it is estimated that more than R60 000 was raised, according to Forsyth. Money was raised through donations, with everyone donated differently depending on their own interest, she explained.
“The support we received was more than we could have ever hoped for,” she said.
The turnout of the club members was amazing, according to Ash Zeely, Maties Rowing head coach. “Even during the night shift from 22:00 to 04:00, people weren’t rowing alone; there were club members supporting the rowers.”
“The turnout of the club members was amazing,” said Ash Zeely, Maties Rowing head coach. Even during the night shift from 22:00 to 04:00, people weren’t rowing alone – there were club members supporting the rowers, he said. AUDIO: Dominique Fuchs
A balancing act
“Balancing studies and being a part of a sports team is no small feat on a regular basis, so, when asking our crew members to set aside a literal whole day and night dedicated just to rowing, you could say that we were a bit worried about how it would be received,” said Forsyth.
“The support we received was more than we could have ever hoped for. Prof Stan du Plessis personally came to wish us well in the final few hours of the ergathon, which was an incredible gesture,” said Caileigh-Rose Forsyth, captain of the Maties Rowing Club women’s team. Pictured above are members of Maties Rowing Club in the rowing shed near Coetzenburg Stadium. From left to right: Shannon Stodel, Bradley Watson, Alistair van der Riet, Tim Martin, Prof Stan du Plessis, Anika Pretorius, Nick Botoulas, Edwin Olivier, Julia Durr, Caileigh Forsyth, Lisa Clark, Leigh Cundill and Adrian Salzwedel. PHOTO: Supplied/Maties Rowing Club
Some crew members were writing their A1 exams or had compulsory tutorials, practicals and classes, she added.
“Despite this, the team jumped at the opportunity and rapidly populated the Excel spreadsheet with their chosen ergo slots.”
“It all managed to work out in the end and there was definitely a lot of fun amongst it all,” Forsyth said.
Maties Rowing Club is now preparing to participate at the Boat Race 2022 which takes place in Port Alfred in September, Forsyth explained. One men’s crew and one women’s crew with eight rowers each from Maties Rowing Club will participate at the Boat Race.