The talented athlete placed fourth in the Under18 Single Sculls at the College Sport Head of Harbour Regatta, putting ACG Parnell firmly on the rowing map.

“It was a cool experience being the first rower from ACG Parnell as a lot of other schools had heard about us before but never knew we had a rowing team,” says Tom, who took up the sport three years ago.

The 17-year-old has had a phenomenal season on the water. Rowing for his Waitemata Club he scored gold in the Quad Sculls and bronze in the Coxed Eight at the North Island Club Rowing Championships, and he also won gold in the Coxed Quadruple Sculls at the NZ Rowing Championships.

“I enjoy the exercise and the high level of competition when rowing in New Zealand. The most rewarding aspect for me has been overcoming my biggest challenge – being short. In rowing, height is a massive advantage.”

But as any rower will attest, it’s a sport that demands great commitment. In winter Tom trains for 90 minutes on the water five days a week with a 16 kilometre bike ride from his house to the club. In peak season this increases to ten weekly on-the-water trainings plus additional weights and cycling workouts. For a student like Tom – who is also highly dedicated to his academic studies – it is a fine balancing act.

Adds Tom, “Due to rowing taking up so much time, and the fact that I want to do well in school, I have decided to tone down my trainings this season and I will just be doing rowing as a social sport.”

ACG Parnell sports coordinator Steph Trowill says the school is extremely proud of Tom’s achievements.

“Rowing requires a great level of endurance and stamina which Tom evidently has,” says Steph.

“These qualities are also showing up in other sporting codes. Tom has already represented us in triathlon and is a regular in our Cycling Club who are gearing up for the College Sport Team Time Trial events.

“We are very fortunate to have an athlete like Tom come to ACG Parnell to study.”