The price of greatness - the pressure on young Maadi Cup rowers

At last week's Maadi Cup, more than 2000 secondary school rowers from more than 120 schools competed at the biggest event in New Zealand’s school rowing season.

Held at Lake Karāpiro this year, the week-long tournament is a defining moment for rising student athletes but the psychological toll of elite school rowing is often overlooked, a two-time competitor told TWN..

Former Counties Manukau and Te Kauwhata College rower, 21-year-old Amorette Lessing, knows first-hand the immense pressure that comes with competing at that level.

Lessing rowed at the Maadi Cup in 2019 and 2021 and now reflects on the sacrifices and expectations she faced in her rowing years.

She rowed for six years, starting as a coxswain for her brother’s quad, and then her dad, who was coaching, got her into rowing.

“Training was hard, Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 7pm, and Saturday sessions from 6am to 2pm.

"Balancing school with such a demanding sport meant sacrificing a lot. I had to learn to do my assignments during school hours. During exams, I would take a break from rowing, but it was still tough.”

The 2025 Maadi spirit at Lake Karāpiro. Photo courtesy of by Picture Show LTD

Lessing says that although Maadi Cup is a team-sport tournament, it can also become a competitive individual sport where teammates compete against each other.

“It’s a constant battle to prove yourself. Friends off the water became competitors on it. There was always tension, like someone wasn’t pushing hard enough [or] someone was rushing up the slide.

"We were all under pressure to qualify for Maadi and place well at nationals,” she says.

According to a 2014 study from AUT on adolescent rowers in New Zealand, high training demands, coaching pressures, and body image concerns are key factors in burnout and dropout rates.

“Coaches would always remind us that the boys had faster times. It was meant to push us, but it also made us feel like we were never good enough," says Lessing.

“Mentally, I was still developing, but I felt like I had to be as strong as an adult.”

She had to endure coaches'  comments about her body after she stopped rowing that implied she should go to the gym,  Lessing says.

"But after rowing for so long, I just had no desire to even exercise.”

Despite the discipline and resilience rowing instilled within her, Lessing also acknowledges the sacrifices made, saying she “missed out on a lot of normal teenage experiences”.

She had to beg for a day off just to go shopping with friends, she says.

Rowers line up to race in the 2025 Maadi Cup regatta. Photo courtesy of Picture show Ltd