Liz and Tina started rowing together in 2009 in preparation for the World Masters Games to be held in Sydney that year. In the New Zealand National Masters Championships at Lake Karapiro they won gold medals in a double and as part of a female quad. Unfortunately, Liz then contracted pneumonia which ruled her out of the World Masters Games. Although Tina made two finals at the Games Liz’s absence left too big a gap.
In 2010 Liz and Tina retained their National Masters title in their double and added another in a mixed quad (Tina for good measure picked up a third gold in a mixed double). However, injuries intervened to rule both of them out of competing at the 2011 National Masters Championships.
With blisters healed and bums restored to normal Liz and Tina were feeling pretty fired up as they set about adding to their medal collection at the 2012 National Masters Championships back at Lake Karapiro. They were unsuccessful first up in their double but in the F Grade mixed quad, and with the same crew as in 2010, won one of the best races of their career beating seven younger crews in the process. Small wonder everyone had wide grins afterwards. Liz and Tina weren’t finished there each finishing up with three golds with Liz collecting a silver medal as well.
Winners are grinners: Liz and Tina with teammates Eric (left) and Tony
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