Schools Premiership Rowing Regatta — live stream replay

COVID delayed the anticipated Schools Premiership Rowing Regatta – but it returned today. Watch a replay of the action.

Norwood Morialta rowing captains Andre Colotti-Perez and Georgia Watts ahead of The Advertiser’s live stream of the School Premiership Series Regatta. Picture: Emma Brasier

They hit the water two months later than originally planned.

But Norwood Morialta High athletes were ready to shine in a live stream of the School Premiership Series Regatta.

Rowing SA was forced to cancel its season-opening schools event in November due to a COVID-19 shutdown.

The state’s top rowing students battled it out on Saturday, with every race live streamed on advertiser.com.au (replay below).

Norwood Morialta co-captain Georgia Watts led the senior girls four.

The Year 12 student said a strong performance by the school’s female and male crews was important, given the regatta was a qualifier for this year’s Head of the River.

“It’s a good chance for us to check out all the other school and see how they’re tracking,” Watts, 17, said.

“It’s also a good chance to see how us as a crew have been developing.

WATCH A REPLAY OF ALL THE ACTION ON THE WATER

“It (COVID-19) has given our crew a chance to improve and we’ve been able to focus on more of the building blocks as opposed to just going out and focusing on racing.

“We’ve been able to build up and solidify the basics.”

Last year’s Head of the River regatta went ahead in a condensed format during SA’s first COVID-19 wave, featuring just senior school athletes and no spectators.

The weekend’s event proceeded with crowd restrictions, meaning the live stream was important in allowing family and friends to watch the racing.

Norwood Morialta co-captain Andre Colotti-Perez rowed with the senior men’s eight and, before the race, said his school would match it with the best.

“I am pretty excited,” Colotti-Perez said.

“We’ve been putting in a lot of work for some time now.

Norwood Morialta High’s Drum Corp perform during the 2019 Head of the River at West Lakes. Picture: Mark Brake

“The delays have been a little bit frustrating because we have been working towards a goal, but weren’t sure if it was there.

“We like the pressure, we feed off it and we are looking forward to surprising some crews.”

Norwood Morialta’s rowing program has grown from about 30 students five years ago to more than 80 now.

Rowing co-ordinator Ben O’Connell said the school had worked hard to make progress.

“Every year, it’s one of those things we keep building,” O’Connell said.

“We get great support from the school to keep doing that and we have a wonderful group of coaches and parents who support it.”

About 15 junior and senior crews from the school will line-up on Saturday among more than 1000 competing athletes.