A gruelling week of training stood Tauranga Girls' College rowers in good stead after a strong effort at the Dewar Shield Regatta in Rotorua.

Held at the Blue Lakes last weekend, the rowing squad entered into a total of 24 events over the course of the two day regatta, and returned with impressive results.

Tauranga Girls' College rowers competing at the Dewar Shield Regatta. Photos: Mike Yorke.

Tauranga Girls College Club captain Bruce Fettes says to get 21 crews into A and B finals was an 'outstanding result” for everyone.

Bruce says the novices showed some extremely pleasing performances, including winning the A final in the under-15 Octuple Skull.

The Novice-coxed four of Latasha Yorke, Sophie Holland, Claudia Lamberton, and Mele Folan, coxed by Rosie Frood, placed third in their A final, while the Girls Under-15 Quad of Yorke, Holland, Folan, and Kamalijil Sarai, coxed by Rebecca Kneale, finished 2nd in their A final.

In other A finals Grace Holland won the Girls Under-16 single Skull with Rebeka Frood and Shannon Blake claiming second in the Girls Under-16 Double Skulls.

In the Woman's Open Coxed Four, Karlee Montgomery, Chloe Fettes, Zoe Kirtley, and Sandalika Illangamudalige, coxed by Kneale, also added to the silver tally.

Bruce says Tauranga Girls College's rowing programme boasts more than 25 girls this season and has just completed a gruelling week-long training camp at Lake Karapiro, rowing an astonishing 210kms.

Amongst the sessions with their coaches, they also had guest coaches and some of the New Zealand Rowing squad visit them to talk about life as an elite rower, says Bruce.

The training camp and regattas are all in preparation for the fast approaching North Island and New Zealand Secondary School Champs held at Lake Karapiro in March.

With last year's New Zealand Secondary Schools Champs, commonly known as the Maadi Cup, attracting more than 2000 rowers it is expected this year's event will be one of the largest held since 1947, when the Maadi Cup was first raced for.

The girls have a short turnaround time with their next regatta this weekend at Lake Karapiro.