TASMANIA continued to punch above its weight with 10 rowers and three coaches selected for spots in national senior, under-23, and under- 21 crews for world cup rounds and world championships later this year after national selection trials in Sydney.
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"It is a brutal selection process and the rowers competing for spots have to race every day over the two weeks and under enormous pressure to perform," Rowing Tasmania development manager Rob Prescott said.
"Especially the lightweights who have to all be below 70-kilograms for the whole week of selections."
In the lightweight men's category, TIS athletes Sam Beltz (Lindisfarne), Blair Tunevitsch (Tamar) and Tom Gibson (Lindisfarne) earned their spots in the lightweight men's coxless four.
Tamar's Ali Foot received a medical certificate after suffering from gastro.
He will have to qualify for his seat in the men's lightweight coxless pair and coxless four at the end of this month at Lake Barrington.
"It's good to see Sam coming back into it after taking a 12-month break from rowing after the Olympics and proving he can slot himself back into the boat," Prescott said.
"Tom had some time away too and his wife has just had their first child so pretty exciting times for him."
In the women's, Kate Hornsey has been picked in the lightweight women's eight.
Now based in Melbourne, Hornsey stroked the Tasmanian women's eight at the interstate regatta at the Australian championships.
Hobart's Ella Flecker will partner VIS rower Alice McNamara in the lightweight women's double scull.
Multiple Olympian Kerry Hore earned a seat in the women's quad scull crew heavyweight category and is a proven performer.
In the under-23 category, Hobart's Georgia Nesbitt (Huon) will team up with New South Wales rower Georgina Miansarow in the lightweight women's double scull with Hobart's Paul Newbon their coach.
In the men's under-23 coxless double, Hobart's Max McQueeney earned a spot with former state development officer Rhett Ayllife the coach.
Tamar's Oliver Cook earned a spot in the under-21 men's lightweight double scull and reserve single scull to contest the trans-Tasman regattas.
"I think to have that many athletes in a national team is a really solid performance from the Tasmanian group," Prescott said.
"Once again when it comes down to numbers we certainly get more than our fair share into Australian teams and the selectors made them earn their spots."
TIS head coach Brett Crowe is the lead coach in charge of the national lightweight crews and Hobart's John Driessen is in charge of the national heavyweight men's eight.
