Eleven students showed up to Geraldine High School's first rowing session with no idea what they'd signed up for. Ten girls, one boy, and coaches who knew barely more than they did.
The programme began with a simple question. Geraldine families were already travelling to regattas to support relatives who rowed, so why weren't the school's own students on the water?
"We thought, why not bring a whole lot of kids with us?" says Rae Gaskin, the school's business manager and rowing manager.
That first season was a steep learning curve: early mornings, a few capsizes narrowly avoided, more than a few mishaps at regattas. But it worked, and the squad has now doubled in size heading into its second year.
This season's growth comes with backing from the Milford Foundation, which has doubled its Emerging Schools Rowing Scholarship to $20,000. Half goes to Ngāruawāhia High School in the North Island, the other $10,000 to Geraldine in the South Island.
The scholarship follows the success of Hillmorton High School's programme last season, which convinced the foundation to extend support to two schools this time around.
"We saw how effective it was last year," says Milford Foundation general manager Lucy Doyle. "This year we really wanted to reach more young people, so we wanted to give that opportunity to two schools."
Geraldine's application impressed the foundation. "There was so much ambition in their plan for these young people," Lucy says. "We're so excited to be able to see them fly."
Starting from zero meant the coaching team, led by Jeremy Gaskin, had nothing to build on. "We had a really long learn-to-row time in our programme because no one knew what they were doing," he says.
Rower Annie remembers her first time in the boat vividly. "I thought I was going to tip. If a little wave came, I thought the whole boat was just going to capsize."
Those nerves gave way to real progress. By the end of the season, according to Rae, a group of complete beginners had become "amazing" and "very accomplished rowers."
One moment stands out above the rest. At Maadi, Charlee Cooper and Justina Courage won the school's first-ever medal, in the Girls' U18 Novice Double Sculls. Teammate Terrilee was watching from the bank.
"We were all running down the side screaming and applauding them the whole way, and we were just so proud of them."
What has struck the coaches most is the shift in confidence off the water as much as on it. Jeremy noticed the squad go from being wary of their coaches to giving them blunt feedback mid-session.
For many of the rowers, the sport has reshaped how they see themselves. "Rowing has taught me that I'm strong, and that no matter what happens, I can get through it," says Paris. Paige puts it similarly: "Rowing has taught me that I am more capable and I can keep going."
Early mornings remain a grind. "But out of that, our squad understood that that's when you've got to do the work," Jeremy says.
Running a new programme is expensive, and that's where the Milford Foundation grant matters most. The $10,000 will go toward equipment and lowering the barriers to getting more students on the water.
"We don't think that rowing should be just down to who can afford to row," Lucy says. "We wanted to make sure that we were reaching more young people and giving more people that opportunity to get behind what is an awesome sport for teamwork, capability and confidence."
Timaru Rowing Club and the wider Geraldine community have carried much of the load too. "We've got an amazing bunch of parents who had no idea what they were signing up for because no one had done it before at Geraldine," Rae says. "So they've come along for the crazy ride as well."
Holly hopes that support keeps building. "We hope that when we're seniors, the Geraldine rowing programme will grow, and that we'll have lots of support from friends, family and the school."
For the Milford Foundation, that growth is the point. "At the Milford Foundation, we're all about helping young people to thrive, and we see sport as a tremendously powerful vehicle for that," Lucy says. "Through sport, and particularly through a sport like rowing, they get to learn teamwork, they get to learn leadership, they build resilience."
Eleven beginners unsure they could stay upright have grown into a squad with real momentum behind it. Milly, for one, has no doubts about what comes next.
"I'd say, yeah, definitely just do it. It's so much fun, and the team environment we have is just awesome."
