Kirsten McCann matriculated from St Andrew’s School for Girls in 2006. She represented South Africa twice as a schoolgirl; first in 2005 when she rowed in a double scull at the Junior World Championships in Germany. There she finished in sixth place in the A final. In 2006 she competed in a single scull at the Junior World Championships in Netherlands where she finished in fourth place in the A final.
She joined the rowing academy of the High Performance Centre at Tuks in 2007. In 2008 she went to the Beijing Olympics in a lightweight double with Alex White.
In 2010 she obtained a bronze medal at the World U/23 Rowing Championships, Belarus. Last year saw her win gold at the World Student Rowing championships held in Russia. She was awarded Sportswoman of the Year at UJ in 2012.
Kirsty is a member of the national rowing squad under the guidance of head coach, Mr Roger Barrow. Kirsty is the head rowing coach at St Andrew’s School for Girls, a position that she has held for the past five years.
Claire-Louise Bode accepted a rowing scholarship in the USA after she matriculated from St Andrew’s in 2009. Besides being a member of the Buckeye’s first Varsity 8 since her freshmen year, she is also a member of the rowing leader team and stroke of the first V8 since her sophomore year.
She lead her boat to victory in the Northern Conference, called the Big 10 and was not only named as a member of the first boat for the conference but also as their Athlete of the Year. Recently, she was also named as The Ohio State Athlete of the Year.
She has represented South Africa twice as a junior and twice as a U/23 competitor. Claire-Louise represented South Africa at the 2013 Student Games in Kazan, Russia where she was part of the women’s coxless fours team of Claire-Louise Bode, Kate Christowitz, Holly Norton and Catherine Stark.
The four secured the country’s second medal of the games when they finished second in the A final of their event. The SA quartet won silver in 7; 07, 44 with Russia winning the gold medal in 6; 59, 92.
Straight after their win, Kirsty McCann and the women’s coxless fours quartet immediately dedicated South Africa’s first medals of the World Student Games to ailing former President, Nelson Mandela.
Kirsty held off Russian, Olga Arkadova by a little more than four seconds to win gold in the A final of the women’s lightweight singles sculls, crossing the line in 8;10,62 on day three of the Games in Kazan, Russia. She also won gold in her specialist event at last year’s World University Rowing Championships at the same venue.
