Coaching
OUR Coaching Team
NICK DAWE
Rowing Manager & Head Coach
Entering his fifth year at West End for the 2023/2024 season, Nick Dawe is a former two-time Senior World Rowing Championship rower for the United States in the Lightweight 8+ and Lightweight 4-. As an athlete, Nick has also earned gold medals at the Head of the Charles, Royal Canadian Henley, USRowing National Championships, and USRowing Youth National Championships and competed in the Henley Royal Regatta. As a coach, Nick has worked with both men and women at every level of the sport with skills ranging from from novice to high performance. Nick’s coaching experience includes two years at the high school level, six years at the NCAA Division 1 level including five years as a lead recruiter, eight years as head coach at the club level, and three years as a USRowing High Performance coach.
Nick has helped develop over twenty athletes to Junior, Under-23, Senior, Pan-American, and Olympic teams. Nick coached on the USRowing Under-23 team staff in 2017 & 2019 as the Men’s Lightweight 1x coach producing the USA’s only gold medal at the 2019 Under-23 World Rowing Championships. After his 4- crew qualified in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2018, Nick was named as lead sweep coach for the 2019 USOC Pan American Games team.
Nick’s education includes two Ivy League university degrees with a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a Master’s degree in Applied Exercise Physiology from Columbia University, Teachers College in New York City.
Tania Donnianni
Club Women’s Coach
Rowing has always been a part of Tania's life for as long as she can remember. Her father, Peter Delaney, was an Olympic rower turned coach for Wellington rowing club, rowing was part of every summer weekend and holiday growing up.
Tania rowed from 1984 – 1994 for school and club, St Mary's Wellington, Wellington Rowing club, and Canterbury rowing club. During that time she represented representing NZ in 4 international squads 1990 juniors, 1991 W8+ Vienna world champs, 1992 & 1994 U23 trans-Tasman series. Recently, she received the Legacy medal from Rowing New Zealand – her highest honour in the sport.
Upon retiring from competitive rowing, due to injury; Tania took up coaching for various crews including Canterbury Uni and Wellington School crews. Later making the move north to Auckland where she joined West End and coached crews ranging from novice to senior.
Tania has competed as a masters rower, representing West End from 2014-2019 in the World Masters games and numerous legion regattas and masters' champs. She has also served on the WERC Board and BCR Committee.
In her day job, Tania runs Gym Kids, with her husband Pablo. They have 3 lovely children Lucia (Bara) Matias (SPC) and Sofia soon to also be a Baradene girl.
Tania says: "I'm delighted to be a member of both the Baradene and West End coaching teams this year. I'm here to be our athletes' 'eyes' on the water and help them develop their understanding of how to move a boat and maximize their performance." – Kia Kaha
Ethan Blight
Club Men’s Coach
Entering his first season at West End as Club Men’s Coach, Ethan Blight is a proud graduate of Saint Kentigern College, where his rowing journey began, and continued that passion at the University of Washington. Over the past five years, Ethan had the honor of being part of two Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship teams and multiple PAC-12 title-winning teams. In his final season, Ethan was elected captain of the men’s rowing team and was nominated for Athlete of the Year, also being awarded Most Inspirational Athlete. Ethan has proudly represented New Zealand at the U19 and U23 levels and been part of both the national and international pathways for Rowing New Zealand. His international experience also includes two appearances at the Henley Royal Regatta.
According to Ethan, “Rowing is more than a sport to me—it’s a way of life that fosters resilience, teamwork, and determination. I’m passionate about passing on these values and helping the next generation of rowers find success both on the water and in life.”
Ethan brings a wealth of rowing experience and a fresh perspective to help develop West End’s club squad rowers in the 2024/2025 season.