View source for Ross Collinge

{{short description|New Zealand rower}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Ross Collinge
| image            = Sept71 111 final M4+ NZL crop.jpg
| alt              = 
| caption          = [[Noel Mills]] (bow) and Collinge (seat 2) at the [[1971 European Rowing Championships]]
| birth_name       = Ross Hounsell Collinge
| birth_date       = {{birth-date and age|21 November 1944}}
| birth_place      = [[Lower Hutt]], New Zealand
| death_date       = <!-- {{death-date and age|23 August 1981|1 October 1949}} -->
| death_place      = 
| residence        = 
| education        = 
| alma_mater       = 
| occupation       = 
| years_active     = 
| spouse           = 
| height           = {{convert|187|cm|ftin|abbr=on}}<ref name="SR profile">{{Cite sports-reference |title = Ross Collinge |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/ross-collinge-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418101140/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/ross-collinge-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 18 April 2020 |access-date = 28 September 2016}}</ref>
| weight           = {{convert|85|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="SR profile" />
| sport            = Rowing
| club             = 
| medaltemplates   = 
{{MedalSport | Men's [[Rowing (sport)|rowing]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{NZL}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Rowing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Mexico]] | [[Rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's coxed four|Coxed four]] }}
{{MedalSilver | [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972 Munich]] | [[Rowing at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's coxless four|Coxless four]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[World Rowing Championships]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1975 World Rowing Championships|1975 Nottingham]] | Eight}}
}}

'''Ross Hounsell Collinge''' (born 21 November 1944) is a former New Zealand [[rowing (sport)|rower]] who won two Olympic medals.

Collinge was born in 1944 in [[Lower Hutt]], New Zealand.<ref name="SR profile" /> He trained as a pharmacist at Petone Technical College.<ref name="NZOC bio">{{cite web |title=Ross Collinge |url=https://olympic.org.nz/athletes/ross-collinge |publisher=[[New Zealand Olympic Committee]] |access-date=6 March 2017}}</ref> In rowing, he attracted attention due to his strong performance at the 1967 New Zealand championships, where he rowed for the Hutt Valley team; [[Dick Joyce (rower)|Dick Joyce]] was one of his team members.<ref name="NZOC bio" /> For the [[1968 Summer Olympics]], New Zealand qualified an eight and had a pool of four rowers and a cox as a travelling reserve; Collinge was part of this reserve. Preparations were held in [[Christchurch]] at Kerr's Reach on the [[Avon River (Canterbury)|Avon River]]. The reserve rowers were unhappy with the "spare parts" tag and felt that they were good enough to perhaps win a medal if put forward as a coxed four. The manager, [[Rusty Robertson]], commented about them that they were "the funniest looking crew you've ever seen".<ref name="Storey dies">{{cite news |title=Famed New Zealand Olympic rower Dudley Storey dies |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/90123831/Famed-New-Zealand-Olympic-rower-Dudley-Storey-dies |access-date=6 March 2017 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=6 March 2017}}</ref> There were stern discussions with the New Zealand selectors. In a training run, the coxed four was leading the eight over the whole race. In the end, the reserve rowers got their way and New Zealand entered both the coxed four and the coxed eight.<ref>{{cite web |title=New Zealand Rowing at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/NZL/summer/1968/ROW/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417170350/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/countries/NZL/summer/1968/ROW/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref> Collinge won the Olympic coxed four event along with Dick Joyce, [[Dudley Storey]], [[Warren Cole (rower)|Warren Cole]] and [[Simon Dickie]] (cox);<ref name="1968 coxed four">{{cite web |title=Rowing at the 1968 Ciudad de México Summer Games: Men's Coxed Fours |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1968/ROW/mens-coxed-fours.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418130302/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1968/ROW/mens-coxed-fours.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |publisher=[[Sports Reference]] |access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref> this was New Zealand's first gold medal in rowing.<ref name="Storey dies" /> At the time, Collinge had newly qualified as a pharmacist, and recently married. The crew's winning boat was sold to a rowing club to recoup costs, and ended in splinters after a road crash.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=White|first=Mike|date=May 2018|title=The greatest race you never heard of: NZ's first gold medal in rowing|url=https://www.noted.co.nz/life/sport/nzs-first-gold-medal-in-rowing/|journal=North & South|volume=386|pages=58–66}}</ref> At the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] in [[Munich]] Collinge teamed with [[Dick Tonks]], [[Dudley Storey]] and [[Noel Mills]] to win the silver medal in the coxless four. He rowed with the coxed eight in the [[1975 World Rowing Championships]] in [[Nottingham]], Great Britain, and won a bronze medal.<ref>{{cite web |title=(M8+) Men's Eight - Final  | url= http://www.worldrowing.com/events/1975-world-championships/mens-eight/final/ |publisher=[[International Rowing Federation]] |access-date=20 September 2016}}</ref>

He is married to Valerie Collinge with whom he had two children. He has one grandson currently living in Wellington, who has announced he aspires to be a rower like his grandad to "Carry on the family tradition".<ref name="NZOC bio" /> Since the 1980s, they have been living in a house adjacent to the house of the Indian High Commissioner in Lower Hutt.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rutherford |first1=Hamish |last2=Downes |first2=Siobhan |title=Indian High Commissioner rejects claims staff member was treated like a slave |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/69761045/indian-high-commissioner-rejects-claims-staff-member-was-treated-like-a-slave |access-date=6 March 2017 |work=[[Stuff (website)|Stuff]] |date=27 June 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{World Rowing|2086|Ross H. Collinge}} ([https://web.archive.org/web/20190928202513/http://www.worldrowing.com/athletes/athlete/2086/ archive])
* {{Olympics.com|ross-hounsell-collinge|Ross Hounsell Collinge|org_id=ross-collinge|org_name=Ross Collinge|org_archive=20190928202516}}
* {{NZOC profile|ross-collinge}}
* {{Olympedia|39175}}

{{Olympic champions – Men's coxed four}}
{{1968 New Zealand Olympic team}}
{{1972 New Zealand Olympic team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collinge, Ross}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:Rowers at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Rowers at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand in rowing]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lower Hutt]]
[[Category:New Zealand male rowers]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1968 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:World Rowing Championships medalists for New Zealand]]
[[Category:20th-century New Zealand sportsmen]]