Gray Matters serves it up on the blog for the 1st time

Dear Wider Rowing Group, Welcome.

Now that this blog has officially opened up to the full club I just want to assure you that it is by no means too girly. Contrary to some suggestions about rowing friendly hair and makeup tips we are a group of extremely hard core rowing athletes, who like to let off a bit of steam and also flex our acquired muscles every now and again.

Usual Format

Previous editions have included Tub Press winners (similar to bench press, not cuddly members in the media) well done to Arnie (Anthea, to the newies) for taking out the grand prize (a slab) in both September and October, the Arm Wrestle a great contest narrowly taken out by Joe over Nicole (strong right arm from steering strong stroke sided boats) and the keg sculling competition taken out by yours truly last weekend (snatched from the reigning champion Emma the Pres Catford).

Regatta’s

Now is the time to ZOOTIE up. We have a few regatta’s around the corner. If you want to be in it (let alone win it) tell your coach.

Melbourne Head

Hamilton

Wentworth

HOTY CREW’s

Crew selection for HoTY will be announced tomorrow, so sit tight.

Rowing without the Rain

Indoor ergo championships, a hardy crew of 6 rowers braved the 4 min event and rowed their tiger hearts out and came back with a good medal haul. Gold went to Susie, Nicole (new Australian record) and Rochelle, Silver to Gerry, and bronze to Emma – in their respective categories. Martin only managed 4th in a tough field and has recommitted himself to more training.

Time Trials

Around the island time trials, awesome food and some great rowing. The boss showed why she has the top job and did some tricky calculations: She calculated the DS tub four times as an average score, because the same core group of rowers have been doing them, but not in the same boats.

Anyway, the average improvement from Aug is over 8 min and a ~90sec improvement from Sept to October, so well done to Justin and to those that came to camp and watch out seniors! With improvement like that

you’d better smarten up your act, consider oar heights, stroke length etc etc.

THANK YOU TO THE LOVELY MEREDITH for her awesome help with timing the time trials.

Also noted by time trials officials was that the boys just came down to eat bacon and eggs and to practice putting the IT8 on the racks and taking it off the racks. Not a complete waste of time thinking back to some previous fumbling efforts coming back from head of the Yarra when the IT was brand new and the boys were fully rehydrated with beer, they managed to knock the fin off the boat putting it back in the shed.

SUPER TIGER

It has been suggested that we have a Super Tiger each week or on an ad hoc basis as nominated to me and I’ll run it past the rest of the team at our weekly WIP.

Not only a winner with the October Arm Wrestle, but nominated as a super tiger is Joe (and her liver) for her epic Around the Bay in a Day performance, to her liver for coping with a massive dose of panadol which was needed to make through the ride, and for being multi-talented and scoring her first assist (in hockey). Of course, as always for being a gun cox!

In the absence of your nominations, I intend to nominate myself for all sorts of mundane tasks and use the petty cash for awesome prizes.

Thanks

Katie Gray PANS (PA to Nicole Studka, previously PA to JK until she was transferred to the Darwin Oar Rowing Society and now champions the DORC’s up there)