Time Trial Update and Training Wednesday this week.

Dashing display by the men’s eight on the weekend to improve their previous round the island time trial time by over 2 minutes. The official times are yet to be confirmed, but cox Derek Begg said the time was just over 32 minutes which is a vast improvement on the previous time of 34 min 16 sec.
Stoke Jim ‘it hurt like hell’ Cooper said that the crew had a reasonable row and a couple of the crew members commented that the row was a lot more controlled that the previous time trial.
Sam Morrison also completed the time trail in the single scull but was not available to comment on his row, not that we actively chased him for a comment after the All Black beat the Wallabies into submission on Saturday night in the rugby.
With the camp taking away Thursday this week, it was decided on Saturday that we would row on Wednesday AM instead so set your alarm clocks to be down at the sheds for Wednesday at 6:15 for a couple of laps before we have to de-rigg the boat for camp.

Sunday Time Trial

We have a time trial scheduled for this Sunday (at 1000hrs) and would like to see the following combinations doing the trip around the island:
Men’s Eight
Stroke: Jim Cooper
7: Matt Lane
6: Alex Playsted
5: Johno
4: Barry Campbell
3: Justin Thomas
2: Kevin Burrows
Bow: David Micallef
Cox: TBA
Men’s Single
Sam Morrison
Lunch is being put on by the women’s eight and they have promised lashings of bacon, eggs and other assorted artery hardening foods. I will not be down on the Sunday as it is Henry’s (son) 3rd birthday and we have a mass of kids and parents coming over to tear the house down over brunch so I should be home to try and restrict the damage that is bound to occur.
I am in the process of confirming another cox as Elaine is on family duties as her father is in town. See you all Saturday.
Simon

This week @ RRC

Following a pleasant friday night enjoying the products of the Goat, a saturday morning fighting off its ills, a saturday afternoon wishing that I had a boat with a rudder, and sunday drowning my shame in losing to Jim & Simon by eating a huge chunk of cow… I bring you the week of 14 September!
Sound off if you’re up for some:

  1. ergo or run action 1815 at the shed tonight. remember that your 20min with rating cap 22 is due. get total distance, avg split, avg rate, and per-2-minute splits.
  2. thursday morning row
  3. saturday afternoon row

Weights:
Due to renovations at the punt road oval, RFC evening weights will finish on Monday 5 October in order to merge all the groups that use that building into half the space. They will resume some time in August when all the work is done.
John plans to run morning sessions instead:
weights: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri mornings at 06:30
boxercise: Wed at 06:30
Thinking the weights inclined people could focus on two sessions, say Tue & Fri or Mon & Fri. I swear I’ll make it to mornings once WMG is over with.
Martin Foster

Gray Matters a florists best friend

Afternoon Rowers,
Wow the invites I’ve had for dinner dates since I sent out my photo last week have to be seen to be believed, I’m sneezing as I write this as I’ve just answered the door to yet another bunch of roses. I only hope I’m fortunate enough for the pic to find its way onto face book and into the hands of devastated ex’s and successful high school peers.
Word is out that best dressed at the MJ party went to JL, who dressed as a Zombie. I have to be clear here that I mean MAN NOT BOAT, as the JL boat is also white, slow, has about as many winning medals as your average Zombie and generally lives life at a ghoulish /sluggish pace, best way to tell which is which (Zombie or boat) is to of course weigh them.
Essendon Saltwater Regatta
We’re extremely concerned that Joe has now tasted success (other than in a row over…) and we’ll be forced to use our legs past the first 100 metres of our next race. Until now, winning was something the crews in the distance did. Joe won with the boys and the girls crew. Proving that we can no longer blame her……….. Hmm, back to blaming the boat then.
Such success means we can have a couple of cheap stabs at the WMG mixed quad and current Australian Champions (that is World Masters Games, not WWF which is obviously wrestling or saving whales, neither of which we are involved in at this present stage) learnt why you should have steering on a boat during the saltwater challenge after rowing every where except Highpoint to check out the sales; Simon Crunden (man not boat) managed to go past Poyntons for the first time ever without having to spend $200 on plants for the garden, however the Australian Champions couldn’t resist and tried hard to check out all the plants down the course as well as at Poyntons sale.
THE BIG THING ON THIS WEEKEND IS THE AROUND THE ISLAND TIME TRIAL.
All rowers need to be at club at 9:45 am for 10 am on water. Hopefully, we can boat 3 8s and 3 4s like last time.
Derek’s HoTY 8 is catering. So some HOT and YUM food coming our way.
We will need someone to do the timing (otherwise it’s a row around the island, not a time trial) and someone to marshal the boats. Apparently JL as well as having a boat and a Zombie outfit, has a stopwatch so we may have a volunteer (term loosely used) here.
We’ll be a few short as some of us rowing WMG will be at Carrum! Ah the prestige…Ok so it doesn’t have the allure of the Nile, and doesn’t exactly scream World, but I guess we’ve got to start somewhere.
THE OTHER BIG THING COMING UP – IS CAMP!  As part of camp festivities we will be running a members “all about you” trivia.  Simon will send out a link on Survey Monkey were members can include a couple of interesting facts about themselves from which we can make up questions. (You don’t have to be at camp – to put facts in.)
e.g.  How does Nicole Start the day on a Monday morning A) a cup of tea and a box of freddos, B) A keg of Mountain Goat Ale and a box of Freddos, C) she brings a healthy nutritious breakfast, D) She forgets her breakfast and her wallet and has a tin of MLC’s milo followed by a bottle of tomato sauce.
WARNING
If Mike, EMMA and JUSTIN haven’t seen you swim and you haven’t done your multi choice test you will look like a git in the water in October. Join Sandra and I in our floaties…… We’ll be doing our best to make them cool. I think I might try putting a ribbon in my hair, schoolgirl style, yellow of course, it’s important to match. Then I may look like a toddler taken out by their parents for a paddle…. I hope I don’t get chaffing under my arms, I must remember some vaseline.
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)

Saltwater, wind, heat and a good start to the season for Richmond

The men’s squad struck form in the first regatta of the season easily winning the Men’s C Grade Quad Scull at the Essendon Saltwater regatta last Saturday.
In appalling windy and unseasonably hot conditions, the crew of Tim Foster, Sam Morrison, Troy Durham, Matthew Lane and cox Jo Lian-Lloyd kept their cool to record one of the best times on the day.
Not to be out done by the men, the women’s C Grade Quad Scull of Laura Schouten, Annalise Gehling, Geraldine Goss, Edith Hamilton and Jo Lian-Lloyd picked up a win in a very competitive field to also kick start their season in fine style.
In a surprise result, the glamour mixed quad of Franzi Locher, Simon Crunden, Jim Cooper, Leonie Cluse and cox Derek Begg finished third in the mixed masters category only eight seconds behind the winning Cardinals crew (who they passed during the race???).
Jim Cooper summed up the day in a nutshell for the glamour quad saying that they may have only been eight seconds behind but at no stage during the race could they have made up the time as the crossed the line with the tank running on fumes.
“While we went down by only a slight margin the real bonus for the glamour quad was flogging the Richmond dual Australian champion mixed quad and boy am I getting some mileage out of that” he said.
“Over the last month we have had several very ordinary mornings on the Yarra with everything climate change can throw at us including wind, rain, barges, even dolphins and the dual Aussie champs have been missing in action, presumably tucked up home under the doona hiding from the conditions and as a result, we managed to conquer the conditions while they (the Aussie champs) found it all a bit too tough” he said.

New ergo's

I have updated the ergo page on the blog with a number of new ergo’s that are sure to have you using my name in vain.
Reminder that we have a 20 minute ergo due this month, I have posted the details on top of the ergo pile so you can’t miss it. Click on the link to get the details:
http://wp.me/PzFWD-1c
I will get to the training program for Saturday tonight and have a chat to you about it tomorrow AM as I will be out of action on Saturday due to the Saltwater Challenge.

Gray Matters working the strategies

Hi Rowers,
Sorry this is a bit late, Nicole had her bi-annual appointment with the industrial beautician to get the calluses off her hands which coincides with my biannual search of the Docklands for Richmond caps which have blown off during training which I then use one of my black markers to re-colour before popping them back into our wardrobe and bon appetite.
Some New Strategies Nicole and Annalise have been visiting JK in Darwin and checking out her progress with the DORC’s. Some initiatives which I believe they are looking at implementing including jumping from the bank into the boat (a good stretching exercise which history shows began at a similar time to the DORC Para Olympic rowing team in 1896 when there were frequent crocodile visitors in The Darra) as well has feathering quite high, at least 2 metres off the water, allowing the air to run smoothly under the oar and encouraging a strong tap down, this coincided with the introduction of stainless steel oars in 1940 due to some other issues with the wildlife up there.
Out and About
Saltwater regatta on this weekend – we have 6 crews entered! Which is pretty cool – for a rather low key event. What do these people all have in common? They love washing boats, it’s not called Salt Water for nothing.
Time Trials
Next time trial is in 2 weeks time on Sunday Sept 20th. Last time we had 3 eights and 3 fours entered and I expect to match if not beat it. Derek’s HoTY 8 is on brunch duty – the standard of food is very high. So good luck to them. I’d expect something HOT and Y(ellow)
Ergos – Aug Ergos – do them! I’ll try to replace the handle on ‘my’ ergo asap, they just don’t make em like they used to. Those who have been doing them have posted consistent improvements each month – which is awesome. Flog yourself silly – shorts are in this summer Dry land training on Tuesday nights has been rather quiet – so come down for ergos and runs to build you fitness base for HoTY.
Let’s Party Michael Jackson Party THIS FRIDAY! Fun times!
Lets go Swimming Well done to the swimmers last weekend, you’re great grannies are very proud, didn’t you guys blend with the Albert Park Mercedes / latte crowd, leaping in the pool with all your gear on.
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)

Saturday the mixed bag…

This Saturday will be a mixed bag as we have a number of items to get through on top of our normal row.
All of you would have read countless emails from Emma (RRC President) regarding the introduction of the compulsory Rowing Victoria Water Safety Management Plan that requires ALL rowers to complete a written test and swim 50 metres by 30 September to avoid wearing life jackets (or PFD) while they are rowing.
So that we will comply with this requirement, Emma is conducting a swim test Saturday morning (4 Sep) at 0930 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre in Albert Park in the outdoor pool. Unless you are going to camp, then you will need to make this in order to meet the swim part of the requirements.
If you could email Emma today to let her know that you would be there I would appreciate it ([email protected]).
To cover the written test component, I will bring down copies of the test to rowing tomorrow afternoon so you can complete if you have not already done so.
I have had a look at the MJ Thriller video and have worked out that in 30 seconds we need to do a few shoulder shrugs, some steps forward with some breast stroke arm type movements, a few pelvic thrusts, a few steps to the right and a few steps back to the left and some open handed straight arm shaking movements….all pretty straight forward really, it’s just that we need to get the timing right.
The good news is that we do not need to do any crotch grabbing as MJ only introduced this movement when he released the album BAD and he started to invite kids over to his place for sleep over’s…there is a surprise!
Here is a link to a shorten version of the video (the original is 13 minutes long) so you can check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkjtctcuQ9Q.
Then the sensible part of the afternoon starts with a quick talk on a few technique bits we are looking to work on and then a row, hopefully we will have enough time to get in at least two long laps.
Simon

This week has a bit of a Jacko feel about it

Can I request that we all try and make it on time this Thursday as I have a big day of presentations and I will need to get away from the club at 0730 at the latest. If we can be pushing off for 0630 I would very much appreciate it.
Another favour to ask that requires a bit of madness. You would all know that we have a party scheduled for next Friday based around a theme of Michael Jackson. To cut a long email short I have had my creative thinking hat on again and I thought that we (plural) could do a video to promote the event. This involves the entire men’s squad taking off Michael Jacksons Thriller video….this could be bad I know, but it could also be a bit of laugh for the punters. I have this penned in for Saturday prior to the row, so don’t be late otherwise you will find yourself on the front row of the video clip. If no one turns up for a row I know it was a bad idea.
Finally I will get to a rowing program before Thursday and will update you on the session prior to then. I would also like to schedule a talk prior to Saturday’s row to get tuned up for some work that we will be doing during the session. More details later in the week.
Have a good day…Simon