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Woke up this morning,
from the strangest dream
I was in the biggest army,
The world has ever seen
We were marching as one,
on the road to the holy grail
OK so we didn’t have Mark Seymour on the road with us, but RRC still had a holy grail of the sprint regatta season: the opportunity to row on the 2000 Olympic rowing course at the Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC), Penrith. Under the glow of the Olympic Rings, what a 5 ring SIRC-us it was to perform in and to hopefully secure a medal on the presentation dias.
An RRC squad of 35 hit the road and the air to seek fortune and glory the weekend of the 09th and 10th April, to proudly represent their club, Richmond with the painted-but-not-tainted claws of a tiger and the shrill, chill haka from Lone Grey Goosen echoing in our heads for daily inspiration.
The New South Wales Grade State Championships are a hotly contested regatta, represented by over 42 Rowing Clubs. We quickly realised that our competition was not only NSW Clubs, however International Rowing Clubs including Hanoi (professional rowing squad representing Vietnam…. in Australia for a 6 week training camp) We were also up against crews from Canberra, Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, Barwon, the Sunshine Coast and others.
Women’s Squad Results
Umm pretty good actually. Big fields in the sculling events, lots of strong wins through the qualifying heats and semis. We were able to show strength and staying power across all grades entered, and as a squad we proved to be distinctly better than almost all takers in the first & final sweep events.

WC8+ Gold
WD8+ Gold
WC4+ Gold – Pump up the Jam, pump it up!
WD4+ 4th in final
WC4X Bronze (Professional Hanoi crew pot hunting for Gold)
WD4X Silver
WC2X Zara/Sophie 5th in semi
WD2X Rochelle/Kate (endearingly titled, Pocket Rockets, with rival club members asking while they were on the dias, ‘are they your club coxes’?)
(you should have seen the size of their competition)
WD2X Karen/Leonie 5th in final (Won their heat and 2nd in Semi)
WC1X Kate (blown away in the final…Penrith unleashed her winds)
WC1X Rachael (conserved her strength in the heat for…)
WD1X Rachael Silver
And that meant that each women’s squad member received at least one medal. Their coach is mightily impressed with their dedication, willingness to reach for new heights and competitive spirit.
They are all pretty happy with how it went too. Did we mention crushing strong performer Leichardt? Yeah, did that. Big-noting Griffith Uni Surfers Paradise? Yup.
Man Squad Results (as overheard by the women’s squad)
Yeah so Sam and Nick cheated by actually training but I suppose good on them to win Gold in the C double. Then Nick in the single, what is he on anyway, and where can I get some? Oh yeah, Sam showed us all up with a Bronze in the B single, and then pimped his citizenship for Silver in an exhibitionist race against Hanoi, won by some Balmain guy with a pot.
Man Squad Results
MC2x – Gold
MB1x – Bronze
M1x (sprint) – Silver
Women’s Squad Results (as overheard by man squad)
M1: “Chicks did alright, eh.”
M2: “Whatever”
Social Correspondent’s Report
Darlings, we all know what happens at Penrith stays at Penrith.
So your social correspondent is simply unable to make sense of any of the following late breaking stories:
• man squad’s repressed competitiveness. Gosh, which really is the fastest way to Penrith?
• a little boy lost in Woolworths
• the true meaning of “a glass of wine with dinner”
• did the quarry start work early or was Captain B.C. Snoralot crowing the dawn?
• one male rower’s fructose-friendly product endorsement of Gordon’s
• Nick’s special relationship with Dijon mustard
Finally however we look to the dear reader to enlighten us on an announcement to the packed regatta crowd of the name of the NZ river where Sam Morrison won his international sprint regatta title. Just as it was announced we were distracted by a stray 6-pack, so dites-moi was it:
• North End
• Living End
• Whakapapa
• Fukatani
• all BS to begin with
We started out, seeking fortune and glory, it’s a short song, but it’s a hell of story….. How the Tigers went to Sydney Town and bathed in the Holy Grail.
All the locals scattered, they were hiding after the row
We were so far from home, but man did we know,
there’d be nothing left to plunder as we
Coveted the Holy Grail!
Well done Tigers, Our Richmond Rowing Family the Schoutens and Derek for following every race on Tiger Wheels making sure we did our best!
Derek Begg with Rochelle Stokes

The Richmond girls have beaten St George in a tight race to take gold by 1.30 sec on day 1 of the Edward Trickett regatta in Sydney. The crew stroked by Sophie Robinson had a great race to finish ahead of last years gold medalist.

The second gold went to the D double of Kate Dyball and Rochelle Stokes in a hotly contested race consisting of heats, semi’s and finals.

In other results, Sam Morrison won bronze in the men’s b single scull in another tough race for the kiwi import.

Long time Richmond member Ray Dennis has won two gold medals in the men’s F – J eight and the men’s I eight at the Masters Nationals regatta in Perth.
In his return season after having a 10+ year break from competitive rowing, Ray teamed up with rowers from various clubs along boathouse drive to form composite crews to compete at the state and national championships.
The Richmond composite F-J crew won their race by almost 3 seconds in a time of 4 min 01 seconds and the Banks composite I crew won their race by 2.35 seconds in a time of 4 min 08 seconds on the new Champions Lake regatta centre in Perth.
Well done Ray and we look forward to seeing you down at the boat club soon.

Well the Mexicans came, saw, and liked what they saw.  As painful as it is to admit that NSW does anything well, they have a cracker of a rowing course. A 25 strong RRC contingent have ventured north into enemy territory and found the enemy more than welcoming. The Penrith Olympic rowing course is a stunning set-up, and the course was on its best behaviour today – with mid-twenties temps, no wind, just perfect.
RRC was the sole Victorian club who ventured north for the NSW Club Champs. And our presence was quickly noticed by the locals. Numerous locals spent many hours trying to decode our “I Heart RRC” t-shirts, others were in awe of our prized wooden Butcher boat. Our accommodation is salubrious and wholesome, the Penrith Christian Academy is giving us a comfortable stay, while also making us better people. They have a no-voodoo-or-slaughtering-goats policy which has necessitated a few changes to the evening social activities, but we’re adapting well.
But anyhoo, back to the rowing itself.
The entire RRC contingent were feeling a few butterflies – foreign course, different cubs, and no sense of how we’d perform. First boat onto the water was Laura and Sophie in a C double heat, winning their heat and giving all the RRC rowers a boost. To quote AFL supercoach Leigh Matthews, “If they bleed you can kill them.” Then the women’s D eight had an absolute belter of a race, there was nothing in it between between 1st and 3rd and the girls were just pipped in a photo finish into 3rd place. But they cut dashing figures as they leapt onto the dias to claim their bronze medals.
Rosie and Anthea, and Susie and Rochelle all had solid rows in their double sculls.
The men’s C eight matched the girl’s eight for exciting rowing, with eight crews rowing down the 1km course in a straight line. Two photo finishes were needed to sort out the placings, with the blokes just being rowed into fourth place out of the medals. Just 1.47 secs separated first from fifth place. Dammit!
Kiwi Sam rowed the race of the day in his men’s B single final. Coming fifth at the 1km mark, he belted out a quick haka and surged through the second km to take out second place.
And then the men’s D-four showed there’s no school like the old school, taking out a bronze medal rowing the only wooden boat in Penrith, probably in NSW.
Throw in some whitewater rafting during a break in the program, and we’ve had a corker of a first day. Tomorrow will see more rows in quads and eights, with all crews hoping to ad to the RRC bling tally.
Jim Cooper

Please note that the RRC Christmas party being held at the boat club tomorrow night is now a BYO function.
This means that you will need to bring your drinks with you if you feel like a bit of a Christmas tipple. The bar will be open and there is plenty of room to keep your drinks cool throughout the night.
Prizes given out for BYO drinks in the following categories:
Most Original Beer
Most Original Bottle of Wine
Most Expensive Beer
Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
Most Expensive Soft Drink
Prizes will range from ‘hot dates’ with the organising committee, paddle in a double scull with the head of rowing, date with the men’s HOTY eight (in their speedo’s and bow ties) and a selection of Cadbury chocolates.
See you down at the club….’Christmas Party Organising Committee’