The pinnacle of the racing season arrived after weeks of on water training, ergos and circuits. The Victorian State Championships were held on March 3-4 this year on the ever-unpredictable waters of Lake Wendouree.
Squad training for the men’s and women’s crews started early this season, kicking off in earnest in December 2017 with a demanding training program overseen by Richmond’s Head Coach, Basil Amin.
Solid preparation paid dividends for all rowers who competed at the State Championships this year, with impressive individual and crew performances seen on both days of the competition.
The first day of racing saw Michelle Joy secure a convincing win in the D Final of the Open Single Scull event.
The women’s quad scull (Michelle Joy, Karen Doggett, Kate Dyball, Zoe Maxwell, coxed by Derek Begg) finished off their States campaign on a high. Keen to push the boundaries this year, the crew began their weekend of racing with a strong performance in the Open Coxless Quad Scull event. (The post race debrief with Basil about human stretching techniques to match the heights of the 6 ft. plus competition being (mostly) in jest).
The crew went on to secure a gold medal in the C Grade Coxed Quad Scull and silver in both the A Grade and B Grade Coxed Quad Scull events.
The men’s four (Allan Randall, Jon Roberts, Charlie Burke, John Carey coxed by Ally Dejaegher) added more silverware to the Richmond medal tally, with a nail biting performance in the D Grade Coxed Four. In a race which made for great viewing at the finishing line, the men finished less a canvass behind the winning Melbourne crew to claim a silver medal. The men went on to put in a good performance in the C Grade Coxed Four event later in the day.
The women’s quad (Edwina Griffiths, Shern Timmins, Jodie Naisbitt, Yash Vegi, coxed by Derek Begg) put in an impressive performance in the highly competitive D Grade Coxed Quad Scull event, finishing a close second in their heat and boat lengths ahead of nearest rivals, Footscray City and Hamilton & Alexandra.
Lindsey Brown and Morgan Chandler capped off a successful season at States, with strong performances in both the B Grade and C Grade Pair.
Sarah Houghton rounded out a successful racing season with second place in her heat of the C Grade Single Scull event – finishing a mere 0.7 seconds behind the winning boat. Sarah went through to the C Final and also raced the B Grade event.
With only a few practice rows under their belts in the weeks leading up to States, Rochelle Stokes and Edwina Griffiths and Andrew Yuile and Dennis Beck put in good performances in the D Grade Double Scull and the C Grade Pair, respectively.
It has been said that success is a journey, not a destination, and the 2018 season is a testament to the truism.
The rowers who represented Richmond at the State Championships achieved gains over the season as individual athletes and as crews. With many wins and close finishes in regattas in the weeks leading up to States and crews across the board stepping up to compete in divisions they had previously not thought possible – this season was a comprehensive success for Richmond Rowing Club.
For all this our thanks must go to those who worked tirelessly to make Richmond’s States campaign success a reality – especially our Head of Rowing, Tim Evans, Head Coach, Basil and Captain, Barry Campbell.
Thanks must also go to expert coxen’s Derek and Ally, who dedication and motivation each helped give their crews the winning edge this season.
Zoe Maxwell
So you, your friend, your partner, your mum and dad all want to be BROs??
Read on….
BROs (Boat Race Officials) are an integral part of regattas. Without them, there is no regatta.
These are the people you see (usually in safety vests), spending a little time:
directing the boat traffic at the launching places- making sure the rower’s boats are safe (bowballs, shoe tie-downs)
- directing boats as they line up for starts, and then starting the races
- judging if there’s interference
- working out who’s come first, second, third and so on
Our club needs to provide a BRO at almost every regatta we attend. It can be tough for rowers to run between BROing and racing, and we want coaches actually coaching! So we’d love a rowing widow/widower, a supportive mum or dad, or your best buddy to get involved. The more the merrier, as BROs can share shifts.
BRO training consists of attending a lecture and then being supervised initially. Level 1 accreditation is obtained by performing 4 practical BRO stations: control, start marshal, bank umpire and judge. Also, Working with Children’s Check are now required. These are easy to get and free for volunteers. Apply Here
The club can also support a BRO’s education by taking them out in a boat (to get a rower’s perspective) and/or having them ride alongside a coach on the bike path. The club insurance will cover them for risk and accidents.
Next BRO course is on Tuesday 6 March 6-8pm at Yarra Yarra (a few sheds down from RRC). Register here to attend. What’s holding you back??
Doing some BROing is also a great way for those new to rowing to get to see what happens at a regatta (from the insiders view), so new members are also encouraged to BRO.
Any questions? Contact Chris or Kathy
Rutherglen Regatta 2018
The 13th and 14th of January were the dates this year for the much liked and well attended Rutherglen regatta, with more than 700 competitors contesting 340 races across the weekend. This was the 153rd running of this regatta, making it the oldest rowing regatta in Australia.
The 800m course on the Saturday and a short 500m sprint on Sunday leaves you with short, sharp, shocks of excitement over a fun packed weekend thanks to the quick race starts and the tricky boomerang bend.
Outstanding performances included Morgan Chandler and Lindsey Brown in the Female D grade pair on Saturday (800m) and Female open pair on Sunday (500m).
On Saturday, Michelle Joy was victorious in the Female B Grade single scull, with Sarah Houghton taking silver. Sliver was also the colour for Zoe Maxwell and Michelle Joy in the female open double scull (800m).
The newly formed mixed coxed eight enjoyed the second spot on both days, not a bad effort for a bunch of folks that had never set foot in a boat together prior to rowing to the start.
Stefanie Dudczig and Allan Randall were heroic in the Mixed Double scull on the Sunday picking up silver after a fantastic start – pipped at the post thanks to some pesky buoys and a reedy finish.
Praise too for the Wentworth Richmond composite Male Masters Eight who won on both days thanks to their great efforts and huge long and lanky Wentworth rowers. Our all Richmond masters eight gave it all they had, but a 6 sec handicap over 800m and 4 seconds over the 500m run made the race for a medal just out of reach.
There was lots of “in-boat” video footage taken over the weekend, and we can confirm the number of actual strokes it takes to complete the course. Over 500m the pair of Morgan and Lindsey took 64 strokes, the double of Dave and Charlie did it in 59 strokes, the men’s D grade coxed four took 58 and the mixed eight 54. Our male masters eight took only 49 strokes over the same distance. Loving the stats!
In addition there was the christening of a new member owned boat – the Hobbit. The name has nothing to do with the height and furry feet of the crew – and any gossip is ‘fake news’. Denis Henry also proved that he is still a wizard at Rock-Paper-Scissors (to keep Leigh and Christine’s daughter entertained).
Off the water – Freshly made bacon and egg rolls for lunch and awesome chicken parmies’ later in the pub, all washed down with plenty of coffee and beer. Mostly beer.
Chiltern – our host for the night is an idyllic, charming and historic town with plenty of laughs in the numerous bars. We visited most of them in search of the best table and the coldest beer.
All up it was an awesome trip, the weather was especially kind to us with day time temps hovering around the 27 deg mark. Many thanks must go to those that worked behind the scenes organising accommodation and boat transport. You all know who you are, and know that we could not have done it without you, and we can’t forget our effervescent Yash who volunteered as our BRO for the weekend. This is definitely one regatta we should all make an effort to attend. Bring on 2019.
Kim B. and Alex R.
HotY 2017
We started our journey in the men’s eight, in earnest, around September of this year. A “Head Season”, with unremittingly long distances, curves, bends and crashes was a completely new concept for me. Basil brought a new fiery intensity to the club; putting us through our paces with some grueling ergos and a new weights program. As well as some killer (literally) circuits. All the joys.
To think 12 weeks ago, I would go on to actually ENJOY sustaining a 28-30 stroke rate for over half an hour seemed laughable and virtually un-doable! However, I genuinely enjoyed every last minute of this year’s Head of the Yarra.
I’m a nervy race-day rower… as my team-mates will confirm from excessively detailed body-workings on our WhatsApp group; “Morning Glory”. I arrived 4 hours before the race; keen to revel in the atmosphere, cheer on other crews and wind down the nerves. However, the nerves quickly turned to an astute state of focus once I watched a few boats taking off from the judges’ box.
Tim gathered us together as a crew at 12.45 with a final few words of wisdom. “Lengthen” would be our call. Lengthen to tidy up your last stroke and reset. Lengthen to ensure a full and strong finish. Lengthen to get your body over for a tender catch.
The starting line announcer sounded mechanical and almost haunting. Boat names were being called out like the quelling from the Hunger Games, with one simple instruction; “ROW”.
“Boat 206… row”.
The race itself feels a little like a blur. I remember the relief of getting around “big bend” (I was sitting in three seat) and then faintly thinking about tanking up for the next corner…
Stef was clinical in her calls and coxing. She put in a stellar performance, driving her crew on for pieces and navigating a difficult course in what can only be described as a coxswain’s race. We managed to hunt down and pass a crew around the 3km mark. We had drawn blood! There was a hunger and a freshness in the boat, perhaps Basil’s intensity was finally beginning to rub off. We wanted more… Tim was screaming from the bank; ushering us on to take another boat down. He wanted the “bumble-bees” from Balmain… The rush of passing another crew lifted us. We soon entered a crash site. Argonauts, were the casualties, missing a bend and lodging themselves in the middle of the river. Quick thinking from Stef and an “oar”esome save from Club President Jon ensured we sailed past our rivals unscathed. We were still hunting right to the finish line; pressing Balmain on the line and perching ourselves right up the pecking order.
Our hard work seemed to be answered in the overall results. Although the results posted on the day had us in 4th place, further inquiry and clarification had us ultimately with a quality 2nd place finish from 12 D Grade Crews. Our time of 33.25 placed us into 90th place overall. Even without knowing the result, I felt an exhilarating rush of joy! We’d finally come together as a crew to put in a solid row. We drove hard right out to the end and we had the shared euphoria of a team’s effort. A beer well earned!
We couldn’t have put a Richmond men’s eight together without wider help from the club. We cannot thank Tim, Dave and Keith, Ray and Kimmy enough for stepping in during training sessions and keeping the momentum going. Special mention to Matt Ebbatson on this front, for stepping up on about a week’s notice to fill in for Tim on race day after Tim succumbed to injury. We also lamented the losses of Laurent, James and Cam to injury at earlier points in the campaign; watch this space! They’ll be back. And an extra special thanks to Basil, Tim, Dennis and Ger for driving us on as coaches. The feeling of vindication for all the training and mileage off the water made me feel like a proud, proud man!
And of course, the men’s 8 was far the only Richmond presence on the water at this year’s HoTY. First off the mark from the Richmond crews was the women’s masters A-C 8 at about 11.15am, coxed by Mike Numa. By all accounts they made a great start, pushing off strong and swiftly passed several crews through the first half of the course up to big bend. Although the coaching observation had to turn back after that, the crew pushed on to finish in a solid 8th in category in a time of 37:01. This is the first time Richmond has entered the masters category, competing with some very strong crews. They’ve now set the benchmark for those to come!
Just shortly before the men’s 8 was to kick off, the women’s D grade 8 made their dash down the course, starting at about 1.20 and coxed by Derek Begg. Again, some strong crews were amongst the competition. The reports are again that the team pulled down the course strongly. They ultimately finishing 8th in category in a time of 41:51, improving on their overall placing from 2017. Ed has passed on her take on the girl’s tilt: we made a good start, the boats who were going to pass passed and then we had a steady row down to big bend. The bend was tricky in shallow water and rowing started to get difficult. With no other boats in sight it almost felt like any given Sunday row. We got a second wind going pass Scotch and eventually make it over the line, exhausted. Once we’d cooled down with some beers in the shade, the pirates rowed the eight home, and the highlight was cap’n Derek who did not give his pirate voice a break the entire 8.6km back. Thanks for keeping it fun Derek!
In addition to those full crews, Tigers were on the water in other boats. Gerry Goss, as well as coaching all of the Richmond crews at various times, scorched her way down the course in a composite Nagambie boat in the women’s masters F-K category. Her crew won their category in a time of 33:55! Ray Dennis also competed in a composite Banks crew in the men’s masters I-K 8, which crossed the line in 35:15. And we can’t forget Basil of course, who ended up scoring a seat in a masters Argonauts crew at the last minute.
There were also Tigers on the water in the coxswain’s seat. Shern Timmins was on the water early, coxing a composite Year 10 MLC/Tara schoolgirl’s crew from Sydney – Shern’s second HoTY in the cox’s seat! Nicole Stupka also steered an Adelaide crew down the course. And Lindsay Brown added an international element, taking control of a mixed crew from New Zealand.
Although some names have already been mentioned on the coaching front, it never hurts to say them again and to make sure that everyone is included. All the coaches put in a huge amount of effort and time, which is almost entirely out of their dedication to the club and their passion for rowing. They also fulfil multiple roles, as Derek (coach/cox), Mike (coach/cox), Tim (coach/rower) and Dennis (coach/rower) all demonstrate. We’d like to say again thanks to Basil, Tim, Dennis, Derek, Mike, Gerry and Barry.
With all that, another HoTY down – bring on HoTY 2018!
John Carey (telling the story of a first HoTY experience) and Andrew Yuile (doing the round-up on all RRC involvements)
Hooray for Henley
Many of RRC’s states crews took the opportunity this Saturday in the last weekend before the Victorian State Championships to get some race practice at Australian Henley with 800m match racing.
With only masters and C grade club racing or above available the competition was fierce but we had strong representation across the mens and womens events. With 25 entries in the mens C quad and only two lanes to race on the Yarra, Andy, Michael, Andrew and Leigh coxed by Christine had a tough job but completing the course as a time trial they finished sixth qualifying for the C final.
Both the womens C grade and masters quad had 8 entries with Richmond representing a crew in each. The unstoppable combination of Sophie, Michelle, Ainsley and Gerry coxed by Mike Numa went from strength to strength through the heat, semi and final improving with every row to finish victorious and with beaming smiles collect their well deserved medals.
Continue reading “Hooray for Henley”
Easter Roadtrip
For those veteran RRC members Easter weekend has always meant just one thing – Mildura road trip!
Well it’s been many years since RRC made the long trip up the Calder freeway to partake in the Mildura and Wentworth regattas but this year we did. Both the Murray and Darling rivers provided beautiful surrounds and calm waters for rowing (and swimming, as Erin can vouch for completing her swim test at the conclusion of day 1). The rest of us settled for a swim in the motel pool or dip in the spa before a refreshing beverage at the Mildura brewery.
We may have been few in numbers for the trip but I think we all agreed that the weekend was a great success. The rowing was of a great standard and once that toggle was released at the start there was no letup despite the almost 90 degree turn in the Henley on the Murray course or the bridge crossing the River Darling on Sunday. All those training sessions on the Yarra have taught us well that a bridge is just a marker to push off no matter what river you find yourself on.
Bec roared on the mixed eight and some quads while the Lucy Crunden (boat not person) went up and down the river countless times with all combinations of doubles crews pushing for the line.
The highlight for many had to be Michael Gehling’s Jesus moment though when preparing to race the single. Unfortunately for Michael but to the amusement of onlookers it turns out he can not walk on water 😉
The RV officials joined in the fun spirit of the weekend and coordinated a new event for the conclusion of each days racing – the pot luck eight. The aim of the event was to get everyone who wanted another row to put their name forward and get representatives from every club out on the water in real eclectic crews covering both sexes and all ages. The races pitched RRC vs RRC aswell as Mildura, Wentworth, Essendon, Nagambie, Rutherglen and Corio Bay. It really was a great fun event with fast and furious eights sprinting down the course in the afternoon sun. There was also some bling to be collected at the end for the lucky ones like Shern Timmins from RRC who claimed victory on both days.
Thanks to everyone who made the weekend possible especially Kathy Macrow and Barry Campbell for organising and to all those involved at the two regatta venues who showed great hospitality and in my humble opinion served the best egg and bacon sandwich I’ve ever had at a regatta. What more could one ask for?
Important Information Regarding Lake Colac Regatta – THIS SUNDAY
For everyone attending the Lake Colac Regatta this Sunday you should have received information from Rowing Victoria regarding road closures occurring in the Geelong area due to the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. (If you didn’t get sent the information and are entered to race it will be because Rowing Victoria does not have a current correct email address for you so could you please contact them and update your details so you do not miss important communications like this in future – thanks).
If you go to the ROMS event page for the Lake Colac regatta under latest documents (right side of page) you will find all this information and the race schedule.
Don’t forget boat loading is on Saturday at 3pm. See you there.
APSM Regatta – Staggered starts that sound ridiculous but deliver a great finish
Albert Park South Melbourne (APSM) Regatta demonstrated to me, and probably to others, that as ridiculous as handicaps sometimes sound they often make for a great race:
Imagine sitting there as one of three mixed eights: you are enlightened to the fact that crew A has zero handicap, crew B has 9 seconds and that you have 13 seconds – now, on a 1000m course, that sounded nuts. However, with 20 metres to go all boats were neck and neck, with less than a canvas between the first and last – it was all to play for. A photo finish resulted in our crew, despite a 13 second handicap and catching a crab in the first 20 strokes, emerging victorious. A thriller to take part in from start to finish.
Continue reading “APSM Regatta – Staggered starts that sound ridiculous but deliver a great finish”
Season Cutoff Dates: Time Trial and Regatta Points
With Presentation Night preparations well underway, the 2013-2014 season is coming to a close very soon!
Time Trial Entries
Any further times for the club’s annual time trial competition will need to be sent by email to the Head of Rowing ( [email protected] ) by 12:00 midnight on Thursday 1 May 2014.
Entries must include the names of all crew, the cox and the timekeeper/safety marshal (see below). Any entries received after that time will count for next season.
Entries are open in the traditional categories of:
- Women’s coxed tub four
- Women’s coxed tub pair
- Women’s tub single
- Men’s coxed tub four
- Men’s coxed tub pair
- Men’s tub single
Continue reading “Season Cutoff Dates: Time Trial and Regatta Points”
Aus Masters @ West Lakes (SA) 1 – 4 May 2014
In late breaking news, and in the neverending quest for grail-shaped bling (or wine – hey, this is masters season), RRC will be supporting the 2014 Australian Masters Rowing Championships, to be held at the West Lakes course ( close to Adelaide) with a keen group of masters tigers. Are you in the hunt?
Full details of the regatta can be found at
https://www.regattacentral.com/regatta/index.jsp?job_id=3227
Continue reading “Aus Masters @ West Lakes (SA) 1 – 4 May 2014”