Rowing State Championships
Last weekend, the Shore Boat Club went into battle in two separate locations. We had the running of the annual Shore Regatta (although this is the second one this season) and the NSW State Championships.
The Shore Regatta was the first to see our crews in action with our Year 8 quads out in force. From their eight starts, this squad was able to record seven 1st place finishes and a very well fought 2nd place from our Eighth Year 8 quad that included two rowers making their debuts – Hugo A and Barkly A.
The Year 9 quads, not to be outdone, recorded a very impressive four 1st place finishes and two 2nd place finishes from their six starts. There were some outstanding performances in this age group, but one that stands out more than the rest came from our Year 9 second quad, who found themselves in 3rd place coming into the final 300 metres. A brilliant finish led this crew to do all but win, having to settle for 2nd place by the narrowest of margins.
With our Year 10 First VIII in Penrith, it came down to our Second, Third and Fourth crew to fly the flag for the Junior shed. This they did well, finishing with three 1st places from their three starts. It was brilliant to welcome back some boys to the fold after considerable time away from racing, but none more so than the return of Angus M, who went out and rowed a great controlled race in the Fourth Year 10 crew, his first race in over a year.
Unfortunately, our First and Second VIII were not able to produce their best this weekend with a gastro virus moving through the Senior shed. We did row a scratch combination in the Schoolboy VIII race, but alas, they had a very tough heat, which didn’t allow them to showcase what could have been possible. Fortunately, this crew also had a row in the under-19 division, which was a much better performance from this very green combination.
Our Second IV represented the shed in the Championship Schoolboy IV. This crew showed great grit to row themselves into the A final. In the final, the speed coming from a few of the Ballarat combinations was a little too quick for our crew. The boys settled into 7th position in a field that included some very fast combinations.
Our Year 10 VIII provided one of the highlights of the regatta, with a resounding performance in the under-17 coxed VIII. This had a very nationals field, with many schools travelling interstate to compete in this regatta. The men from North Sydney recorded a very strong row in their heat to take that out over a very determined Newington College crew. In the final, it was Melbourne Grammar crew that was ultimately victorious, but in a very pleasing result, the Shore crew covered the NSW/GPS field, with King’s coming in 3rd by almost a full boat length. This is the second week in a row that this crew has enjoyed an uptick in performance. Looking forward to the next few weeks!
On Sunday, our Year 9 First quad travelled out to Penrith to compete in the under-16 quad scull. This is an usual style of regatta for our squad as we would not normally have to row a heat and a final, but the boys looked completely unfazed by this, recording a win in their heat. In the final, the crew from Newington and Kinross showed the early speed which gave our crew a lot of work to do. The boys showed great resilience to close the gap down and ultimately finished in 3rd place, leaving the course with a bronze medal.
Top image: First Year 10 VIII Crew on podium
Mr G Bates
MIC Rowing
