May 2008
Friday 30 May
2008 Australian Masters Rowing Championships:
Nagambie Lakes, Victoria: 29 May to 1 June
Friday 30 May
Watch racing at Lucerne FREE on WCSN.com
World Cup 2 at Lucerne will be broadcast free, live and on-demand at www.wcsn.com
Friday 23 May
Sykes Racing 2008 Rowing Australia Coaches Conference: website now live
Registrations are now open for the Sykes Racing 2008 Rowing Australia Coaches Conference.
Further information on the program and presenters is provided on the Sykes Racing 2008 Rowing Australia Coaches Conference — Website —
Friday 23 May
FISA media release:
Lake Rotsee welcomes 38 nations to Rowing World Cup II
A total of 627 competitors will compete at the second stage of the 2008 Rowing World Cup series which will be held from 30 May to 1 June 2008 at Lake Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Defending the colours of 38 nations, a total of 251 crews will race in 17 events. Only 14 of these events earn points toward the highly contended World Cup., Points are awarded to the first seven crews ranking in the 14 Olympic category boat classes.
The Canadian team makes their first 2008 appearance in full force at Lucerne with 13 boats entered. Also travelling from afar is an extended New Zealand squad that includes their Olympic crews. This will be the chance to see Mahe Drysdale in the single sculls and his national team opponent Rob Waddell who shall be competing in the men's double with Nathan Cohen for the first time this year on the international circuit following this spring's highly publicised New Zealand Olympic team trials.
After a very successful and highly attended first Rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany, at the beginning of the month, the team from Great Britain lead the World Cup points table with 59 points. The German team, who were competing on home turf, gained 56 World Cup points in Munich, and with 22 crews entered (one more than GBR) they shall be making a big push to get ahead in the rankings and re-gain their dominant position.
China, this year's Olympic host nation, also travel to Lucerne in large numbers as they continue to narrow down who will be in the Olympic boats for their country.
This second Rowing World Cup event (as well as the other two events in the series) has particularly high stakes this year. Results at these three regattas, as well as last year's qualification World Rowing Championships, will be taken into consideration by FISA's seeding committee when placing boats in heats for the Olympic Regatta. With so much to gain from a good performance, the racing during this year's Rowing World Cup series promises to be highly competitive.
For the full list of entries, by event and by nation, please visit our website www.worldrowing.com or click here . The website will also provide an event by event preview, race reports and photo galleries during and after the regatta.
The Rowing World Cup series will be televised and streamed live through World Rowing's partner website www.wcsn.com. This service can be accessed through www.worldrowing.com. As usual, the live race viewer and live audio streaming of the race commentary will be available throughout the whole regatta.
The Rowing World Cup series was launched in 1997 and includes all 14 Olympic boat classes. The overall Rowing World Cup champions are determined after a series of three regattas. Germany has dominated the series since its beginning ten years ago. This year, the three stages of the series will be held in Munich (GER) 8 to 11 May, Lucerne (SUI) 30 May to 1 June and Poznan (POL) 20 to 22 June.
Media accreditation can be requested through the website (www.worldrowing.com > media > media accreditation).
For more information - FISA media contact:
Marion Gallimore, Marketing and Communications Manager
Tel: +41 21 617 83 73 or direct +41 21 612 02 26, mobile +41 79 706 72 55
E-mail: marion.gallimore@fisa.org
Tuesday 20 May
Weekend Australian Magazine: 24 May edition
The Weekend Australian Magazine will feature a 5 page colour piece on the Women’s Eight on Saturday 24 May. Make sure you buy your edition of the Weekend Australian.
Tuesday 20 May
Watch racing at Lucerne FREE on WCSN.com
World Cup 2 at Lucerne will be broadcast free, live and on-demand at www.wcsn.com
Friday 16 May
World Cups 2008 to be broadcast on Foxsports
The World Cup schedule is as follows:
Munich
29/5 - 18:00
03/6 - 04:00
11/6 - 07:30
09/7 - 00:00
Lucerne
13/6 - 18:00
19/6 - 15:00
21/6 - 10:00
09/7 - 01:00
Poznan
03/7 - 23:00
05/7 - 08:30
07/7 - 07:30
09/7 - 02:00
Thursday 15 May
Issue 39 of Australian Rowing News: now available
Contents include:
- From the CEO
- River of gold for Australia at World Cup 1
- a.s.p.i.r.e. school network, 2008 Olympic Education Program
- Media Watch
- Coaches Tip
- 2007/2008 Events of Interest
- Athlete profile
— Click here —
Monday 12 May
RA Media Release:
Australian Eights’ strike double gold
Sunday 11 May
The Australian Women’s and Men’s Eight have won gold medals at the first rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany.
In an exceptional performance the Women’s Eight crossed the line in a time of 6:36.29 to lead home the Chinese by two boat lengths, while Romania won the bronze medal.
In calmer conditions than the first three days, China led Australia by just under a second at the halfway mark before Australia lifted their rate to charge to the line over the last 750 metres.
Sarah Tait, captain of the Women’s Eight, says that the crew was forced to change their race plan after a tricky start.
“We got caught in a bit of dirty water at the start of the race which put us further back than we wanted”, Tait said. “We wanted to build a lead from the start but we changed our plan which shows the great versatility of the group.”
Meanwhile the Men’s Eight led from start to finish to get off to a perfect start to their 2008 campaign. They recorded a time of 6:05.38 to win by just under a second from Great Britain, with China winning the bronze medal.
With each performance this week the Men’s Eight have improved and they broke to a boat length lead after only a quarter of the race. Despite Great Britain and China’s efforts in the middle half of the race Australia held off their challenge and crossed the line just under half a boat length clear.
Stephan Stewart, stroke of the Men’s Eight, says that while the victory was a boost for the squad it is only a stepping stone to Beijing.
“We got out to a great lead but hit some messy water in the second 1000m so just consolidated our position and then pushed when the others started coming back at us”, Stewart said. “It is great to win the gold but it is only the first step so we won’t get too carried away with this one.”
Earlier in the day both the Men’s and Women’s Quad Scull crews finished in 5th place in their respective finals.
Australia will now enter a two week training camp in Varese, Italy before all Australian crews will compete at World Cup 2 in Switzerland on May 30 – June 1.
Phone grabs available via team manager Ray Ebert on 0412 576 460
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Monday 12 May
World Cup I: Day 4 race reports
Read reports of Day 4 racing — here —
Results and images — here —
Sunday 11 May
RA Media Release:
Australia claim bronze in Munich
Australian rowers David Crawshay (VIC) and Scott Brennan (TAS) have won a bronze medal in the Men’s Double Scull at World Cup 1 in Munich, Germany.
Crawshay and Brennan, who raced from Lane 1 in the final, finished two and a half boat lengths behind Great Britain and Germany in a time of 6:59.94.
Great Britain, represented by Matthew Wells and Steven Rowbotham and the German crew of Clemens Wenzel and Falko Nolte cleared out from the rest of the field in the first 1000m and staged a great race for the gold medal, with the British crew eventually taking the race by a quarter of a boat length.
Crawshay and Brennan, who only featured in the B Final at last year’s World Championships, will now look to build on this performance.
“We have had a good build up to this regatta and it is great to win the bronze medal”, Crawshay said. “We know that we still have a lot of work to do before Beijing but this is a good start to the season.”
In earlier racing, Sarah Cook and Kim Crow won the B Final in the Women’s Pair. Their time of 7:48.08 allowed them to win by a boat length from France, and was also a quicker time than that of China who won the A Final shortly afterwards.
Australia will feature in the four more finals starting from 10pm AEST. The Women’s Quad Scull, Men’s Quad Scull, Women’s Eight and Men’s Eight will all be looking to add to Australia’s medal tally.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Sunday 11 May
RA Media Release:
Medals beckoning for Australia in Germany
A further four Australian crews qualified for the finals of their respective races at the first rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany.
Day 3 of the event provided another head wind, but the Men’s Eight, Women’s Quad Scull, Men’s Quad Scull and Men’s Double Scull joined the Women’s Eight in qualifying for the A Final on Sunday.
The only disappointment was the fourth place finish of Kim Crow and Sarah Cook in the semi final of the Women’s Pair, a result which will leave them racing in the B Final on Sunday.
The best performance was clearly that of the Men’s Eight who dominated their repechage and signalled that the problems of 2007 were clearly behind them as they crossed the line six seconds clear of the French in a time of 6:09.31.
The Men’s Eight sat in second place after the first 500m of the race but then lifted the pace and blew their opposition out of the water. They extended their lead to a clear two boat lengths with only 500m to go before easing off over the last stages of the race.
Marty Rabjohns, cox of the Men’s Eight, says that the crew held great form right throughout the race.
“We were happy with our race yesterday, but today was a significant improvement”, Rabjohns said. “We have been training really well and everyone is enjoying the chance to race the boat in international competition again.”
“Tomorrow will be another day but we are glad to be involved in the major race on Sunday.”
The Men’s Double Scull - David Crawshay (VIC) and Scott Brennan (TAS), the Men’s Quad Scull - Dan Noonan (NSW), James McRae (SA), Peter Hardcastle (NSW) and Brendan Long - and the Women’s Quad Scull – Amber Bradley (WA), Zoe Uphill (NSW), Kerry Hore (TAS) and Amy Ives (NSW) - safely made it through to the final after all finishing third in their respective semi finals.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Sunday 11 May
World Cup I: Day 3 race reports
Read reports of Day 3 racing — here —
Results and images — here —
Saturday 10 May
World Cup I: Q&A with Australian rowers following Day 2 racing
Read interviews post-Day 2 racing — here —
Results and images — here —
Saturday 10 May
RA Media Release:
Semi final showdown for Australian crews
Five more Australian crews will have the chance tonight to join the Women’s Eight in the A Finals on Sunday at the first rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany.
The Women’s Eight secured qualification for the final last night after winning their heat in convincing fashion so will not be required to race tonight.
The Men’s Eight will enter their semi final tonight full of confidence after a strong showing in their heat.
Despite the late withdrawal of James Chapman (NSW) through sickness, Sam Conrad (QLD) said the crew adapted well.
“It was a setback but Karsten (Forsterling) is a great oarsman so there were never any concerns in the boat”, Conrad said.
Stephan Stewart, stroke of the Men’s Eight, said the whole crew was looking forward to the chance to race again tonight.
“The more racing we can do the better we will get”, Stewart said. “The crew has one of the best rhythms and length that I have stroked and it is really enjoyable from where I sit. I can't wait to race again.”
The Men’s Quad Scull of Dan Noonan (NSW), James McRae (SA), Peter Hardcastle (NSW) and Brendan Long (TAS) won their repechage last night, but must continue to improve tonight.
Hardcastle said that the improvement in last night’s repechage came from a couple of minor changes.
“We focused on some technical changes within the crew, which helped us set up a better race from the start”, Hardcastle said. “All crews will be competitive tonight, but the German’s have shown some good speed by winning the heat.”
The Women’s Quad Scull of Amber Bradley (WA), Zoe Uphill (NSW), Kerry Hore (TAS) and Amy Ives; the Women’s Pair of Sarah Cook (ACT) and Kim Crow (VIC); and the Men’s Double Scull of David Crawshay (VIC) and Scott Brennan (TAS) round out the Australian crews in action tonight.
Racing will commence just after 11pm AEST with the semi finals of the Women’s Pair.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Saturday 10 May
RA Media Release:
Women’s Eight enjoy perfect start in Munich
The Australian Women’s Eight has produced an excellent race to qualify directly for the final on the second day of the first Rowing World Cup in Munich, Germany.
With only one crew qualifying for the final from each of the two heats, the Australian crew led from start to finish in the head wind conditions, announcing their attentions for the coming year.
Stroked by Sarah Heard (VIC), Australia increased their lead over the closing stages of the race to win in a time of 6:38.36 and by three quarters of a boat length over the Netherlands.
Heard says that the crew combined really well and now can take confidence into the final.
“We have had a really good preparation here in Germany since we arrived on Sunday and it felt great to test the boat in race conditions today”, Heard said. “We knew that getting a fast start was important and we worked well as a group to hold off the other crews.”
“We can now focus on the final instead of worrying about the repechages and it promises to be a great race on Sunday.”
Australia’s main challenge in the final will come from the Chinese crew that won the second heat, as well as the reigning Olympic Champions, Romania.
The Australian Men’s Eight finished in second place behind Great Britain in their heat and will now be required to race in the repechages on Saturday.
They were hampered by the late withdrawal of James Chapman (NSW), who was forced to withdraw due to illness. He was replaced by Karsten Forsterling (VIC).
Great Britain and Australia traded blows over the first 1500 metres, with both crews sharing the lead, before the British crew finished stronger over the last 500 metres to win by two seconds in a time of 6:06.04.
The Men’s Quad Scull crew of Dan Noonan (NSW), James McRae (SA), Peter Hardcastle (NSW) and Brendan Long (TAS) won their repechage in convincing fashion to secure a place in the semi finals on Saturday.
In an assured performance they led for the majority of the race to win in a time of 6:24.55 ahead of the Czech Republic and Romania.
The Women’s Quad Scull finished third behind Germany and China in a time of 7:08.54. Kerry Hore (TAS), Zoe Uphill (NSW), Amy Ives (NSW) and Amber Bradley (WA) combined well in their first international race together and will now need to finish in the top 4 of their repechage tomorrow to progress to the final on Sunday.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Saturday 10 May
World Cup I: Day 2 race reports
Read reports of Day 2 racing — here —
Results and images — here —
Friday 9 May
RA Media Release:
Australia has steady start in Munich
Australian crews have fared well on the first morning of the first rowing World Cup of the 2008 season in Munich, Germany.
In strong head wind conditions four Australian crews have got their campaigns under way, with the Women’s Pair of Sarah Cook and Kim Crow the standout Australian crew.
Cook and Crow, who finished fourth in the 2007 World Championships, cruised through their heat to finish second in a time of 8:10.19 and easily qualify for the semi final on Saturday.
Germany won the heat by seven seconds but after the race Crow said that they were happy with their first row in Europe in 2008.
“It is always good to get the first international race out of the way”, Crow said. “They were really difficult conditions out there today but we can now look forward to the semi final on Saturday.”
David Crawshay (VIC) and Scott Brennan (TAS) were also successful in qualifying for the semi finals in the Men’s Double Scull.
Brennan and Crawshay led at the 1500m mark to be eventually overtaken by the German crew, but with two crews qualifying for the semi finals, the Australians safely progressed. They finished just over a second behind the Germans in a time of 6:44.75.
The Men’s Quad Scull of Dan Noonan (NSW), James McRae (SA), Peter Hardcastle (NSW) and Brendan Long (TAS) finished fourth in their heat and will be required to race in the repechages on Friday.
The reserve Men’s Pair of Karsten Forsterling and Terrence Alfred finished 5th in their heat and will also need to move through the repechages on Friday if they want to qualify for the semi finals.
The Men’s and Women’s Eight, along with the Women’s Quad Scull will race their heats on Friday.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Results and images — here —
Friday 9 May
World Cup I: Cook and Crow go full steam ahead
Australia had a strong start overnight at the first World Cup event in Munich, Germany.
In strong head wind conditions four Australian crews have got their campaigns under way, with the Women’s Pair of Sarah Cook and Kim Crow the standout Australian crew.
Cook and Crow, who finished fourth in the 2007 World Championships, cruised through their heat to finish second in a time of 8:10.19 and easily qualify for the semi final on Saturday.
The German crew was very impressive and pulled out to a comfortable lead at the halfway point of the race. Cook and Crow however were never in any danger of qualifying directly for the semi finals with the top three crews progressing. They rowed very conservatively in the tricky conditions and will now feel more comfortable with a race under their belts.
David Crawshay (VIC) and Scott Brennan (TAS) were also successful in qualifying for the semi finals in the Men’s Double Scull.
Germany once again proved the main opposition for the priority boat in the Men’s sculling group and the two crews exchanged the lead over the course of the race. Germany led after the first 500 metres by just under half a boat length before Brennan and Crawshay struck back to lead over the next 1000 metres. The experienced German crew then lifted their rating over the final 500 metres to lead home the Australian crew (6:44.75) by just over a second.
The reserve Men’s Pair of Karsten Forsterling and Terrence Alfred finished 5th in their heat and will need to move through the repechages on Friday if they want to qualify for the semi finals. Alfred, who is part of his first senior Australian team, will have learnt a great deal from his first race and both he and Forsterling will be an improved crew in the repechages on Friday.
The Men’s Quad Scull of Dan Noonan (NSW), James McRae (SA), Peter Hardcastle (NSW) and Brendan Long (TAS) finished fourth in their heat. They passed through each 500m mark in the same position and were never quite able to challenge the leading three crews from Germany, Italy and Russia.
Meanwhile the Men’s and Women’s Eight, along with the Women’s Quad Scull will race their heats on Friday.
James Chapman, member of the Men’s Eight, says that the group has settled in well as possible since arriving in Europe at the beginning of the week.
“It’s never ideal racing soon after a long haul flight, but we've trained hard this week to tried to adapt as quickly as possible, as well as stay awake during the afternoons”, Chapman said. “We've also kept the intensity up in our training as we haven't targeted this regatta as an event we’re going to freshen up for.”
“We need to keep the long term target, Beijing in mind, rather than short term victory.”
Chapman also said that the atmosphere around the regatta centre was excellent.
“All the countries are excited about the first international race of the season. We can catch up with friends we haven't seen since the World Champs last year, but there are also the anxious emotions looking forward to seeing where your performance is going to rank in your event. There will be a lot of racing and seeing where we stand in the competitive Men's 8 field.”
Results and images — here —
Thursday 8 May
WCSN Media Release:
WCSN.com to Provide LIVE Coverage of the 2008 Rowing World Cup Series
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) will provide exclusive coverage of the 2008 FISA Rowing World Cup series beginning with this Sunday’s Free event in Munich, Germany. Fans can log on to WCSN.com for LIVE and on-demand coverage as the world's leading rowers compete for the Rowing World Cup Leading Nation Cup.
The overall Rowing World Cup champions are determined after a series of three regattas. The first regatta taking place in Germany will mark the first World Rowing event of the Olympic season. Last years’ overall leader Great Britain will be fighting to remain the World Cup champions, while 840 competitors competing in 371 boats will be racing to win the title and secure their place in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Rowing enthusiasts can follow every minute of the action online with live and on-demand coverage, with Free access for Munich, and also results, video highlights, breaking news, behind-the-scenes features, and more. Visit www.wcsn.com for detailed schedules.
| Event: |
2008 Rowing World Cup |
| Online: |
www.WCSN.com/rowing |
| Schedule: |
World Cup I |
May 11 |
Munich, GER |
4:28 a.m. ET - FREE |
| |
World Cup II |
June 1 |
Lucerne, SUI |
TBD |
| |
World Cup III |
June 22 |
Poznan, POL |
TBD |
About WCSN:
World Championship Sports Network (WCSN) is the premier destination for fans of Olympic and lifestyle sports, delivering an immersive experience via exclusive live and on demand coverage of world class competitions, interaction with top athletes and in depth access to sports news and information year round.
WCSN offers comprehensive coverage of over 60 sports disciplines, through exclusive long term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies. Major championship events in sports ranging from Track & Field, Skiing, Swimming, Gymnastics and Cycling to Volleyball, Karate and Taekwondo are featured online at www.wcsn.com and on television via WCSN's 24/7 cable sports network. WCSN also markets Olympic sports in partnership with International Federations, National Governing Bodies, local organizations, clubs, sponsors, and through related websites and publications.
For more info or complimentary press accounts to WCSN.com, please contact T.K. Gore at 240.396.1907, tkgore@wcsn.com or Bret Ingraham at 323.933.3399, bingraham@mprm.com.
Wednesday 7 May
RA Media Release:
Australian rowers set course for Beijing Olympics
Six of Australia’s eleven qualified Olympic rowing crews will race in their first international event of the year as World Cup 1 commences on Thursday 8 May in Munich, Germany.
Over the next two months, three World Cup regattas will be staged along with the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta, where Australia will have the chance to qualify their three remaining crews for the Olympic Games.
Australia has undergone a mixed build up to the first World Cup event with a couple of minor injury concerns preventing some crews from training to their full capability.
Additionally, David Crawshay (VIC), Scott Brennan (TAS), Amber Bradley (WA) and Jeremy Stevenson (WA) arrived in Munich 24 hours later than the rest of the squad after being stranded at Perth Airport last weekend during the lockdown.
The Australian Women’s Eight are chasing their first medal at an Olympic Games this year, after failing to medal at their previous three attempts.
Sally Kehoe (QLD), who is rowing in the Eight for the second consecutive year, says the crew is eager to race.
“We all very excited about starting the international racing season”, Kehoe said. “Although it doesn't seem that long ago that we were last here in Munich for the World Championships, there have been many changes to the squad and this first world cup will be a great opportunity to see where we stand in the world.”
Large contingents of athletes from across the globe have entered in World Cup 1, with 54 countries being represented in Munich.
Zoe Uphill, who is part of the Women’s Quad Scull crew, says the competition will be difficult across all boat classes.
“It will be the first international racing that many crews have done in 2008 and will be a good opportunity for teams to gauge where they are at in terms of boat speed”, Uphill said. “The top 4 crews from the 2007 World Championships have been entered in our event but we are looking forward to the challenge of seeing how we are placed.”
Racing will commence on Thursday evening at 8.30pm AEST with the heats of the Women’s Pair. Other Australian crews racing in World Cup 1 are the Men’s Double Scull, Men’s Eight, Women’s Eight, Men’s Quad Scull and Women’s Quad Scull.
For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041
Wednesday 7 May
Position vacant: The King's School, Director of Rowing
to commence in September 2008 or a date of mutual agreement
The King’s School Boat Club is committed to excellence, has had considerable success at regattas and wishes to appoint a leader with vision for future development.
The Director will be responsible for the leadership and direction of the School’s rowers and Boat Club. In consultation with the Headmaster and the Director of Sport, the applicant will have a significant role in furthering Rowing in the School. Applicants must have great energy, enthusiasm, determination and possess excellent interpersonal skills.
The School is looking to appoint an experienced person with an established rowing background to this position. Applicants from teaching and other backgrounds will be considered. Conditions of employment will be discussed at interview.
The King’s School is a leading Australian boys’ school and applicants must be able to support the School’s Christian values.
Applications for the above position, including a full curriculum vitae and the names, addresses and telephone numbers of three referees, should reach the Deputy Headmaster at the address below no later than Friday 9 May 2008.
Preferred applicants will be screened in accordance with Child Protection legislation.
The King’s School
PO Box 1, Parramatta NSW 2124
Tel: (02) 9683 8442 Fax: (02) 9683 8472
Email: jmedcalf@kings.edu.au
www.kings.edu.au
Friday 2 May
2008 Senior A updated selection matters
— Click here — (doc, 196kb) for a memo from RA High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson with updated information in regards the final selection procedures for the M4x and W8+.
Friday 2 May
Update from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority
— Click here — (pdf, 216kb)
