Wednesday 28 April
Influx may cover for star's exit
NewsMail, 28/4/10
Youth Olympics rower Karla Dexter will be a major loss for St Luke's Anglican School in its efforts to defend the Emma McCarthy Percentages trophy at next month's Head of the River.
But St Luke's head of rowing Ian Grother said the injection of new talent should get the school back in the mix regardless.
"We have a good group of grade eights starting this year, particularly boys," he said. "That gradual increase should see us competing well again. It's obvious to see the young guys are very excited to hit the water."
Young gun Rick Bennett is one of those debutants who has impressed in lead-up events. He won his double sculls event by 35 metres and placed second in the single sculls at the most recent lead-up regatta.
"I can't wait to compete against the other rowers and get some points up," the Year 8 student said.
His mother, Louise Jealous, is a former Australian champion swimmer but doesn't mind her son's sporting switch.
"She likes rowing too, and it's still a water sport. I just love getting out on the water," he said.
Read more about St Luke's twins Demi and Emma Pressler-McHugh carrying on the family rowing tradition in tomorrow's NewsMail.
Tuesday 27 April
Rower set to race for Olympics
Brett Stubbs, Mercury, 27/4/10
TASMANIAN dual Olympic rower Kerry Hore has recharged her batteries and is now full steam ahead chasing her third Olympic selection.
Hore won both the women's single scull finals on Friday and Saturday at the National Selection Trials in Sydney, and two of the three women's quad trials.
It's her best return in a selection trials from a long distinguished career that includes an Athens quad scull Olympic bronze medal.
Now based at the AIS in Canberra, Hore is almost a certainty to be selected in the No.1 women's quad boat ahead of the World Cup events in Germany and Switzerland in June and July respectively, and the World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, in November.
"I'm just really enjoying it again," Hore, 28, said.
"I had a year off after Beijing. I came back into the squad not knowing how competitive I'd be, so it's good to know I'm competitive and to have those other girls pushing me along every day has been really good.
"I just needed some time off. I'm a pharmacist so I took a year off to work and pay off my car which my dad lent me some money for – basically to have a break, work and lead a bit more of a normal life.
"But I found I still had the passion and desire to keep going for the Olympics."
Hore has made her name as a quad sculler, but relishes the prospect to compete on the international stage in a double.
"I'd like to be in a double or a quad, it just depends on the world championships which they look at how competitive we are," she said. "I've been in the quad the last two Olympics, so I wouldn't mind seeing how fast a double can go."
Thursday 22 April
Rowers hope to fall in to national selection
Jack Baker, Canberra Times, 22/4/10
Canberra's Sarah Cook and Amy Fowler are heaving their way into contention for the Australian rowing team.
The dynamic duo will compete in the Australian National Rowing selection trials at the Sydney National Regatta Centre in Penrith this weekend.
Cook, 25, will be competing in the single scull events while Fowler, 19, will be sitting third seat in the quad events.
Remarkably, both women attended St Clare's College in Canberra.
They were both singled out by the ACT Academy of Sport after their results in the talent identification program at the school.
Fowler, who competed in her first regatta when she was 15, said the talent scouts were adamant rowing was the sport for her.
"Talent identification came to our school and sat through our physical education classes," Fowler said.
"From there they took all the data and said you should give rowing a go.
"So I went down to the boat sheds and gave it a go."
Cook also started rowing when she was aged 15.
She has come a long way in the sport from when she started.
Cook went for junior national selection three themes, but she failed to impress.
However, she persisted and she eventually got some favourable results.
She was selected in the Australian under-23 team and ended up winning a silver medal in the pairs at the world championships.
It was a highlight Cook said made her believe she could go somewhere with rowing.
"For us to go over and win silver at the world championships was, I guess, my first big goal," Cook said.
"That's when I realised that going for the Olympics was something that I could maybe one day achieve."
Cook has since achieved that goal.
She earned selection in the Olympic Games team for Beijing in the pairs and won gold in the 2007 World Cup event with her partner, Kim Crow.
This weekend will be a different scenario for Cook, though.
She will be racing individually and competing against Crow, her partner of three years.
As for Fowler, she will be intent on progressing from her silver medal, which she won in the quad at last year's Junior World Championships in France, to vying for a place in the under-23 team.
Cook and Fowler, who are both with the Al S, left for Sydney yesterday.
While there they will meet up with several other rowers from Canberra and prepare for the trials, which are due to begin tomorrow.
Wednesday 21 April
Return to river going just great
Ben Case, Gold Coast Bulletin, 21/4/10
AFTER three years out, Tweed Heads rower Tara Kelly has admitted she is exceeding her own expectations ahead of this Friday's Rowing Australia National Selection Trials in Sydney.
Kelly and Olympic gold medallist Duncan Free will be the only Gold Coast rowers competing at the event, which is being held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith.
The 25-year-old, who won gold at the world championships in 2007, said it will be a difficult road from here as she continues her campaign to make the Olympic Games team next year.
"They preselected the Olympic boats for 2008 and I wasn't in them. Because rowing is a nonprofessional sport it was a massive toll to keep going, I just needed a break," she said.
"Every athlete or rower's dream is the Olympics and this year I really missed being a part of the rowing world, obviously I've still got that Olympic drive.
"There are six girls and only two Olympic spots and it's pretty tough to get in. At the moment I'm ranked about third so hopefully I can crack that next year."
Kelly said she was pleased with her speedy return to form and hoped to continue it through the selection trials later this week.
"I feel like I've done a lot of work so hopefully I can perform down there," she said.
"My form coming out of nationals was pretty good but this year is a year to see where I'm at.
"I'm exceeding my own expectations a little bit but selection is going to be tough and it will be interesting to see how much three years away has cost me."
While she wasn't in the competitive rowing arena, Kelly used her time off to excel at last year's Australian and Queensland surf lifesaving titles. Kelly won a gold medal at the state titles before taking bronze at Aussies.
Friday 16 April
Bertrand, Ross on trial: Rowers push for national team selection in Sydney
Warrnambool Standard, 16/4/10
TWO Warrnambool rowers will compete for a place in the 2010 Australian rowing team next week.
Tommy Bertrand and Kathryn Ross impressed officials at the Australian Rowing Championships in Nagambie last month and have been chosen to contest the national selection trials in Sydney.
A successful performance at the event will secure an invitation to two World Rowing Cup competitions in Europe later this year.
From the world cup squad, a final representative team will be chosen to contest the World Rowing Championships in New Zealand in November.
Bertrand and his partner, Angus Tyers came sixth in the men's lightweight double scull at the national titles.
Despite being happy with their initial performance, Bertrand said there was much to improve.
"At the time we didn't think (coming sixth) was such a bad result," he said.
"It was a very close field. There wasn't much between second and sixth.
"But after we went away we realised we needed to make some changes."
Bertrand has competed at the selection trials on four occasions.
He has also worn the green and gold lycra jumpsuit three times on the world cup stage.
The 22-year-old knows minor technical problems have to be addressed before arriving at the national selection trials.
"Our approach at the nationals was a bit underdone but (the trials) is the most important (event)," he said.
"We've made a few technical changes.
"We've changed the catch, how the blade hits the water, and we've generated a lot more speed and aggression from that.
"We are going into the trials with a lot more confidence."
Bertrand and Tyers have been doing 13 training sessions a week, on the water and in the gym.
The Victorian Institute of Sport pair have become familiar with the Yarra River.
Bertrand said the partnership was the youngest attending this month's showdown.
"We are a pretty young pair but we've got enthusiasm and we are both hungry for it," he said. "We've got a lot of trust in each other."
Bertrand also said the pair was a possibility to fill two seats in an Australian fours boat.
"It all depends on what boats they want to take to worlds," he said.
"We definitely know they are taking a light four and if we wanted to make that then we need to finish top two.
"We are in a good position (to achieve top two) and we are going in without too much pressure."
Warrnambool's Kathryn Ross – who won a silver medal at the Beijing Paralympics – will be competing with new rowing partner Grant Bailey in the modified pairs.
The Rowing Australia selection trials start next Friday at the Sydney International Regatta Centre.
Wednesday 14 April
Grammar girls in sweep of all-schools
Rob Shaw, Launceston Examiner, 14/4/10
LAUNCESTON Church Grammar girls enjoyed a clean sweep end to the rowing season at the Tasmanian all-schools championships at the weekend.
The team produced remarkable consistency to win the open eight, quad, single, double, first four and second four and aggregate trophy at Lake Barrington.
Hobart's Hutchins School completed a similar result in the boys' events.
Grammar's Ciona Wilson, who won the schoolgirls' single scull, will be among the rowers heading to Sydney later this month for national selection trials.
Tuesday 13 April
World championships success could lead to Rio Olympics
Philip Prior, Canberra Times, 13/4/10
Canberra Grammar's rower Angus Moore returned to the AIS rowing sheds for another Australian junior rowing camp for the World Junior Championships in the Czech Republic in August.
The Year 12 student won a silver medal at last year's World Champs, and fellow students Matthew Barnier and Nicholas Purnell (coxswain) joined him in training for the National Selection Trials next week.
They will aim to make one of five crews of four that will go to the Czech Republic, better than last year, and the but Moore can't help but think further ahead about going one better in the World Championships.
"I'm feeling better prepared this year, but also a lot more nervous with greater expectations to live up to after last year's result so hopefully I can go one better," he said.
Aside from his nerves, Moore thinks the quality rowers around him have what it takes to cross the line first at the World Champs.
"I think the quality here is better than last year, and the quality of rowers coming from the junior level has improved," Moore said.
Moore will trial for in a pairs race with Barrier, who is driven by disappointment at missing the national squad last year.
"I wasn't successful last year, which was disappointing, but I've just got to knuckle down and keep improving to make it this year," Barnier said.
Both rowers have already eyed success at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro as long term goals, and Australian junior rowing coach Peter Shakespear has those ambitions at the forefront of his priorities too.
"Our [coaches] goal for the Czech Republic is not necessarily to win medals, it's to pick people who can perform in the long run," he said.
The National Junior Selection Trials are from 23 to 25 April.
Monday 12 April
Olympic rowers get married at Rottnest
Daniel Hatch, West Australian, 12/4/10
Three-time Olympian Sally Newmarch and South African-born Olympian John Callie tied the knot on Rottnest Island on Saturday before family, friends and members of the Australian rowing community.
About 160 people gathered at the island's Church of the Holy Trinity, including young rowers from first-eight teams at Methodist Ladies' and Aquinas colleges, who formed a guard of honour for the newly weds with oars aloft.
Callie represented South Africa at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a Games at which Newmarch competed in the women's quadruple skulls.
Newmarch, originally from Adelaide, also represented Australia at the Sydney and Athens Games. In Athens she and Amber Halliday broke the lightweight women's double skull world record.
Celebrating with the pair were fellow Olympic rower Sally Robbins and world championship bronze medal rower David Porzig.
Callie is rowing director at Aquinas and Newmarch, 34, is head of sport at MLC but they met two-and-a-half years ago while taking part in an Anaconda Adventure Race in Augusta.
"We got talking and realised we had rowing as our common background and we were both working in rowing schools," Newmarch told The West Australian.
"Our schools were actually working together at the time – we were sending emails back and forth but had never made the effort to go and see each other." The couple chose to wed at Rottnest because of their shared love of the ocean and the island.
The couple will honeymoon in South Africa and Mauritius.
Friday 9 April
Cleo contender
Great Southern Star, 7/4/10
A FORMER resident of Leongatha has been nominated in the Cleo magazine Bachelor of the Year competition.
Rower Cameron McKenzie-McHarg was one of the 50 finalists in the annual competition.
He won a silver medal in the coxless four at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The 29-year-old did not return calls from The Star in time for publication.
He's already received plenty of positive attention on the Cleo website with one commenter saying he is "hot, hot, hot!!!" and another stating he "definitely deserves to win! He is the best of the whole lot".
But according to his profile on the Cleo website the first people he told when he was nominated for the award were his crewmates in the Aussie men's four.
Cameron said the highs of his occupation were competing overseas, staying fit and rowing on those perfect mornings, when the water is still and the sun is rising.
The lows were no holidays from training, getting out of bed at 5am, and there is no $1M prize money or contracts in rowing.
He told Cleo he hopes to have three kids, a big house, a dog, a gold medal and not be wearing lycra on a daily basis in five years time.
Cameron will find out if he is the winner on April 28.
Thursday 8 April
SA surge for regatta
Reece Homfray, Adelaide Advertiser, 8/4/10
A STRONGER than normal SA contingent will contest the national selection rowing regatta in Penrith this month, chasing spots at this year's world championships.
A team of 13 will attend the invitation-only event from April 23 to May 2, including Beijing Olympians James McRae and Chris Morgan, and reigning junior world champions Peta White and Jessica Molsher-Jones.
"We're excited about the number that's been invited to go," SASI coach Jason Lane said.
"It's a bigger group than usual when we have somewhere between eight to 10 invited. But there's some real developing talent here."
Scullers McRae and Morgan headline the list of senior rowers attending the regatta, alongside AIS-based Bryn Coudraye, fourth-year medicine student Ned Kinnear, and lightweight sculler Maja Fiddler.
The under-23s include Sam Martin, Max Tonkin, Renee Chatterton and Mary Connelly, as well as Molsher-Jones and White who won gold in the junior fours at last year's world titles.
SA will also be represented at under-19 level by Olympia Aldersey and Emma Basher.
The senior world championships will be held in New Zealand in November, the under 23 titles in the Czech Republic in August and the under-19s in Belarus in July.
SASI is holding a talent search for prospective rowers aged 14–21 at West Lakes today from 9am to 11am. Registrations online at recsport.sa.gov.au/sasi
Wednesday 7 April
Edward's golden effort in Victoria
Derwent Valley Gazette, 7/4/10
NEW Norfolk Rowing Club rowers enjoyed success at the recent national championships at Nagambie in Victoria.
Anthony Edwards won four gold medals, taking out the open men's lightweight coxless double scull with Sam Beltz.
He was also a member of the winning open men's lightweight coxless four and eight.
To cap off the week, Edwards was a member of the winning interstate men's lightweight coxless four in the Penrith Cup.
Kerry Hore rowed for gold in her open women's quad scull race.
She won three silver medals, taking out the open women's single scull, the open women's double scull, as well as the interstate women's single scull.
Kerry also won a bronze medal in the open women's eight.
Oliver Wilson-Haffenden won two silver medals – one in the under-23 men's lightweight double scull, the other in the open men's lightweight quad scull.
New Norfolk's final club regatta of the year will be held on Saturday April 17.
The regatta starts at 10am and is a prelude to the State Masters to be held at Lake Barrington on May 22–23, followed by the Australian Masters from June 3–6.
* AT the recent 46th annual Tasmanian Sports Awards held at Wrest Point, the regional Local Hero Award for the south was won by Kelly Graham of the New Norfolk Rowing Club. Mr Graham has been a member of the club for more than 30 years and was recognised at the awards for his work coaching young rowers, as well as many other contributions he has made to the club such as fundraising, event coordination and maintenance.
Mr Kelly is a life member and the vice captain of the club.
Tuesday 6 April
Tough job for panel
Bendigo Advertiser, 6/4/10
ROWING superstar Hannah Every-Hall is among the March contenders in The Advertiser WIN Television Sports Star of the Year award.
The judging panel for the awards, sponsored by mecu credit union, will meet tonight at WIN's headquarters in Lily Street, Bendigo.
A monthly winner in 2009–10 and Sports Star of the Year in 2002–03, Every-Hall won the lightweight single sculls and double sculls finals at the national rowing championships on Lake Nagambie.
Strathfieldsaye's Glenn Warfe led Australia to victory in the qualifying event for badminton's Thomas Cup.
Warfe, who is now based in Melbourne, was captain of the Thomas Cup squad which defeated New Zealand 5-0 to earn a place representing Oceania at the Cup final in Malaysia in May.
BMX ace Jaclyn Wilson-Thompson was named the BMX Victoria Rider of the Year for 2009–10.
Wilson-Thompson capped a remarkable comeback to the sport by winning the 30–35 years Cruiser class final at last year's world championships in Adelaide.
The gold medal-winning feat earned the May award in The Bendigo Advertiser WIN Television Sports Star of the Year awards.
Wedderburn siblings Brendan Reeves and Rhianon Smyth made a remarkable return to rallying, finishing in second place in Rally Tasmania in their Subaru Impreza.
Bendigo United celebrated a dramatic one-run victory against Strathdale-Maristians to be the Bendigo District Cricket Association's first XI premiers for the 2009–10 season.
Victory was clinched on the final ball of the match on the White Hills turf.
Golden Square all-rounder Scott Johnson capped another great summer by becoming just the fifth player in the awards history to win the Bendigo District Cricket Association Cricketer of the Year twice.
On the athletics track, Eaglehawk cubmates Sophie Taylor and Madeline Lawson won gold at the Australian Junior track and field titles at Sydney's Olympic Park. Taylor's haul of five gold medals included victory in the 100m, 200m, long jump, 4 x 100m relay and 4 x 200m relay.
Lawson achieved a personal best of 5.57 metres to win the long jump.
Bendigo YMCA Harriers' Shaun Geraghty lowered his personal best by five seconds as he won the under-18 1500m in a time of 3:55.94.
Eaglehawk's Ben Costello took just two rounds to beat Kurt Bartram in their middleweight boxing showdown.
Costello, 21, capped his 10th bout in professional ranks by jumping to sixth place in the national rankings.
Bendigo teenager Bonnie Pridham was judged most valuable player in the 14-under girls division at the Victoria Country junior water polo championships.
Baseballer Courtney Foura was selected in Victoria's open team to contest this month's national championships.
Dual winners of the Sports Star award, basketballer Kristi Narrower and yachtsman Glenn Ashby continue to rack up outstanding results.
Harrower was the Women's National Basketball League MVP for the 2009–10 season.
A silver medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ashby was head coach of the America's Cupwinning crew Oracle.
Harrower and Ashby are ineligble for the monthly honour in Sports Star.
Thursday 1 April
Three years in a row: river trophy carried to Shore
Louise Goodwin, Mosman Daily, 1/4/10
SHORE First VIII proved why they were sure things after winning Saturday's GPS Head of the River rowing event.
The event favourites met all the hype and won the event for the third consecutive year, crossing the line at Penrith's International Regatta Centre five seconds ahead of Grammar and seven seconds ahead of Newington.
Bob Shirlaw, Shore rowing master of 29 years, retired after presenting the trophy to the winning crew.
"It was such a special day for me – and the perfect finish," Mr Shirlaw said.
"The boys rowed superbly on the weekend, winning the First and Second VIII and the Second IV, and had two other crews on the podium." The admired schoolboy coach will be succeeded by Glen Bates.
"He will certainly have the enthusiasm and maintain the high standard of rowing at Shore," Mr Shirlaw said.
Newington's third place in the First VIII event was the surprise of the regatta after the crew's quiet season.
