Thursday 24 June
Rowers to take on the world
Boel Eriksson, Mosman Daily, 24/6/10
COXSWAIN Jack Alpe of Mosman is hoping to steer and coach his crew to victory in this year's World Rowing Junior Championships.
Three crews from Australia will leave Sydney for the Czech Republic late next month for the competition, to be held August 4–8.
The year 12 Sydney Church of England Grammar School student found out that he had been picked early last month.
The selection process, held in Penrith, included judges listening to recordings of the cox's voice during a race.
They narrowed it down to four, then two, and then it was just me," Alpe said. "I was very, very happy. Opportunities like this don't come very often."
Alpe became involved with the sport five years ago through school.
His biggest achievement to date was winning the prestigious Head of the River competition with Shore twice.
"That was very important for the school," he said.
A good cox had to be positive, organised, have a good voice and be good coach, he said.
And, most importantly, not give up when things looked grim.
"I try to always stay positive," he said.
"I have to make sure that the crew stays focused. When things are not going so well, I need to get the boys going again."
The crews will attend two training camps prior to leaving, and Alpe will also follow a fitness regime including running and bike-riding to ensure his weight does not go over 55kg.
In the future, he dreams of competing in the Olympics.
"I want to see how far I can go," he said.
"I would love to be in the Olympics one day."
Wednesday 23 June
Michael rows his way into Oz team
Andrew Prentice, Manly Daily, 23/6/10
SIX years ago Michael Bernerius was mucking around in the school yard when he got a tap on the shoulder.
Fearing the worst, he began to hatch an instant apology.
Towering over him was Shore's head rowing coach at the time, Mr Bob Shirlaw.
"He pulled me aside and suggested I give it (rowing) a go," Bernerius recalled.
"I figured why not, it was something different."
Shirlaw isn't exactly a novice in the sport. He represented Australia in two Olympic Games, winning silver in the men's eight at Mexico City in 1968.
The confidence Shirlaw placed in Bernerius at a young age inspired the Balgowlah rower to work on the fundamentals when on the water and in the gym.
It paid off recently, when the 17-year-old was picked in the Australian team contesting the World Junior Rowing Championships in the Czech Republic later this year.
He will be joined by Seaforth's Tom Gunton as well as Shore classmate Louis Snelson and Aaron Wright in the under-19s coxless fours race in Prague.
Bernerius and Gunton have been mates for years, playing soccer together with Seaforth before both were enrolled at the exclusive north shore GPS school.
"Representing Australia is the ultimate, so to be in a position to do it alongside Tom makes it even more special," Bernerius said.
"Both of us represent the Mosman Rowing Club and we believe gold is achievable in Prague.
"Beyond that we are looking at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016.
"We have time on our side, hopefully we can keep improving the next few years and make more Australian teams."
Monday 21 June
Australia’s Kim Crow wins bronze in single sculls
Courier Mail, 21/6/10
VICTORIAN Kim Crow has become Australia's first international medallist in the single scull with a bronze at the second leg of the rowing world cup in Munich.
Crow, who was only entered in the women's single scull field after double scull partner Kerry Hore was ruled out with injury last week, executed an excellent race to win bronze behind Belarus Ekaterina Karsten and Russia's Julie Levina.
Fellow Australian sculler Sally Kehoe from Queensland, finished in fifth place, but it was Crow that re-wrote Australian rowing history.
She led the field across the first 500m, before falling just behind Karsten at the halfway mark.
Crow managed to do enough across the closing stages to hold on for an excellent third place, finishing in a time of 7:43.58.
National High Performance Director Andrew Matheson said Crow had achieved something very special.
"Kim rowed three great races across the regatta and to walk away with a bronze medal is a fantastic effort, Matheson said.
"To have both Kim and Sal in the final is a great achievement and is a good stepping stone for this tour and also the rest of the year."
Crow's bronze medal capped a successful day for Australia, after the men's four of Joshua Dunkley Smith (VIC), Nicholas Purnell (NSW), Sam Loch (NSW) and Will Lockwood (VIC) won gold.
The Australian team will now head to Varese, Italy to attend a 15-day training camp at the Australian Institute of Sports European training centre, before competing at World Cup 3 in Lucerne, Switzerland from July 9–11.
Tuesday 15 June
Rower goes for gold
Queanbeyan Age, 14/6/10
FERGUS Pragnell suffered the humiliation of losing to an over exuberant English eights team at a rowing world cup meet in July last year in Poland.
England whooped up their celebrations after beating 'little brother' and Queanbeyan's Pragnell has had this image stuck to his memory every day since.
"They just beat us and were pretty exuberant with their celebrations," he said.
"But our loss meant we had to fight it out in the B division final and I was shattered about that."
Now Pragnell has a golden opportunity at redemption after qualifying for more world cup events.
Pragnell will go for gold in Munich, Germany from June 18 to 20 followed by a July 9 to 11 world cup in Lucerne, Switzerland.
And it's not like the phrase 'gold rush' sounds foreign to Pragnell. He won gold as an under 21 athlete and along the way his young Australians beat traditional arch rivals England by one tenth of a second.
It was an English outfit that talked the talk but couldn't walk the walk.
Now as a 24-year-old, Pragnell's desire to beat England is as fierce as ever.
"There's always been a good rivalry there and I enjoy it," he said.
"The Poms get probably four or five times more than we do in funding so we've just got to be a bit smarter with how we prepare."
It's a rivalry Pragnell is so determined to triumph in that he is rowing six times a week, doing weights training four times a week, enduring three cross training sessions and also cycling as many kilometres as he can.
But for a sport as demanding as eights rowing, all of the above is required in the 2000m event.
"Your timing's got to be spot on," he said.
"It's like running a 1500 metre race but in time with seven others."
The journeyman was born in Bellingen on the NSW north coast and recently returned to Queanbeyan after studying at Sydney University.
Now he feels as though Canberra's Australian Institute of Sport offers him an ideal training base. "I've trained in Sydney and Melbourne but the facilities at the AIS are some of the best in the country," he said.
With his training program ramping up, Pragnell believes his Australian team can give England a run for its money once more in Munich.
"We could be a dark horse," he said.
"If we get a podium finish, I'll be happy."
Friday 11 June
Rowing could soon return: officials
Kim Quinlan, Ballarat Courier, 11/6/10
A COMMITMENT to refill Lake Wendouree by the end of 2011 had strengthened Ballarat's position to lobby for major national and international rowing events, the chief exective officer of Rowing Australia said.
During a tour of facilities in Ballarat yesterday, Andrew Dee said Premier John Brumby's guarantee to fast-track the lake refill meant Ballarat could again bid for future training camps and major events like the Australian Masters, National Championships, Rowing Victoria events and Head of the Lake.
Mr Dee met with Ballarat City Council officials and members of the Ballarat rowing fraternity to discuss projects to refill the lake and redeveloping the rowing course.
"I was here looking for a commitment, a guarantee that water would return to the lake, and I got that," said Mr Dee, who was visiting Ballarat for the first time yesterday.
Lake Wendouree was used at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics for rowing, canoeing and kayaking events.
The lake has not been full since 2002 and has been completely dried out because of prolonged drought in recent years.
On Monday, Mr Brumby announced a $1.3 million commitment to fast-track the lake refill, starting this September, by piping 1700 million litres of water from the Ballarat West bore. The latest project complements others already underway to refill the city icon, including stormwater harvesting, supplies from the Ballarat North Recycled Water Treatment plant and a one-off supply of 200 million litres from Gong Gong Reservoir.
During his tour yesterday, Mr Dee said he was excited by the enthusiasm and commitment to the lake.
"I can see that (an empty lake) has ripped at the hearts of the locals," he said.
"Once the rowing course is dredged, Lake Wendouree will be well set-up to host any event it chooses."
In August a delegation of the international rowing body, FISA, will be in Ballarat to look at Lake Wendouree in consideration for future events.
Tuesday 8 June
By George, he’s got talent
Jonathon Howard, Bendigo Advertiser, 8/6/10
BENDIGO South East College student George Ormonde has Olympic dreams after he received the Pierre de Coubertin award this week.
Named after the founder of the modern Olympic Games, the award recognises secondary students who demonstrate Olympic attitudes through participation and leadership in a wide range of sports.
At just 15 years old the year 10 student is considered an athlete in the making by his teachers and trainers.
Standing at 188cm, he excels in three rowing formats, swimming, hockey, coaching, captaincy as well as being a bright spark in the classroom.
With his sights firmly set on rowing and studying at university, he may not make the 2012 London Olympics but could see a visit to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 games.
"I hope to study engineering at a university with a good rowing team," he said.
But with two-and-a-half years until graduation, a rare love of mathematics should help pass the time.
"I'm not a very good writer, but I really enjoy maths and study a year 11 maths subject as extra curriculum."
A certificate was presented to George that included some words of inspiration from Pierre de Coubertin to help him through the tough training ahead.
"The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."
Monday 7 June
New team rows to instant success
Matt Windley, Herald Sun, 5/6/10
WARRNAMBOOL paralympian Kathryn Ross has again triumphed against the odds, winning a silver medal at a rowing World Cup event in Slovenia last weekend.
In what was her first competitive race meeting with new partner Grant Bailey, the shock result stands the pair in good stead for the world championships in New Zealand in November and for the 2012 Paralympics.
Success is no stranger to Ross, 28. She and former partner John Maclean were the only Australians to win medals – silver in the mixed double sculls – for rowing at the Beijing Paralympics.
Rather than push for gold in London in 2012, Maclean retired, leaving Ross without a partner.
After a prolonged search, she was introduced to former wheelchair basketballer Bailey in February this year.
"Just to get a partner, let alone the right one, was tough," said Ross, who lost the use of her right leg after a ride-on mower accident when she was two.
"We've been rowing together for only about a month.
"We're a pretty strong team already and now we've just got to put a bit more technique into our work.
"Hopefully that will bring everything together."
And while London is still more than two years away, Ross says she has definite goals in mind for her Olympics medal assault.
"I'm going there to hopefully win Australia's first gold medal in Paralympic rowing," she said.
"That's the plan and Grant sees that well.
"We've just got to put the pieces together."
Thursday 3 June
Mum, son row into contention
Stirling Times, 2/6/10
MOTHER-and-son team Jan and Rod Mullineux are in the field for this weekend's first championship rowing event hosted by WA in 15 years.
Rowing WA is expecting more than 800 competitors for the 2010 Australian Masters Rowing Championships at Champion Lakes Regatta Centre, Thursday to Sunday.
Long-time rower Jan Mullineux said she was thrilled when her son Rod, of Scarborough, offered to compete in the doubles event with her during a regatta on Mother's Day last month.
"I've been at him for years to do it," she said.
"It was gorgeous. I loved it; it made my day.
"We came screaming out of the blocks and were leading all the way until we collapsed in a heap 200m from the end."
Luckily, the pair decided to continue their quest for gold all the way to the Masters, where they will compete in the doubles and quad events.
"We are not going to come out as fast as last time," Jan said. "We are going to pace it out and enjoy ourselves.
"I am more than pleased to row with my lad, I am very proud of him."
Jan has been rowing for 44 years, but Rod had not swung an oar in earnest since his high school days 16 years ago.
Jan said the international course that had emerged, largely without fanfare, in Armadale would lift the sport of rowing in WA.
"We can have all our championships here now," she said. We have always had to travel and it has always cost us a lot of money. This is the first time I haven't had to pay for accommodation, air fares and hire a boat."
Rowing WA hosted its last Australian championship on Wellington Dam 15 years ago in 1995, but has since lacked a suitable facility.
