Tuesday 31 August
Rowing sport for early birds
Cooloola Advertiser, 31/8/10
ARE you interested in rowing? Members from Rowing Queensland held a meeting in Tin Can Bay RSL and Community Hall on Saturday, to determine the interest in this Olympic gold medal sport.
Currently more than 4000 competitors from school-age through to masters level take part in the competitive element of this sport but if you don't wish to be a competitor, you can row socially as well.
Volunteers from Rowing Queensland organise training programs and regattas in local areas involved with rowing.
Rowing is one of the oldest Olympic sports, having been included in the Olympic program since the 1800s.
The rowing elements are singles, doubles sculls and fours such as our famous "Oarsome Foursome" and some clubs row with a group of eight. In addition, categories can include either a cox – the person with the megaphone egging the team on, or the coxless.
Australian rowers are presently qualified in each class in the World Challenge. Rowers are dedicated people who work hard. They also tend to do well in the business world.
A come-and-try day is being organised in Tin Can Bay for a Saturday in September or October. But those interested should know training sessions require early morning starts. Rowing Queensland's Ross Symons and Sam Pickett say people who are used to swimming training would be ideally suited to rowing.
If you have had experience in kayaking, rowing is different in as much as your back is toward the way you are going. The exercise for the upper body, especially, is great and it is good for your health generally.
A number of locals have showed interest, so watch this space for details once the date for the come and try day is known.
In the meantime if you wish to know more, visit Rowing Queensland's website at www.rowingqld.asn.au.
Friday 27 August
Four to eight
Jim Morton, Warrnambool Standard, 27/8/10
AUSTRALIAN rowing's Beijing Olympics surprise-packets have been moved to a new boat in a bid to freshen them up for a tilt at the 2012 London Games.
Francis Hegerty, Cameron McKenzie-McHarg, James Marburg and Matt Ryan – who took men's four silver in 2008 – have been named in the men's eight for the world rowing championships in New Zealand.
A team of 50 rowers across 15 boats has been selected for the world titles, which will run from October 31 to November 7 at Lake Karapiro.
Australia's selectors have rolled the dice and made the eight the men's priority sweep-oar boat following eye-raising World Cup results by emerging rowers in the European summer.
Joshua Dunkley Smith, Nicholas Purnell, Sam Loch and Will Lockwood combined to win the men's four at World Cup 2 before moving into the men's eight to take silver at World Cup 3.
The performances were enough for Rowing Australia to keep that four together and match it with the Olympic quartet which went within centimetres of pulling off rowing's biggest upset at Beijing.
Hegerty, McKenzie-McHarg, Marburg and Ryan went to China as a bunch of "rejects" after they missed out on the priority eights boat but led the powerful British boat until the final 50m in the Olympic final.
While the Beijing quartet continued its impressive results last year, it was off the boil in this season's Australia's World Cup regattas.
McKenzie-McHarg felt the switch would do the Beijing foursome good after admitting the rowers became stale mid-way through a four-year Olympic cycle.
"I think we're all pretty excited about the opportunity to row in the eights it gives us the opportunity to grab hold of a new challenge," he said. "It's a real long season (in 2010) and mixing things up a bit gets us a lot more excited."
Wednesday 25 August
Federal Liberals commit $7.1 million to Huon Valley
Huon News, 25/8/10
The Federal Liberal candidate for the Electorate of Franklin, Jane Howlett, committed a total of $7.1 million for two separate projects in the Huon Valley when she visited the township of Franklin on Sunday morning.
Jane Howlett was accompanied by Senator David Bushby and the State Leader of the Opposition, Will Hodgman, when she made the announcements at the Huon Rowing Club.
Also present were the Mayor of Huon Valley Council, Councillor Robert Armstrong, and Huon Valley Council's Deputy Mayor, Bruce Heron, along with members and supporters of the Huon Rowing Club. Bruce is also Treasurer of the Huon Rowing Club.
First up, was the announcement that the Federal Liberals, if elected on Saturday, will provide $700,000 for the redevelopment of the clubrooms and facilities at the Huon Rowing Club, which is located alongside the nationally recognised rowing course on the Huon River at Franklin.
Kings Cup and Australian Championships Regattas, along with National University Championships, were held at Franklin prior to these events not being held on tidal water.
The Club, formerly known as the Franklin Rowing Club, attracts rowers from throughout southern Tasmania for training purposes. The club has always made its facilities, and coaches, available to the rowing community at large.
The Club's facilities are used for club and school rowing regattas throdghout the summer season with the first State Pennant Regatta for season 2010–11 to be held at Franklin over the weekend of Saturday, 9 and 10 October 2010.
Club President, John Driessen, has coached Australian representative crews for many years and these train at Franklin prior to overseas competition. An Australian representative crew is to arrive to train under John within the next few weeks to prepare for competition in New Zealand.
John is also supported at the Club by well-known coach Paul Newbon, and others.
In January, two schools from Western Australia used the facilities at Franklin for their annual rowing camp.
Club members have had the desire to improve the Club Rooms for many years but, with a small membership base, and many of those spending their time training and coaching, there hasn't been the opportunity to raise the needed revenue.
"I have been working with my Liberal colleagues, including Will Hodgman and David Bushby, to support local sports groups and I am delighted that the Federal Liberals have committed to provide this assistance, if elected to Government on Saturday," Jane Howlett said.
Will Hodgman and Davis Bushby both recalled rowing at Franklin! They, like many others, know that there has been little alteration to the facilities over the years and that they are something that will be appreciated by many rowers and supporters.
John Driessen thanked Jane Howlett, as well as Will Hodgman and David Bushby, for attending to make the announcement.
Thursday 19 August
SA pair storms to silver
Aaron Macdonald, Adelaide Advertiser, 19/8/10
SOUTH Australia has taken its first medals at the Singapore Youth Olympic Games – a silver, to the women's rowing team.
In the finals yesterday morning, SA rowers Olympia Aldersey and Emma Basher powered to a second-place finish a second behind golden Great Britain.
"We're stoked," Aldersey said. "When we crossed the line, we thought we'd won bronze, then when we found out it was silver, we were ecstatic."
Australia sat in fourth for most of the 1000m race before stepping up the pace for a last-minute sprint, edging out bronze-winning Greece.
"Great Britain got off to a good start and we just tried to hold them," Basher said.
"We were coming fourth and we decided to step up when we had 400m to go.
"I made the call to step up the line, we released our secret weapon and gave it all we had."
The men's coxless pair, Matthew Cochran and David Watts, also had the race of their life, taking home bronze behind Slovenia and Greece.
"I couldn't be happier," Watts said. "That was one of the best races we've put together."
Wednesday 18 August
Rowing pair snares prime position
Adelaide Advertiser, 18/8/10
IT was a twin-turbocharged semifinal of the women's rowing pairs yesterday, with Australia's Olympia Aldersey and Emma Basher snatching prime position for today's final at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
The South Australian duo blitzed the field to win the semi in 3 minutes, 36.83 seconds.
"It was what we wanted to achieve," Basher said of the convincing win. "We came in first and that's what we wanted, so we were really happy." The Aussies edged out Greece and Hungary to take the win.
Though satisfied with their race and their ultimate result, Basher and Aldersey are not complacent about today's final.
"We had a steering issue," Aldersey explained. "We headed for the buoy and overcompensated. We didn't think it would be an issue so we're going to have to bear it in mind."
In the men's semi-finals that followed, Australia's David Watts and Matthew Cochran also crossed the line in first place, in a time of 3:18.50.
The Australian crew posted the fourth-fastest time, with Greece again dominating the race.
The Greek and Australian crews will line up against Great Britain, Turkey, Slovenia and Serbia in today's final.
Monday 16 August
Dominant MLC grab sixth title in nine years
Gene Stephan, West Australian, 16/8/10
Methodist Ladies College have enhanced their reputation as a crew capable of producing under pressure to win the Independent Girls' Schools Sports Association Head of the River for the second consecutive year and a record sixth time in nine years.
Last year they held their nerve in appalling weather to win by a massive 14 seconds and on Saturday they outsmarted the opposition to win by more than two boat lengths in 6min.57.3sec.
On both occasions Penrhos went into the race as favourites, having won every lead-up race during the four-month season.
Determined to make amends for last year's disappointment, Penrhos matched MLC over the first few hundred metres of the 2000m race, with Perth College also in on the act.
But by the 1000m mark, MLC had lifted the stroke rating to edge ahead and by 1500m had a clear boat length between them and Penrhos in second place, with Perth College challenging for third.
Making the most of the perfect winter sun and slight cross-breeze, MLC didn't miss a stroke all the way to the finish, crossing the line well ahead of Penrhos (7:04.60) and Perth College (7:08.80). Presbyterian Ladies College (7:19. 40) and St Hildas (7:29.10) were next best.
"We read the conditions well but were still a bit nervous about how we set our rig up for the race," MLC coach John Callie said.
"It all managed to click in well after a fair amount of disruption throughout the season with illness.
"Their mental application was excellent because this is a mental game and trying to keep it together is not easy."
Callie said the conditions were excellent compared to last year.
"You put so much time into training throughout the season, and to throw all that away because of the weather, is always very disappointing," Callie said.
The second eight was won by Perth College in 7:12.09 from MLC, PLC and Penrhos. PLC claimed the overall championship with 217 points, from MLC with 191 points, Penrhos 174 and Perth College 169.
Tuesday 3 August
Fowler backs up to shine in Canada
Launceston Examiner, 3/8/10
NORTH Esk rower Alexander Fowler has tasted success in the Commonwealth regatta held in Welland, Ontario.
A week after competing in the world under-23 rowing championships in Belarus, Fowler took part in several events in Canada.
He was a member of the winning coxless fours crew, combined with Hobart's Adam Wertheimer to finish second in the pairs, finished second in the single scull and fourth in the men's double.
It follows on from a third placing with the Australian crew in the B final of the men's eight at Belarus.
To row for Australia at an international level has always been among Fowler's goals and he will return to Tasmania now and prepare for the next rowing season.
"Australia had a young crew and it performed extremely well," Tasmanian Institute of Sport head coach Brett Crow said.
