June 2006
Tuesday 20 June 2006
Ginn freed-up for next challenge
The success of Australia's rowers at the recent Poznan and Munich World Cups has highlighted the strengths within the team, illustrated the benefits of several new initiatives, and thrown up a few challenges ahead of August's World Rowing Championships in Eton, England.
Two-time Olympic champion Drew Ginn, with Duncan Free, claimed gold in the Men's Coxless Pair at the Poznan World Cup. With the imminent return of Olympic legend James Tomkins, the success of the Ginn-Free combination raises a potential selection challenge.
"I guess it's not a bad dilemma to be in," Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, said.
"James is obviously a tremendous athlete but it gives me and the other selectors some food for thought ahead of the Beijing Olympics."
The integration of the men's and women's squads following the 2004 Athens Olympic has proved a tremendous success.
"Over the past couple of years both the men's and the women's squads have contributed to our strong international results," Donaldson said.
"The squads now travel and train together and both head coaches are in constant dialogue. Last year we saw the women's team have a particularly strong international season, but now the men's team is starting to win medals. We also delayed the selection of crews so we could try a number of different combinations before the World Cups. This provided some added competition for the athletes and it will allow the selectors to pick the best-possible crews ahead of the World Championships in Eton."
In between the teams two World Cup events, the world's pre-eminent high performance expert, Thor Nilsen, visited the AIS European training hub in Varese, Italy to lend his expertise to the team.
"Thor assisted in a number of areas including team training methodology, sports nutrition, selection and deciding boat priority, and that assistance proved to be pivotal in our results at Poznan," Donaldson said.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, on 0418 357 750.
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Sunday 18 June 2006
Australia finishes equal first at the Poznan World Cup
The Australian rowing team has finished the first of its two European trips this year, winning 13 medals from two World Cup events.
Australia claimed two gold, two silver and two bronze medals yesterday at the Poznan World Cup, and a further two silver and five bronze medals at the Munich World Cup last month.
"Overall it was a great result," Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, said.
"There were some very impressive individual and team results. Drew Ginn was back in the international winners circle after winning gold at Poznan with Duncan Free in the Men's Coxless Pairs. They put in a dominant performance over the world champion New Zealand crew and Duncan has really thrown down the challenge to James Tomkins when he returns to rowing before the Beijing Olympics.
"Our Men's Eight put in a great performance in rowing the second fastest time ever recorded in their win yesterday, and the women's squad performed very well considering many of them had to back up with a couple of finals in quick succession.
"I'm happy with where the team is positioned ahead of the World Rowing Championships in Eton."
Australia finished equal first, with Great Britain, at the Poznan World Cup, and is third in the 2006 World Cup series behind Germany and Great Britain.
The Australian team will return to Australia for six weeks before heading to Eton, England for the World Rowing Championships from August 20 to 27.
Media opportunities: The Australian rowing team will be on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH 141 arriving at Sydney airport at 19:50 on Monday 19 June.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director Noel Donaldson on 0418 357 750.
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Saturday 17 June 2006
Australian crews win gold at the Poznan World Cup
Australia has claimed six medals at the World Cup rowing event in Poznan, Poland, including two gold.
In his first international regatta since claiming gold at the 2004 Olympics, Drew Ginn was back in the winner's circle claiming gold with Duncan Free in the Men's Coxless Pair.
Australia's Men's Eight crew rowed a blistering 5.21 to lead all the way to win gold. The time was the second fastest Men's Eight time ever recorded having been bettered only at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
The Lightweight Men's Coxless Four fought gallantly to take silver, finishing just behind Ireland. In that particular race the top five crews were all within a boat length of each other at the finish line.
Sarah Heard and Emily Martin claimed bronze in the Women's Coxless Pairs event behind two German crews. Amber Bradley and Kate Hornsey finished fourth while Sarah Cook and Kim Crow, in only her second international regatta, finished fifth.
Australia claimed a silver and a bronze in the Women's Double Scull. Sally Kehoe and Dana Faletic finished half a length behind winners New Zealand, while Catriona Sens and Sonia Mills took third by a mere 0.12 seconds.
The Lightweight Women's Double Sculls finished fourth in their final, while the Men's and Women's Quadruple Sculls both finished sixth.
The Women's Eight finished just outside the medals, coming in fourth in the final.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, on 0418 357 750.
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Saturday 17 June 2006
Australian crews through to the finals at the Poznan World Cup
Australian crews will contest nine of the 11 finals to be raced tonight (between 7pm and 9pm AEST) at the World Cup rowing regatta in Poznan, Poland.
Australia has three crews competing in the Women's Coxless Pairs final, with the boats side-by-side in lanes four, five and six. Emily Martin and Sarah Heard qualified fastest, ahead of Amber Bradley and Kate Hornsey, while Kim Crow and Sarah Cook will start from lane six.
Drew Ginn marks his return to competitive rowing by qualifying for the Men's Coxless Pairs final along with Duncan Free. The pair won their semi-final convincingly over world champions New Zealand.
Australia will again be well represented in the Women's Double final with two crews vying for medals tonight.
Several lightweight crews have had a strong World Cup, with the Lightweight Men's Double to contest the final after taking out their semi and the Lightweight Men's Four rowing for gold as well.
Both the Women's and Men's Quadruple Sculls are racing tonight after several impressive rows this week.
Last year's World Rowing Championship-winning Women's Eight crew will battle an impressive Romanian crew, while the Men's Eight crew will start as favourites for the final after a strong performance in their heat.
Tim Smith is the only Australian competitor to have competed in a final at Poznan so far. He finished fifth in the Lightweight Men's Single Scull.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, on 0418 357 750.
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Thursday 15 June 2006
AIS Men's Rowing Development squad: tour update
This is just a brief note for those interested in the progress of the AIS Men's Rowing Development squad that is currently undergoing a period of training and competition in Europe.
Coaches Reinhold Batschi and Damien Mitchelmore left Canberra last Friday (2 June) and after arriving in Frankfurt drove south to Eberbach where they collected new boats (2 singles, a double and a quad) from the Empacher factory, which is recognised as one of the premier boat manufacturing facilities in the world. They then drove for eight hours to reach Ratzeburg in northern Germany, where a regatta is to be held on 10 and 11 June. By the time of their arrival, they had been travelling continuously for more than 40 hours.
The four rowers left Canberra with me on Sunday 4 June and travelled via London to Hamburg. The trip was relatively smooth except that one of the boys left his mobile phone on a transfer bus at Heathrow, and our luggage failed to arrive in Germany with us. We were picked up from Hamburg airport by a member of the Ratzeburg Rowing Club who turned out to be a former world champion rower. He showed us some of the Hamburg rowing facilities before taking us on to Ratzeburg, a drive of about one hour. We arrived at our hotel a bit after midday (German time) to find Reinhold and Damien waiting for us. A light rowing session had been planned for later that afternoon, but due to the loss of the luggage, the boys had no rowing gear, so we went for a walk instead, and numerous photographs were taken. The luggage was eventually delivered to our hotel at about 9.00pm that night.
Ratzeburg is a town of about 12,000 people and has a lot of interesting buildings, including an 850 year-old cathedral. It is located between two lakes. One of these is quite large and part of it was formerly in East Germany. The other lake (called Kuchensee) is about 2,300 metres in length and is the site of a famous and very beautiful rowing course. As a matter of interest, the first dedicated rowing academy built anywhere in the world was established at Ratzeburg, and is still in operation. Reinhold occasionally worked there many years ago when employed as a coach of the German team.
For the past few days, our crews have been training twice daily on the rowing course. At first the emphasis was on becoming accustomed to the new boats and refining the riggings. Yesterday, some speed work was performed in preparation for the regatta this weekend, and today the athletes completed a 1000-metre effort at race pace.
The boys are very excited to be here and they recognise the extent of the opportunity that the AIS is providing to them. They are really keyed up and looking forward to racing at the weekend. The competition will be strong and will include crews from Germany, Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic. The weather here is quite warm, and maximum temperatures in the mid-20s are forecast for the two days of the regatta. There are advertisements for the regatta in the windows of quite a few Ratzeburg shops and there is even a banner strung right across one of the major city streets, so it is likely that there will be good crowds in attendance (despite the obvious clash with the football World Cup). Preparations for the event are in full swing, with military personnel playing a part in setting up the infrastructure in what is considered a valuable logistical exercise for them.
The rowers adopted a very professional approach to their preparation for travel, taking account of both experience relayed by their coaches and advice available in the scientific and medical literature. This has minimised the effects of travel fatigue and helped greatly with adjustment to the new time zone. As expected, a small degree of residual tiredness has been evident. Also, one of the rowers has been bothered somewhat by an aching wisdom tooth, but these problems are now abating and the group is very hopeful of achieving some good results at the regatta. I will certainly inform you of the outcomes.
Thanks again to everyone who has supported the rowers and coaches (and alsio the sports scientist) in getting ready for this trip. The rowers involved are Mitchell Estens, Dan Ellice-Flint, Nick Harris and David Neuhaus. Blair Brown, who was to have made the trip but suffered a back injury a couple of weeks before our departure, is certainly with us in spirit.
REPORT TWO
European campaign currently being undertaken by the AIS Men's Rowing Development squad. Toward the end of our first week in Germany, the focus was on getting ready for the two-day Ratzeburg regatta, but there were several other issues that had to be negotiated. One of the boys was required to sit university examinations on Thursday and Friday, supervised by team personnel. The papers had been sent with our group in sealed envelopes. Some planning was required to fit the allotted exmination times in with the training schedule. In addition, discussions were held with the management of our hotel regarding provision of suitable meals in the lead-up to the competition and during it. Excellent cooperation was received, and special food packs were put together for each of the rowers to take to the regatta, with allowances made for their individual dietary preferences.
By the time of the training session on Friday afternoon, the regatta course had become very busy with athletes from various countries carrying out their final practice sessions. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding arose regarding on-water traffic rules, and this resulted in a collision between one of our single scullers, Dan Ellice-Flint, and a German men's pair. No-one was injured but both boats were damaged. It appeared that Dan would not be able to race his scull at the regatta, but coaches Reinhold Batschi and Damien Mitchelmore - along with a boat mechanic from the Ratzeburg rowing community - worked late into the evening and were to make sufficient repairs.
The effort paid off on the first day of the regatta when Dan won his heat of the open men's single sculls and then went on to place second in the final, finishing just one second behind the winner after being quicker than any other competitor over the last 500 metres of the 2000-metre course. This was an outstanding result for Dan in his first international regatta.
Other results on Saturday were less spectacular as the younger members of our group, all 19 years of age, strove to compete with much more experienced opponents many of whom were members of their national Under 23 teams or in current contention for selection in those teams. The AIS quad scull (consisting of David Neuhaus, Nick Harris, Dan Ellice-Flint and Mitchell Estens) finished seventh in the men's open event, 17 seconds behind the winners.. David Neuhaus and Nick Harris were seventh in open men's double sculls, just under 20 seconds behind the winners, and Mitchell Estens finished twelfth in the Under 23 men's single scull.
Today (Sunday), in warm blustery conditions, the rowers took an important step forwrd, improving substantially on their performances of just 24 hours earlier. David Neuhaus and Nick Harris finished third in the men's Under 23 double sculls. A men's open single sculls event was again contested, and both Dan Ellice-Flint and Mitchell Estens qualified for the final, finishing second and fourth respectively in their heats. The final proved to be the highlight of the regatta from our perspective, with Dan Ellice-Flint winning by just under a second from a very strong German opponent in conditions that would not normally have been considered favourable to him. This victory should provide a huge boost to Dan's rowing career. It comes almost exactly a year after he switched from surf boats to flat-water rowing, and he could hardly have looked happier at the medal presentation ceremony. Mitchell Estens finished eighth in the event.
The boys will have a day off training tomorrow. We are planning to visit the nearby city of Lubeck, which has some very old and attractive architecture, and to watch the Australia-Japan World Cup football match on television. On Tuesday, full training will resume. The group is to have another week in Ratzeburg before moving on to Amsterdam for the next regatta.
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May 2006
Tuesday 23 May 2006
Debutante Crow set to take on Worlds
12 months ago Kim Crow hadn't set foot inside a rowing boat. This month the 20-year-old from the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) will represent Australia at the upcoming World Cup event in Germany and potentially row for gold at the World Rowing Championships in Eton, England in August.
Crow had been training at the VIS in athletics - where she specialised in the 400 metre hurdles and the 800 metres - until she was struck down by a series of stress fractures to her foot.
'I was in the middle of some rehabilitation training when someone at the talent identification program at the VIS came and said I should give rowing a go,' Crow said.
'I went to a school where rowing was a big deal, but the only exposure I had to the sport was watching it at the Olympics.'
Now the Victorian is part of a national squad boasting Olympic- and World Championship-winning crews.
'When I began I didn't realise how hard it was going to be. I was splashing around in a single scull hoping not to catch five crabs a race,' she said.
'But I am really enjoying the team aspect of rowing. The training is very difficult - there's a lot more cardio and long distance work which I found difficult in the beginning.'
Crow has boldly set her sights on making the Olympic team in her new sport, the one thing that she says drove her athletics career. She also has the full support of her parents, including her father - 200-game VFL veteran Max Crow.
'Mum and Dad have been hugely supportive and encouraging throughout the last 12 months, despite the fact that they have very little knowledge of rowing at all,' she said.
The Munich World Cup will be held from 25 to 27 May, the Poznan World Cup from 16 to 18 June and the World Rowing Championships in Eton, England from 20 to 27 August.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Dee, on (02) 6256 5999.
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Friday 19 May 2006
Aussie rowers depart for international season
One of Australia's biggest teams in years will depart tomorrow (Saturday 20 May) for the commencement of the 2006 international rowing season in Europe.
The team, which features a mix of former Olympic champions and several athletes on their first senior tour, will head for Germany for the Munich World Cup event beginning on 25 May.
'The time is right in the four year cycle between Olympic Games to try different strategies and new things ahead of Beijing in 2008,' Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson said.
'46 countries will be competing in the first World Cup event in Munich so it really is a good early test and will provide a good indication of how the team is performing.
'We are using the first World Cup event in Munich and the second World Cup regatta in Poznan, Poland to help with our final decisions for crew selections for the World Rowing Championships in England in August. We are really excited about the dynamics in the squad, particularly in terms of how the newer athletes have fitted in.'
One of those newer athletes is Victorian Kim Crow who has only been rowing for 12 months. Crow was training at the Victorian Institute of Sport in athletics when serious injuries led her to change sports.
Rowing Australia has also enlisted the services of Thor Nilsen, the world's pre-eminent expert in high performance rowing programs, to 'liaise with our coaches at our training camp in Varese, Italy and give his advice about preparation and crew seating,' Donaldson said.
Following the World Cup regatta in Poland commencing June 15, the Australian team will fly back to Australia for preparation ahead of the World Rowing Championships in Eton, England from August 20 to 27.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, on 0418 357 750.
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Thursday 11 May 2006
Rowing Australia welcomes additional funding for sport
Rowing Australia President, Patrick McNamara, welcomed this week's Federal Budget announcement of an additional $55.7 million to the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) over the next four years.
This additional funding brings the total Australian Government commitment to the ASC for the financial year 2006-07 to approximately $200 million. Of this, $60 million has been committed to National Sporting Organisations to assist the ASC to deliver excellence in sports performance by Australian athletes, including those who will participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The new funding will address four key areas over four years, namely high performance athlete development ($20.8m), coaching ($4.6m), sports science ($8.7m), and sports excellence at the Australian Institute of Sport ($21.6m).
The additional funding will be spent on: establishing a national talent identification network; identifying, training and retaining elite coaches to oversee the development of high performance athletes; and, critical areas of need in sports science including skills acquisition, data collection and analysis and performance analysis. $15.6m will be invested in the scholarship programs of the AIS, and $6.0m will be spent on increasing the capacity of the AIS to deliver support services directly to athletes and coaches.
'Rowing Australia congratulates the Prime Minister and the Australian Government for its continuing financial commitment to elite sport in Australia. This commitment recognises the international challenges facing Australian sport, as countries around the world adopt their own elite sports systems and allocate more resources to them,' said Mr McNamara.
... 'Rowing Australia's position as one of the leading rowing countries in the world is clearly the result of the generous funding from the Government that supports our talented athletes and coaches.'
Rowing Australia will compete in the FISA World Cup series in Europe before competing in the FISA World Championships in Eton in August and is hoping to finish on top of the medal table again this year.
'The success of Australian sport since Minister Kemp became involved must make him the most successful sports Minister of all time,' Mr McNamara said.
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Tuesday 2 May 2006
Returning Olympians strengthen talented rowing squad
The 2006 Australian squad for this year's World Cup series and World Rowing Championships was announced today following the National Selection Regatta in Sydney with the team being bolstered by the return of 10 Olympians.
The 2006 Australian squad for this year's World Cup series and World Rowing Championships was announced today following the National Selection Regatta in Sydney with the team being bolstered by the return of 10 Olympians.
Among the athletes making their international returns are dual Olympic gold medallist Drew Ginn, Athens silver medallist Ben Cureton and bronze medallists Dana Faletic and Stefan Szczurowski.
'We have assembled a very talented squad with considerable depth for this year's international season,' Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, said.
'The returning Olympians will add another dimension to the team which performed so well in winning four gold medals at last year's World Rowing Championships.
'This is also another step in our Olympic preparations ahead of Beijing in 2008 and making that one of the most successful Olympic campaigns for rowing.'
A further five athletes with senior National team experience have also returned to the 2006 squad.
2005 Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) coach of the year Lyall McCarthy will again be in charge of the Women's team which dominated the competition at last year's World Rowing Championships in Gifu, Japan, while Brian Richardson is the head coach for the Men's squad.
The World Rowing Championships in Eton, England will run from August 20 - 27, 2006.
For a full list Senior A, U23 and Junior athletes please visit the Rowing Australia website at www.rowingaustralia.com.au
For more information contact Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson, on (02) 6256 5999.
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April 2006
Thursday 20 April 2006
Rowers set for National Selection Regatta
Beginning tomorrow and running until Sunday 30 April, Australia’s finest rowers will be competing at the 2006 National Selection Regatta at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith, to assure their place in the national team ahead of August’s World Rowing Championships in Eton, UK.
Athletes challenging at the trials include Olympic gold medallist Drew Ginn, who signaled his return to competitive rowing last month with some solid form at the Australian Rowing Championships.
Members of last year’s World Rowing Championship gold medal winning crews in the Women’s Eight, the Men’s Coxed Pair, the Women’s Coxless Four and the Men’s Adaptive Single Scull will also be competing.
“After such a tremendous week of rowing at the Australian Rowing Championships in March it is important that the athletes continue to build the momentum ahead of Eton,” Rowing Australia’s High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson said.
“It is great to have the likes of Drew Ginn back competing at the highest level of competition but, as was seen in Tasmania last month, there are several young athletes that will be keen to impress ahead of this year’s international season.”
Tasmania’s Dana Faletic will look to build on her success at Tasmania after claiming the Women’s Single Scull championships, while Olympian Catriona Sens (nee Oliver) is looking to make a return to the national team.
“These selection trials not only determine who will represent Australia this year, but we are already looking ahead to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and striving to make those Games one of the most successful ever for rowing,” Donaldson said.
Athletes will be competing for Senior A, U23, Junior and World University Games selection and all national teams will be finalised by 2 May 2006.
2006 World Rowing Championships
Senior A – Eton, UK; 20-27 August
U23 – Hazewinkel, Belgium; 20–23 July
Junior – Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 2–5 August
University – Trakai, Lithuania; 11–13 August
For more information contact Rowing Australia’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Dee, on (02) 6256 5999.
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March 2006
Sunday 12 March 2006
Victoria triumph in National Championships 12-Mar-06
Victoria has claimed the King's and Queen's Cups in a stunning finale to the last day of racing at the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington. The Victorian Interstate Men's Coxed Eight, stroked by Olympic gold medallist Drew Ginn, led from start to finish ahead of the crews from Western Australia and New South Wales.
'It's a big shadow that's been set by the state teams that have rowed in the last ten years and I think we were really intent on making the most of a really good opportunity," said Ginn. "I think we've shown today that this new group can do anything so it's really exciting from that perspective. Western Australia jumped out on us a little bit and we were really mindful of not letting anyone get too far away ... and everyone was just really committed to rowing it all the way.'
The Victorian Women's crew was not to be outdone, after the pre-race favorites blitzed the field to win the gold, with Western Australia taking silver and Tasmania bronze.
'The other states decided to give us a bit of a scare early on but we had the big white V passion and a fired up little coxswain getting us down the track and we had a really good race,' Victorian Interstate Women's Coxed Eight crew member Emily Martin said. 'I think Victoria has the best team spirit of any state and we decided we wanted to be a champion crew today.'
Victoria's golden afternoon was capped off by winning the Rowing Australia Cup, awarded for the highest interstate aggregate. Victoria and Tasmania, who won the day's first two races, were level heading into the final race but the hopes of the home crowd faded with the boat.
Tasmania stunned the other states this morning after Dana Faletic won the Interstate Women's Single Scull, and Scott Brennan defended his title in the Interstate Men's Single Scull. Tasmania made it seven consecutive victories in the Interstate Men's Lightweight Coxless Four with a win over Western Australia and New South Wales. The win, as stroke Tom Gibson said, was made all the more special after Tasmanian lightweight legend Simon Burgess handed out the gold medals.
'I've rowed the last couple with Burgo: to do it for him as well as being at home in Tassie, and with him there and watching it, I'm really glad we could continue it after he's left,' Gibson said.
Earlier, Victoria won the Interstate Women's Lightweight Quad Scull from South Australia and Tasmania. In the Interstate Youth Coxed Eight's Victoria won the women's event from South Australia and Western Australia while New South Wales won the men's race from South Australia and Victoria.
In the schools program The King's School of Sydney and Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) Melbourne won their respective finals in the Schoolboys' and Schoolgirls' Coxed Eight. The King's School claimed their first title since 2001 and in doing so set a new record time for the Schoolboys' Eight, while it was the first time ever that MLC had taken out the Eight.
For more information contact National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Saturday 11 March 2006
Ginn back as National Champion
Dual Olympic gold medallist Drew Ginn has returned to competitive rowing in the best way possible by claiming the Men's Coxless Four on day six of the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington. Ginn and his Mercantile Rowing Club team mate David Crawshay combined with the University of Queensland's Sam Conrad and Hardy Cubasch to finish in front of Melbourne University Boat Club and a UTS/Sydney University composite. The win was all the sweeter for Cubasch, who has been struggling with injury since winning gold in the Men's Coxed Pair at last year's World Championships in Gifu, Japan.
'To come out there and claim that was a fantastic feeling,' Cubasch said. 'That was my first serious race since the world champs so we needed a couple of serious hit-outs. Each race we really improved and we wanted to build a bit of speed and with a new crew we thought we might drop off but when we got to the 1250 mark we moved on the pack.'
Victoria's Methodist Ladies' College (MLC) last night threw down the gauntlet to the defending champions, Sydney's Pymble Ladies' College (PLC), with a dominant performance in the Schoolgirls Coxed Eight. MLC's two boats cruised to victory yesterday in their respective heats, and in doing so qualified for today's semi final. The school's number one boat registered an easy win over the Wilderness School of South Australia while their second boat finished ahead of Canberra Girls Grammar School. There is a potential for one of the most engaging finals in years with champions from the past three years, PLC, winning their repechage this morning ahead of this afternoon's semi finals.
In the Schoolboys Coxed Eight heats the traditional powerhouses flexed their muscle with New South Wales's The King's School, St Joseph's and The Shore School and Victoria's Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar and Geelong Grammar all looking strong.
For more information contact National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Friday 10 March 2006
Tassie duo clinch consecutive titles
The Tasmanian combination of Scott Brennan and Brendan Long has today made it back-to-back titles in the Men's Double Sculls at the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington.
The Tasmanians had to work for the win after the Adelaide University crew of Chris Morgan and Tim Hennessy set the early pace.
"I haven't been going that well lately so it's just great to be out and racing with Scotty and to go out there and win like that was awesome," Long said.
The win gave Brennan his second gold for the Championships after he won the Men's Single Scull.
"The only thing that can make a race like that better is seeing your team mates doing well," Brennan said.
The Adelaide crew of Morgan and Hennessy took silver and the composite crew of Craig Jones and Daniel Noonan won bronze.
The new combination of Sally Kehoe and Sonia Mills overcome a determined Catriona Sens (nee Oliver) and Brooke Pratley to win the Women's Double Scull Championship. Amber Bradley and Sarah Outhwaite finished third.
It has been confirmed that the Women's Double Scull combination of Sally Robbins and Sally Newmarch were forced to withdraw from this morning's final after Sally Newmarch suffered a bout food poisoning.
The crew of Tim Smith, Sam Waley, Tim O'Callaghan and Josh Fahey took out the final of the Men's Lightweight Coxless Four ahead of the West Australian composite crew of Perry Ward, Ross Brown, Ben Cureton and Todd Skipworth.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Thursday 9 March 2006
Mercantile four hit back
Yesterday's early weather delays meant that racing extended late into the evening however calm afternoon conditions produced some of the best racing of the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta.
The heats of the Open Women's Coxless Four were always tipped to be a hot race with numerous members of Australia's World Championship Eight competing against each other. In one of the closest finishes so far the much-fancied Mercantile crew were narrowly beaten by the local crew from New Norfolk, stroked by dual World Champion Kate Hornsey.
Mercantile hit back in the best way possible by putting in a solid performance to win this morning's repechage and progress to tomorrow's final. That crew contains four members of last year's World Championship-winning Women's Eight; Pauline Frasca, Fleur Chew, Emily Martin and Sarah Heard. The talented Swan River/ECU Perth boat finished strongly in second place in the repechage to assure that tomorrow will not just be a race between two.
Tasmanian Dominic Monypenny claimed his second successive Adaptive Men's Single Scull title after overcoming Neil Thurling. Monypenny, who is the reigning World Arms Only Single Scull champion, was ecstatic with his win.
'I've trained really hard but it wasn't as easy as it looked,' Monypenny said. 'It was very hard into a headwind when it's arms only.'
And Monypenny has now turned his attention to the 2008 Paralympics.
'I have always aspired to have the opportunity to compete at the Paralympics so that's my long term goal, to bring back gold for Australia at the first rowing Paralympics. I'd be elated.'
In this morning's other racing, the crews of Catriona Sens (nee Oliver) and Brooke Pratley, and Sally Kehoe and Sonia Mills, were successful in their semi finals of the Women's Double Scull. Pratley and Sens led from start to finish in their race to finish ahead of West Australia's Sarah Outhwaite and Amber Bradley, while Kehoe and Mills progressed to the final in front of Dana Faletic and Robyn Selby Smith, and Sally Robins and Sally Newmarch. The final will be raced tomorrow.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Wednesday 8 March 2006
Crews still focussed despite conditions
Driving winds disrupted racing on the third day at the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington, however, all races managed to be completed. Junior crews felt the brunt of the conditions but several boats were still able to fine tune their preparation for racing tomorrow. Among those will be the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) scholarship crew representing the 'Breaking the Drought' program. Mitchell Estens (The Kings School) and Nick Harris (The Friends School) will race in the semi finals of the Men's Under 23 Double Sculls, as will Blair Brown (St. Patrick's College Ballarat) and David Neuhaus (St. Josephs College, Sydney). The four were chosen last year as part of the unique program to unearth and identify athletes capable of winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
'It has been a long while since Australia has won a medal in the Single Scull heavyweight event so that gives the program a bit of a focus,' Dr Allan Hahn of the AIS Applied Research Centre said.
But the program organisers already appear to feel vindicated, with Hahn and Senior Talent Search Coordinator at the AIS Andrew Douglas ecstatic with the rowers' early form.
'This regatta is all about experience and the guys have already exceeded our expectations by quite a long way at this regatta.' Douglas said. 'For us it's unique to have this long focus. AIS scholarships in the past have always been performance based and only a few months at a time so this really is a different approach for us.'
All four athletes will then combine for the Men's Under 23 Quad Scull heats tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow also sees the first of the adaptive rowers hit the water. Among the athletes competing will be 2005 Arms Only Single Scull gold medalist Dominic Monypenny. It is expected that it will be the largest ever adaptive field assembled, with competition for national places set be fierce after the adaptive program was included in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Tuesday 7 March 2006
Women's boats all class at National Titles
The quality of the women's small boats was again on show on the second day of competition at the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington. Olympians Amber Bradley and Sarah Outhwaite showed their class in a quality heat in the Women's Double Scull, finishing ahead of Bradley's 2005 crew mate Sally Kehoe and Sonia Mills.
'We didn't really have too much to compare that race to because we haven't been training together for too long but it was a pretty good hit out,' Bradley said.
Bradley has recently returned to Western Australia to train with the Western Australia Institute of Sport and she believes the move has reinvigorated her career.
'I think it was a good move for me to head back to Western Australia, and I feel refreshed with a new coach and a new program,' she said.
Brooke Pratley and Catriona Sens (nee Oliver) were also victorious in their heat of the Women's Double Scull, after they consolidated an early lead over Sally Newmarch and Sally Robbins. Both crews will progress to the semi finals.
Women's Single Scull champion Dana Faletic continued her impressive form with a commanding win in their heat of the Women's Double Scull with Robyn Selby Smith. The New South Wales crew of Zoe Uphill and Elizabeth Kell finished second.
The day proved to be just as successful for Faletic's Tasmanian team mate Tom Gibson who took out the Men's Lightweight Single Scull. Gibson and another Tasmanian, Sam Beltz, had a momentous early struggle, with Gibson eventually gaining the ascendancy and the National title.
'Once I got to 500 metres to go I was able to generate some good boat speed and pulled away from him and then with about 250 metres to go I knew I could win it just as long as I could hang on,' Gibson said.
Tara Kelly had one of the rows of the day to claim gold in the Women's Lightweight Single Scull, finishing ahead of Amber Halliday and Kirsty Fleming.
Tomorrow's racing features some of the nation's best junior and school crews.
For more information contact National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Tuesday 7 March 2006
Tasmania sweep the medals at Nationals
Tasmania's rowers have used their home town advantage to the fullest today to dominate the medals at the second day of the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington.
Tasmanian boats won five gold medals from 14 events this morning. Scott Brennan claimed the Men's Single Scull final in an upset win and dedicated his victory to former Tasmanian Head Coach Sam Le Compte. Le Compte died last year from asbestos-related cancer and Brennan spoke candidly about his former coach's influence.
'He shaped my rowing career completely, so I owe him a lot,' Brennan said 'He could make a champion out of anyone and that was his talent.'
Brennan finished in front of defending champion David Crawshay, with Dan Noonan taking bronze. The 23-year-old admitted he was surprised to see himself in the lead in the closing stages of the race, overcoming a strong headwind to claim the title by half a length.
'I don't know where that came from ... but I just thought about (Le Compte) and thought 'stuff this, I'm just going for it and it paid off.'
Dana Faletic, also from Tasmania, won gold in the Women's Single Scull and is now focused on translating her strong domestic form into international success.
'I want to go over and win a world championship,' Faletic said. 'I know a lot of the girls already quite well and we all have the same goal and whatever boat we're in we'll do well.'
The Victorian crew of Cameron McKenzie-McHarg and Lachlan McPherson took gold in the Men's Coxless Pairs, holding off Olympians Drew Ginn and Duncan Free and last year's World Championship crew of Christian Ryan and Karsten Forsterling.
The South Australian brother and sister combination of James and Anna McRae both claimed gold in their respective Under 23 Single Scull finals. The 19-year-olds will now switch their focus to South Australia's Men's and Women's Youth Eight which will race on Sunday.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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Monday 6 March 2006
Ginn and Free return in style
Olympians Drew Ginn and Duncan Free defied a limited preparation to cruise to victory in their heat of the Men's Coxless Pairs this morning at the 2006 Hydro Tasmania Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta at Lake Barrington Course.
Ginn and Free led from start to finish ahead of the defending National Champions Sam Conrad and Hardy Cubasch. Both crews have qualified for tomorrow's final. Ginn was particularly pleased with the effort, considering their limited time on the water together.
"We raced a couple of years ago and haven't really trained together so from that perspective everything is a learning experience," Ginn said. "I think if we worry too much about others then we're going to make a few mistakes, so it's about us going out and doing the best we can do."
Free admitted he was unsure of what to expect from the regatta. "This was my first race since the Athens Olympics and there's a bit of uncertainty because I haven't done it for a while so you don't know how you'll go physically or performance wise," Free said.
Meanwhile, six of Australia's 2005 World Champion winning Women's Eight crew figured prominently in the Women's Coxless Pairs heats. The AIS boat of Robyn Selby Smith and Sally Kehoe, who rowed in the Women's Double Scull last year, took out their heat to progress to the semi final ahead of Fleur Chew and Pauline Frasca. Kate Hornsey and Claire Shield won the second heat from Amber Bradley and Joanna Lutz.
Sonia Mills put in a dominant performance to win her heat in the Women's Single Scull, with Elizabeth Kell and Suzanne Brown making it through to this afternoon's Semi Final. Brooke Pratley won a strong heat in the Single Sculls, with Sarah Outhwaite and Sally Robbins also qualifying for the semi final.
Racing for the Under 23 and Junior rowers continues this afternoon.
Rowing Australia will be holding a media briefing at the Lake Barrington Regatta Centre at 3.35pm today with National Technical Director Noel Donaldson available for comments.
For more information contact National Development Manager Adam Horner on 0439 861 729.
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March 2006
Massive field set for Australian Rowing Championships
One of the biggest ever fields will descend on the Lake Barrington International Rowing Course from March 6-12 for the Hydro Tasmania 2006 Australian Rowing Championships and Interstate Regatta.
Approximately 1400 athletes and 300 coaches will be involved, including current Olympic and World Championship gold medallists.
Drew Ginn, dual Olympic champion and member of the 'Oarsome Foursome', will make his return to competition after a break following his success at the Athens Olympics.
Ginn, who rows for the Mercantile Rowing Club in Melbourne, will compete in the Men's Pair alongside Duncan Free, as well as the Men's Coxless Four and the Men's Eight.
'This year's Australian Rowing Championships should not only be one of the biggest in terms of athlete participation, but also one of the most competitive,' Rowing Australia's High Performance Director, Noel Donaldson said.
'Having names such as Drew Ginn, Sonia Mills and Sally Kehoe competing in Tasmania for national positions will make for some tremendous racing.'
Mills will be out to continue the form which saw her claim a gold medal in the Women's Eight at the 2005 World Rowing Championships in Japan, and the Canberra rower is keen to race in the Women's Single Scull.
Similarly, Kehoe, a former World Junior Single Sculls Champion, will be out to consolidate her standing as one of the world's most gifted young rowers as she tries her hand in the pair with Women's Eight champion Robyn Selby Smith.
'The national team's form throughout last year's international season was very pleasing and was capped off with four gold medals at the World Rowing Championships in Japan,' Donaldson said.
'This is the first national regatta of the year and we will get a strong indication of how the preparation for the upcoming international season has been going.'
The Australian Rowing Championships will also include Junior (Under 21) and Under 23 athletes as well as a host of crews from schools right across Australia.
For more information contact Rowing Australia's Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Dee, on (02) 6256 5999.
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