2016 Junior Annual Camp

Eighteen rowers took part in the annual camp that included the Taree Summer regatta. Lasting thirteen days, the camp was shorter than past years but it saw great improvements both physically and technically of all involved.

The training camp consisted of eighteen sessions of which fourteen were rowing sessions. The intense training was beneficial for rowing but also allowed rowers to be around each other both in the ups and downs and saw the group grow closer as a result which was great to see. By the end of the large block of rowing that took place in the first six days of camp, many were tired and sore but the hard work had to be done, and they were all starting to get excited for the upcoming racing.

The hard training on the Nepean River was rewarded by a trip to Taree but with some rowers racing up to eleven times over the two and a half day event, it was going to be anything but easy.

The hard training on the Nepean River was rewarded by a trip to Taree but with some rowers racing up to eleven times over the two and a half day event, it was going to be anything but easy.
 
After arriving at Taree on Friday, racing was underway by 2pm and Nepean had many entries for the three hours of racing. Weather was rough to say the least for the first day but this has become to be expected when racing at Taree. First up was the men’s D grade doubles and this saw three Nepean crews take to the water. Matt and Airtarn claimed a second place in what they describe as a rough race but the boys then combined with Jim and Campbell to claim another second in the men’s C grade quad which saw an improvement in boat feeling. The quad of Chris, Joel, Angus and Henry won their division in the same category after all coming away with fourth placings in the men’s B singles which they were all very excited to race in.

 In other quad racing, Nepean competed in the women’s C quad with the crew of Tallara, Raquel, Victoria and Elizabeth. After catching a crab at around midway through the race the crew recovered well and claimed second, only one second behind Penrith who went on to win. Raquel then followed up this performance by a first in the women’s B grade single. Tallara and Victoria then teamed up with Joel and Angus in the mixed quad. Joel and Angus, being the big lads they think they are, were not coping well in the cold conditions but this did not stop the quad in recording a win.   
 
We went back to accommodation and after freshening up for dinner we made our annual visit to ‘the log’. A group dinner which encapsulated one of the key purposes of a group camp, in everyone getting together and just having some fun. This was followed by many going to their rooms to watch movies and then rest up for the next day of racing.
 
The next day of racing was kicked off with Victoria and Elizabeth in the under 16 singles. Victoria went away with a convincing win which she then backed up later in the day in winning the C grade double with Tallara and then had another victory in the C grade single.

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Elizabeth had a successful day coxing, in leading the Nepean men’s C grade eight to victory in what is the first win for a Nepean crew in the men’s grade system in an eight since the inception of grade racing in 2007. The crew of Elizabeth, Chris, Joel, Henry, Angus, Airtarn. Matt, Will and Alaaddin were ecstatic with the win and it was great to witness. Also, at his third Taree regatta, Alaaddin claimed his first win at Taree ever and it was fitting to be in real rowing, sweep. Elizabeth, later in the day went on to cox Chris, Joel, Will and Henry to victory in the men’s C grade four.

Chris, Joel, Angus and Henry had a B grade quad first up on Saturday and though they put up a good fight against a stronger UNSW crew they were unable to push through and went away with the second. Though they were all evidently tired from the race they all had four more races to compete in for the day. The boys split into doubles for the under 19 and B grade events with Joel and Henry taking a win in the under 19 double and as a result now officially B grade rowers.

Angus, later that afternoon had a hard race in the under 17 single. After trailing for the majority of the race, Angus took his opportunity at the 750 metre mark where the waterway opens up and he pushed to pull even with the Endeavour sculler. After making the mistake of looking at the other rower in the final stages and making a mistake as a result, he was still able to hold on for the win by only three tenths of a second.

Pat also went away with a third in the under 17 single after earlier in the day taking away a second in the D grade double. In other D grade racing, Miles claimed a second in the other division of the D grade single and then went on to combine with Campbell, Jim and Ryan to claim the second in the men’s D grade quad. Miles then went on to race in the under 16 single and despite being bottom age for this category, he showed great composure in taking out the win by a ten second margin but by his reaction at the end of the race, he had certainly given it his all.

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This attitude of giving it your all, no matter where you are in a race was exhibited by many  Nepean crews over the weekend and it, above any amount of medals or placing is what we should all aim to achieve. If we are not striving to do our own personal best, we are cutting ourselves short of our true potential.

The girls racing saw Raquel claim a good win in the under 19 single. She then along with Tallara stepped up to under 23 singles to claim second and third respectively. The small contingent of four girls did not allow as many crew combinations as the boys but regardless of this  they all performed very well in the events they did contest.

Another day was over and the weather could not quite make up its mind what it was doing but the results for Nepean were very consistent and we were all looking forward to another day of racing. Another group dinner followed by a UNO game by many of the rowers capped off another great day.

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The next morning saw another early start for Elizabeth and Victoria in the under 16 double. Both girls were feeling flat, but they gave it a good shot however Penrith were too good on the day and they had to settle for second place.

Angus and Pat were next up and were beaten to the line by a good Oxenford crew to claim second. Pat combined with Matt, Airtarn and Will along with Miles as coxswain who due to his large stature had to hold a three kilogram weight so that he was eligible to cox. The boys, though admitting to a rough row for the majority of the race took out the win. Elizabeth stepped back into the coxswain seat for the men’s D grade eight which only saw one crew change with Pat taking over bow seat from Alaaddin. Long-time rivals, St George, stood in their way of another victory and the boys were hungry after yesterday’s win. A tight race from the outset was expected but the boys were able to wind it up in to the finish and claim a four second victory. 

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Erik and Kate claimed a convincing win in the parra double on Saturday. This performance transferred to their singles on Sunday with Erik claiming third in the lightweight single, first in the under 21 single and Kate took home a second in the parra single.

Victoria was still feeling flat after the double, but she took to the water and attempted to claim her third single win for the weekend. Another strong performance saw this become a reality. Later in the day, Raquel and Tallara teamed up in the B grade double to claim a first place after Raquel had earlier that day claimed a third in the under 19 double with a Balmain rower.

The boys performances as we neared the end of the regatta continued to maintain at a high standard with Alaaddin, Jim and Miles claiming third in the C grade singles. Chris, Joel, Angus and Henry faced off with a strong Oxenford/Sydney composite and despite their exhaustion from the abundance of races over the past days they went away with a well-deserved second. 

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The camp as a whole could not have happened without the help of many individual’s coming together to allow the team as a whole to benefit. Special mention’s go to Mark for looking after the boats and though some may say he is OCD (not me of course) his help is greatly appreciated. To Jeff for being group photographer and helping wherever needed. Michele for preparing food for the Taree trip. Danny, Mark and Olivier who helped out for the weekend. John again drove the bus for the rowers and a big thankyou goes to him.  There are several others who contributed towards camp this year and I would just like to say a big thankyou to you all and I assure you everything you do does not go unnoticed.

Results Summary
1st: 18
2nd:  15
3rd:  12