2017 CDRA Sprint Championships

We headed off to Newcastle for the Central Districts Rowing Association’s Sprint Championships. This was our first time at the event and we were excited to get some sprints in to break up our usual racing schedule and also provided good practice for the upcoming State Sprint Championships.
Championship events
Championship events saw heats where necessary take place with the top rowers progressing if this was the case.
In the singles we had three wins with Johno taking out the under sixteen single, Victoria the under seventeen single and after assuming she did not win her heat, Tallara after a less than ideal race preparation rushed out for her final in the open’s single to take out the event.
In the big boats we claimed the women’s coxed four with the crew of Alyssa, Fiona, Jacqui, Victoria coxed by Aimee and also the men’s coxed four with Henry, Jason, Erik and Daniel coxed by Hugh.
Non-championship events
Grade events saw straight finals for all racing. Alaaddin and Johno both took out their C grade races and Johno also teamed up with Hugh to win the D grade double.
We again teamed up with Brisbane Waters Rowing Club as we have a few times already this season and claimed two wins in our composite crews. The men’s D grade four of Alaaddin, Madon, Erik, Henry and coxswain Hugh and the men’s D grade quad of Sean, Alaaddin, Madon and Hugh both won their respective races.
Linwood Throsby Gift Relay
The big event for the day was the Linwood Throsby Gift Relay. The event consisted of a mixed double, mixed four and mixed quad with no composites allowed. Five hundred dollars was up for grabs but it was the opportunity to be part of such an exciting event that sparked our interest. Due to five club’s entering the event we had to race a heat first. We drew Newcastle Uni and Newcastle Grammar. The first two legs (double and four) went seamlessly with Newcastle Uni gaining a lead but we were still in contention. The quad started rowing but due to a non-racing crew accidently venturing on the course, our crew collided. This caused us to be unable to finish the race, have damaged equipment and have some hurt rowers. The crew were all thankfully able to continue racing and the equipment repaired or replaced with spare equipment we had brought. We thought it was over, and not in the way we would have ever had thought, knowing we were not able to showcase our best race. Due to the generosity of Newcastle Rowing Club, we were gifted a spot in the final and we would once again face Newcastle Uni and the winners of the other heat, Hunter Valley Grammar School. We knew it would be a hard race but we wanted to put our best foot forward and give it a good go. The double got off to a good start and were holding with the other crews when Newcastle Uni caught a crab that held them back with Hunter Valley. The double of Genevieve and Daniel crossed the line in first with over a length lead which was no surprise to them, but was to many others who doubted them (there were many). The four of Jason, Erik, Tallara, Jacqui and coxswain Hugh capitalised on the lead and pushed out further to give the quad of Henry, Miles, Victoria and Aimee a lead which they pushed out further, leading to our overall victory. Winning this event was great but it was the lessons we can learn from this that are far more important than a cup or money. Being able to move on from bad situations and sticking together as a team were fundamental in our success and attributes everyone involved should be proud of displaying.
 
 
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