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The final of Nepean’s three events was upon us and it saw an increase in numbers from previous years. We had perfect conditions and some great racing was showcased over the day. The day was opened up with David and Sean putting on a display for the crowd as they went for a swim with less than 250 metres to go in their open double. The boys took the mishap in their stride and had a good performance in their D grade quad where they teamed up with Elijah and Awtel. Single racing saw some good performances. In the under 16’s Victoria and Miles won their respective divisions, Maral won in the under 17’s, Erik took out the under 21’s, Paul won masters and Sienna took out the novice single.  The doubles saw Joel and Angus win the under 19’s while Victoria and Genevieve won the under 16’s. Jooya and Miles had a tough race against Newcastle Grammar in the under 16 event however it was not to be with Newcastle taking it out with the boys settling for second. The big crews saw some different combinations than usual and provided some good racing. The men’s and women’s C grade quad events were both taken out by Nepean crews with Genevieve, Victoria, Tallara and Maral taking out the women’s and Angus, Joel, Henry and Miles taking out the men’s. The mixed quads are always some fun racing and they led to two more victories with Pal, Peter, Sienna and Paul taking out the first division while Angus, Joel, Tallara and Victoria took out the second division.  One of the major highlights of the day was boating men’s and women’s D grade eights. The women’s crew of Alyssa, Fiona, Bianca, Victoria, Jacqui, Tallara, Genevieve, Maral and Elizabeth were the only crew in the D grade event but raced alongside the C grade UTS crew. UTS took out the race but the girls showed some promise for future racing in this boat category.  The men’s eight of Miles, Will, Henry, Airtarn, Daniel, Jason, Joel, Angus and Elizabeth only had one D grade crew they were competing against in Glebe but were out to give it their best. Coming through the bridge in second overall with the C grade eight of Newington leading convincingly the crew caught a crab. Sydney took this opportunity and pushed through Nepean but with everyone pulling together they brought Sydney back and came second overall, and won the D grade category.  Leading on from this race I think it is worth reflecting on how important it is to remember it is not about getting down on yourself or on others when mistakes are made in a race but rather more important how you react as this reflects on your character as an individual. To the credit of the eight the issue was addressed in the race and then everyone got on with it and finished it with all they could and no hard feelings were felt towards anyone after the race.
A big thankyou to all the helpers that made this event possible. It was great to see rowers, parents and directors helping with many spending all day helping out. A thank you must also go to the boat race officials who helped on the day. That wraps up our events for another season. Again it must be said that the help provided by everyone over these events is greatly appreciated and has led to another three great events. Results summary 1st: 14 2nd: 6 3rd: 6 After a big attendance at the previous week’s regatta in Newcastle, we again had god numbers with nineteen rowers putting their hands up for the 400 metre sprint racing at Shoalhaven. With larger numbers we were able to boat a lot of different crew boats and with many having not trained together this presented an exciting element.
First up was the women’s under 16 singles. Victoria was first off and though she favoured an unconventional course that lead to her taking out the buoy on the far side of the course, she took out the win. Staying in a straight line proved to be an issue many rowers faced, however after their first unsuccessful attempt they improved in their following races which was good to see. Genevieve was the second race and she took out another win in the under 16’s. Victoria and Genevieve combined to take out the under 16 double, open quad with Alyssa and Tallara, and the C grade quad with Elizabeth and Maral. The other C grade quad division was won by the other Nepean crew of Aimee, Jacqui, Alyssa and Tallara. Alyssa and Genevieve along with Victoria and Maral took out their respective divisions in the C grade doubles. The C grade single saw Maral and Victoria face off and Victoria came out with the win but shortly after Maral backed up in the single to win in her under 17 race. The men’s racing kicked off with the under 16 singles and Jooya pushed out early to take the win. Single victories continued in C grade by Alaaddin, under 17 by Angus and under 19 by Joel. Quad crews were different than usual but this did not stop some good racing being displayed with both open quad divisions being taken out by Nepean crews of Johnathon, Will, Jason and Joel, and the other crew of Miles, Jooya, Henry and Angus. The C grade quad event saw two Nepean crews pushing each other to the line but it was Johnathon, Jooya, Miles and Henry who beat Sam, Jason, Joel and Angus to the line. The 19 double was won by Henry and Joel with Joel then going on to take out the open double with Angus. The other open double division was won by Will and Daniel, with Daniel earlier in the day taking out the C grade double with Jason. Jooya and Miles took out their division in the C grade double also. In total we had twenty two wins for the day which is a credit to everyone involved. However, more important than how many medals we attained is how we held ourselves in victory and that we always remember that success is not based on how many wins we may attain but rather about each of us doing the best we can. A big thank you to everyone who made the day possible and once again got in and helped where required. The teamwork in the past two regattas in loading and unloading, rigging, cheering fellow crews and so on has been very good and is something everyone who has been involved in should be very proud of. Results summary 1st: 22 2nd: 9 3rd: 3 |