Archive News from April 2005

Snippets of news and events from earlier months, as shown originally on the Rowing Service News Page.
Standard results/events/etc not shown.

Friday 29th April 2005
• Cardiff University (UK) have damaged a Janousek IV and are keen to get it to them as soon as possible for repair. If any clubs going to BUSA will be taking boats to Janousek soon, could they email or call Fraser Munro (07970602203).
• Some history on Hexham Rowing Club (UK) on the NERN timeline.
• Wudiboat Benelux (Netherlands) are a new rowing boat distribution company with links to Flying Eagle Boats in China, and headed up by former FISA Materials Commission chief Klaus Filter.

  Thursday 28th April 2005

• Borne & Chiswick Bridge Regatta (UK) is being revived this year after a couple of years suspension during the ARA competition review. Entries close 5pm Saturday 30th April, can be made by standard form and post. More details on the Mortlake A & A website.
• Evesham Regatta (UK) - the meadow for car parking next to the club is open for the regatta only, with controlled access at the request of the council. Please would all planning to park there have ID ready (eg ARA card or club kit) to confirm you are competing rowers and OK to park) when you arrive. Trailers should ring Evesham Rowing Club on 01386-446131 when a few minutes away from the meadow so that the club can let you in. Draw for the regatta is on the ERC website.
• The first four Knight Frank scholarships at Kingston Rowing Club (UK) have been awarded to Tim Frost of Beverley School, Geoff Meyers of the American Community School, Oliver Bashlawi of Grey Court School and Henry Heath of Tiffin Boys School, who received their awards from Jürgen Grobler last week.
• Entries for Monmouth Sprint & Regatta (28th-29th May, UK) are now open. Full details on the MRC website (link now corrected).
• JAMCO Times are broadcasting and doing live split times from the California - Stanford Big Row at Redwood Shores on Saturday evening (USA). Coverage begins at 5pm PDST and continues until the 6:30pm race is over.
• Starting at 6am tomorrow a coxed quad is attempting the navigable Thames record from Lechlade to Southend Pier. Progress updates on the Thames Challenge website (UK).

  Wednesday 27th April 2005

• The draw for Gent Regatta (Belgium) is up.
• And the draw for the BUSA regatta is also up (UK) - a mixture of Word letters and Excel draws. BUSA Regatta includes selection races for GBR team for the European Universities Championships.
• Changes to the British International Rowing Supporters' Club (UK).
• A bundle of Junior Inter-Regional results (UK).
• 2005 Belgrade International features tough juniors from FISA. More relevant information on the Serbian Rowing website in both Serbo-Croat and English, although to make the menu links work you will have to go through the non-English side of the site. The full regatta results are downloadable as Word documents from the rezultati page.
• The prospectus for Durham Regatta (UK, 11th-12th June) is now available.
• The ever-alert Tideway Slug has noticed that the ARA boat registration notice and official three-letter UK club codes are on the ARA website. This applies to any boats used on the London Tideway (whether local or visiting). If you don't like your Nat Champs-based three-letter club code you can have it changed, but ask soon before they start doing this year's programme.

  Tuesday 26th April 2005

• Entries are open on OARA for the Hereford City Regatta (Bank Holiday Monday 30th May, UK), including the West of England Challenge Vase for elite coxed fours.
• Over the recent weekend, Evesham RC (UK) managed to acquire an extra set of riggers by accident, at either Birmingham or Notts City regattas. Anyone who thinks they might be theirs should email Steve Redgewell giving details (how many, make, type, what type of tape they were wrapped in) and they will gladly return them.
• Draw for Marlow Spring Regatta (UK) now up.
• A poster for Tyne Regatta (15th May, UK) can be downloaded in MS Word format.

  Monday 25th April 2005

• Club contacts for the Thames Region (UK) please read this request.
• News that Joe Savill (Radley, Jesus and Cambridge, Blue 1938 and 1939) died on March 27th (UK).
• A new online booking system for the FISA World Masters Regatta (September, Strathclyde) has now gone live.
• NERN has the application/nomination form for the ARA Volunteer Awards 2005 up on its website (UK, Word format). The categories include Open Club, Higher Education, Junior, and the ARA will decide national awards from amongst the regional winners in the categories. Closing date for the regional nominees to go forward for national awards is 31st May 2005.
• Results of Oxford City Bumps are online. CORC kept both headships.
• Results of Notts City (UK, tailwind) at this link. The committee would like to thank everyone for respecting the one-minute silence in honour of Robin Haslam on the Saturday: they were very touched.
• Thames Ditton Regatta (UK) is now open for entries via OARA and conventional means.

  Saturday 23rd April 2005

• St. George's Day (England).
• Details of what's available for Durham City Regatta online entries on the club's website (UK). By this morning the Saturday entries were open and the Sunday ones should be done later this weekend.

  Friday 22nd April 2005

• Draw for the Lea Spring Regatta Sunday 24th April, UK) is online.
• Final results for Abingdon Head (UK) are now up online (in Excel format, soon to be converted to HTML).
• Entries for Marlow Spring Regatta (UK) close at 1pm this coming Sunday (24th April). The order of receipt of entries will be used to prune the numbers if it is over-subscribed. Info on link above or email msr_entries@btinternet.com, tel 07816769026.
• Olympian Tricia Smith has been appointed chef de mission for the Canadian team at the 2007 Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro.
• The Gallagher Boathouse Eights event (New Zealand) has been set for 10th September 2005. This year it is Oxford vs the Waikato men's eight, tbc versus the Waikato women, with an erg race as part of the preliminaries.

  Thursday 21st April 2005

• The draw for Wallingford Regatta (UK) is now up.
• Although entries for Wallingford (above) have now closed as it is oversubscribed, Evesham Regatta (UK, the same weekend) is still open, has availability and is accepting entries until Sunday via both OARA and traditional methods.
• The draw for the combined Strathclyde Park Regatta and Scottish University Championships (Glasgow, UK this weekend) is up in PDF and Excel formats. There is also a covering letter (PDF) which entered clubs should have read.
• Nottingham University BC (UK) are running their usual post-racing Tiger Bar at the BUSA regatta (both Sat 30th April and Sun 1st May). £7 wristbands => cheap drinks all weekend. (The coaches are going to love that - ed.)
• The Durham City Regatta OARA entry system (UK) will not be ready for use until Saturday evening this weekend.
• Laurel Korholtz has been appointed US Rowing's women's national team administrative assistant and asst coach (USA).

  Wednesday 20th April 2005

• Late update (UK): - To quote the organisers of the Notts City regatta - "We stuffed up the Sunday draw, and it's being revised at the moment. It will go online on Thursday morning. Apologies (hangs head in shame)... And no, we were NOT drunk!" They're also trying to contact all the crews by email etc. to warn them the current Sunday draw will change.
• PowerHouse Rowing Club (Australia) has shifted its website to phrc.org.au.
• Midday 27th to midday 28th April St. Mary's College BC Durham (UK) is doing a 24-hour river row, presumably to raise money. Other river users be warned.
• Six places currently available for a one-week sculling camp in Penne D'Angenais in France, from 28th August to Sept 3rd. Full details from Allan Whitwell (UK).
• Star Club Bedford (UK) have trailer space available going to Gent Regatta, Belgium on 7th-8th May. Those interested should contact Martin.
• Draw for Birmingham Regatta (UK) is now up.
• JAMCO Times is doing live audio streaming broadcast and stats/graphics for the Washington/Cal races in Seattle this coming Saturday. Racing is from 9:00-10:30 PDST.

  Tuesday 19th April 2005

• Update on Mahe - Waterskier may be charged over collision with Olympic rower (New Zealand Herald).
• The MAD team did it: they set their four new British indoor team records last weekend. Donations in aid of Cancer Research.
• The move of the North East Rowing website to http://www.nerowing.com/ has now been achieved (UK).
• The umpire's training course in the UK north-east originally planned for 20th April has been delayed until 27th April to accommodate those who couldn't make the first date. Those interested who can't make 27th should contact Ken Hastie via the NERN website/ as an additional date can be arranged.
• Australia's team plans for this year, announced yesterday, do not list an LM8+. In fact the aim is for the LM4-, LM2- and the extra two selected plus an as yet unnamed cox to double into the men's lightweight eight later on this season. Perhaps this will become a pattern for other countries, to keep the squad tight while maintaining the LM8+ event?
• Draw for Nottingham City Regatta (UK) is online. There will be a minute's silence in memory of Robin Haslam before the finals start on Saturday.
• Draw for the Southampton Coastal Head (UK) is out. Late entries available on the day at £5 a seat.
• From FISA, First blind-only indoor rowing competition and Keeping pace with Jaanson.
• Results for the UK Junior Inter-regionals are hidden away on the NWSC results site.
• Provisional results from Abingdon Head (UK) in Excel format.
• Results out from the Head of the Stour (UK) plus in-house photos. Results are in Excel format from the linked page.
• No results yet from Leicester Regatta (UK) but they should be here when ready.

  Monday 18th April 2005

• A few days ago NZ Olympian Mahe Drysdale was crashed into by a water skier while sculling on Lake Karapiro. Although badly bruised, he managed to avoid any spinal damage, and is hoping to be back to light training by the end of this week. The skier had to have 10 stitches in his leg, but fortunately the boat's backstays took the brunt of the damage for both of them.
• The Portora (Ireland) job (see 14th April) has had its closing date changed to 15th May instead of 1st June - those interested please note.
• RC Lausanne (Switzerland) has now set its own website up at www.rclausanne.com.
• 1984 rowing silver medallist Tricia Smith has been elected to the Canadian Olympic Council's Executive Committee (Canada).
• Provincial government funds of $1million Canadian have been put forward to help the John Lecky Memorial boathouse project (UBC, Canada).
• An interview with Aquil Abdullah on Rudern1 (in English, German site).
• The Environment Agency (UK) has been given £15million for flood defences in the north-east of England following this winter's floods.
• More north-east news (UK) - the NERN and NRC websites will be moving shortly to www.nerowing.com. Webmaster Ken Hastie has also put up a Word document about the use of C2-type footclogs in boats following recent safety advice about them.
• London Docklands Regatta (14th May, UK) is now accepting entries via OARA. Payment by cheque only, full details on the website above.
• Sir Steve Redgrave finished this year's London Marathon in 4 hrs 21:36 yesterday, while Cracknell was sidelined due to injury (UK). He was wearing the bib number 2012 to promote the London Olympic bid. For news of other rowers running the event see today's Tideway Slug. What about the Boston Marathon today?
• While we're at it with news, the BBC Sport team which covered the Athens rowing got a TV BAFTA last night for their production of the programme including Pinsent's fourth gold (UK).
• Nithsdale Regatta has altered its dates from 18/6 to what is now a two-day 140th anniversary regatta to be held on 25th & 26th June (UK).

  Friday 15th April 2005

• Being cr*p I forgot to put up that GBR Olympian Steve Williams was on Question of Sport until too late today (UK). The repeat, for those who want to watch Steve managing to remember Cath Bishop's name with barely a hesitation, is on late Sat night/Sun am: 01:35-02:05 on Sunday 17th April, BBC 1.
• Trouble with the usual City of Oxford RC server (UK) has meant that they've put up an alternative page for those wishing to enter the City Bumps (closing date Sunday). Click on the link above to see entry details.
• Michiel Bartman has been appointed head coach at Vesper Boat Club, Philadelphia, USA.

  Thursday 14th April 2005

• Two women's rowing lectures at the Henley River and Rowing Museum (UK) this summer: 7th May 11:30am "Putting Women's Rowing on the Gold Standard" by Paul Thompson, and 14th June "In the medal zone of the Athens Olympics" by Alison Mowbray.
• Tiffin Girls School (UK) are holding a fundraising event for their School Fire Appeal, founded in the wake of the 2003 disaster which saw much of the main teaching building destroyed by fire. The fundraiser is "An Evening with Matthew Pinsent" (don't forget the 'sir', girls), hosted by BBC broadcaster Garry Richardson and including an auction of signed memorabilia, on Friday 22nd April. Tickets can only be purchased in advance - details from a PDF file accessible from the main website front page.
• Portora Royal School (Ireland) has a coaching job going: "N. Ireland boys school with 500 pupils and a great rowing history requires a young enthusiastic rowing coach for September 2005. Attractive package offered in this most beautiful part of the Fermanagh lakelands. Contact R. Northridge before 15th May (note changed date) (tel 02866322658 UK, 04866322658 ROI).
• Chris Anton has now put the ARA Council meeting papers for 16th April (UK) up on his website.
• Marlow Spring Regatta (2nd May, UK) will be accepting OARA entries from 17th April. Their new website address (as above) is www.marlowtown.com.
• Details of two residential ARA bronze award courses to be held in Worcester and Kingston-upon-Thames this August (UK).

  Wednesday 13th April 2005

• Slightly belatedly since I've been a tad busy, the 2008 Beijing Paralympics have decided to allow adaptive rowing in. Brilliant. More on the FISA website.
• Rowing Canada has appointed Ian Moss as its new Executive Director.
• One place has become available on Allan Whitwell's latest sculling course, being held this weekend (16th/17th April) on the Thames at Weybridge (UK). Details and how to take it up on the link.
• Results for the Tideway Scullers Head (UK) are available online and as an Excel file.
• Patrick Moore has put three more rowing-related slideshows on his webpage.
• A new rowing photographer has started up in the UK - Videostar already has pictures of the Bedford Spring Fours and Small Boats Head. The photographer, Jim Newton, is new to the game, and would appreciate feedback.

  Tuesday 12th April 2005

• Full British final trials results on the BIRO website (UK). Winners; M2- Andrew Triggs Hodge and Peter Reed (OUBC), W1x Katherine Grainger (St. Andrews), M1x Alan Campbell (TSS), LW1x Jo Hammond (Rob Roy), LM1x Mark Hunter (Leander).

  Monday 11th April 2005

• The Borders bookshop in Kingston-upon-Thames (UK) now has a big pile of copies of Olympic Obsession by Martin Cross, and will mail them to anywhere in the world. Telephone +44-208-974-9444 to discuss it.
• Sculler Malcolm Knight beat the record for the singlehanded navigation of the river Thames by more than 16 hours this weekend (UK). Clever bloke. Details on the link.
• 8Mais-Representacoes Nauticas, suppliers in Portugal and Spain of BBG and Salani boats, Croker oars, Godfrey Rowsports and Rock The Boat clothing. Snailmail address R. Aviacao Naval, 7-2º esq-frt, 3810-055 Aveiro - PORTUGAL, Tel:+351964264737, Fax:+351234085788 and the site is in Portuguese and Spanish.
• The peculiarly bonkers MAD erging club (UK) is going after a quartet of relay marathon records (42.195km each between four) on April 16th in Portsmouth. They're raising money for Cancer Research UK - team details listed in FISA's news, and messages on a thread of the C2 UK forum.
• Details of the Oxford City Bumps (4+'s, 23rd April, UK) are on the CORC website. Entries close Sunday 17th April.
• A poster for Lea Spring Regatta (24th April, UK) on the Lea RC website.
• Davies Rowtech (UK) are having a spring sale of their ratemeters, for a limited time and quantity, first-come, first-served with prices typically starting at £34. Plus Coaching Ratewatch for £45. Link as above.
• The poster for Durham City Regatta (UK) is up.
• A belated bit of UK news - Reading University BC, which has become a World Class Start centre, has been given extra funds for scholarships from this coming September and would like to hear from people wishing to apply. Contact Will Rand.

  Friday 8th April 2005

• Last-minute UK Tideway appeal - "Two persons are needed to help with observational duties during the Tideway Scullers HOR race, Saturday April 9th, on the hard opposite Chas Newens from about 1650 to 1730 hours.   No pay but you might well extract a drink out of the RWSA!  Contact  safetyadviser[at]thames-rrc.org or 020 8874 2013 and leave a message for Chris George."
• Fresh from the Bantamweight Press, Bodgit Johns's Training Camp Diary, the confessions of a disturbed sculler....
• Canada has introduced its first Weather Protocol primarily for use at regattas.
• Information about Evesham RC's Annual and Sprint regattas (30th April and 1st May, UK) are on the club website. Entries via OARA from this weekend (not as on the posters since the unavailability of the OARA administrator meant the club didn't get the password when expected. Evesham's site will be growing over the next months.
• Details for Bradford Spring regatta (UK) are on the club's website. It's a primary regatta of the new format, aimed at new and less experienced rowers: explanatory notes online. Entries via OARA, email or telephone. Payment NOT via OARA as there is a discount for those entering more than one event.
• A preview of the Skelin brothers' Book of Rowing (in Croatian), aimed at beginners.
• Cambridge Sport Lakes (UK) has shifted its website from the old Cambridge Rowing Trust address and is now to be found at www.cambridgesportlakes.org.uk. There is a press release about their newest patron, Prof. Sarah Springman.
• News from the USA that former cox Dan Julian, who steered the Amlong brothers in their 2+ in the 1960's, died last Saturday.

  Thursday 7th April 2005

• Search for missing rower (Australia, syndicated) - a Penrith Rowing Club sculler has disappeared and his single found empty in west Sydney yesterday morning. The search continues.
• Full entry list for the GB final national trials (UK).
• The Skiff Championships Regatta trailer (UK) has disappeared - it was stored in the car park of the Wraysbury Skiff & Punting Club and probably went some time in February. Description - 30 feet long, steel open-framed trailer box, with two boat racks mounted in the centre of the box towards the rear and front. Trailer rear extension for numberplate, double axle (4 wheels), painted blue and approx. 30 years old, with a carrying capacity of 6 Thames skiffs. Previously owned by Eton College, Wraysbury S&PC and Burway RC so may be familiar to those on the circuit. If anyone has information please contact David Taylor 01753 708294 (day) or 01344 455719 (evening).
• The draw for Bedford Head (UK, 10th April) is up.
• Nottingham City Regatta entry details are now live on OARA (UK).
• Chiswick Regatta (UK) can take entries via OARA and also by conventional means. Details at the link.
• A poster for Tees Regatta (UK, May 21st) is up in JPG format. New for this year: adaptive events and qualifying veteran novice races. Repechage system where possible. Students with morning exams who would still like to race in the afternoon should contact the organisers as early as possible. OARA entries should be working from May 1st.

  Wednesday 6th April 2005

• Draw for the TSS Head (UK) is up.
• Jamco Times (USA) is doing live coverage of the Windermere Crew Classic this weekend, which several top US crews who missed the SDCC are going to.
• Information and entry details for the Southampton Coastal Head (UK, 23rd April) - all coastal classes and prizes of glass tankards and head pennants.

  Tuesday 5th April 2005

• Olympian Cath Bishop (GBR) is running the London Marathon for UK Hospices and a Sarajevo-based children's cancer charity. [She's now in Bosnia working for the Foreign Office, hence the link.] More details online where you can also donate to her causes if you so wish.
• Draw and safety information for Ponteland Junior Head is on the Ponteland High School website (UK).
• Laryssa Biesenthal has been named Canada's assistant national team coach. More on Rowing Canada Aviron.
• Cadgwith Gig Club (UK) have shifted to www.cadgwithgigclub.co.uk.

  Monday 4th April 2005

• The All-Ireland Coastal rowing regatta will be held in Wicklow on 20th-21st August this year. Very little information available as yet but it will go on www.cahersiveenrc.tkwhen it is eventually released.
• Jamco Times have results of the San Diego Crew Classic up, including post-race interviews with Steve Gladstone and Craig Amerkhanian, after the latter's Stanford varsity beat the former's Cal crew in the opening heat of the Copley Cup.

  Saturday 2nd April 2005

• Birmingham Regatta (UK) is now open for entries. However, OARA can't yet cope with J11 and younger, beginners and unregistered crews so Birmingham will accept paper entries for these: details on link above.
• The Junior Inter-Regional Regatta (Holme Pierrepont, April 17th, UK) is on the lookout for extra non-ML umpiring help as they are a bit stretched.
• A link for Norwich Union Rowing Club (UK).

  Friday 1st April 2005

• The Rabbit's Guide to Rowing Films (movies for the Anglophonically challenged) has been updated.
• Bittersweet news for Rowing News magazine - editor Ed Winchester has been head-hunted to AMC Outdoors as this PDF press release from the RN explains. Congratulations Ed, and good luck to whoever ends up following in his hefty footsteps. Regular readers do not fear - the immensely competent founding publisher Chip Davis will be overseeing the RN until a new editor is appointed.
• Due to difficulties receiving passwords and other information Ponteland High School will not be able to accept OARA entries for Ponteland Junior Head (UK) so email, snail-mail or walk round if you live close....
• Cute! Godfrey (UK) are doing club-embroidered babygrows. Aaaahhhh.
• No idea how I came to overlook Hamilton Rowing Club (New Zealand), which is on the banks of the Waikato River in NZL and linked as above.
• Boatbuilder Dave Ovington of Tynemouth (UK) died suddenly of a suspected heart attack last weekend. He was well-known to rowers through his boat-repair business which regularly dealt with rowing shells, and his sailing boats won gold, silver and bronze at the last Olympics.