Archive News from April 2006

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

Friday 28th April 2006
• By popular request, entry forms for the Rowers' Revenge Triathlon (UK) are now available from the website. If you do want to race, get in there early - entries are limited to 500. It will be the last race in the Concept 2 Rowathlon series.
• The useful Thames Regional Rowing Council documentation page (UK) now has up agenda, reports and draft minutes from the April 2006 Exec Cttee meeting, finalised minutes etc. for the previous three meetings, and electronic copies of handouts for these meetings. Clubs in the region are advised to take a look.
• The Bedford on Sunday newspaper (UK) is holding a poll to reflect the views of its readers over whether the Bedford rowing lake goes ahead or not: there is an issue over a railway, I gather. I've been given a link to a message board where, after registration, those interested can have their say on the topic. The newspaper editor can be contacted on steve.lowe@lsnmedia.co.uk. Current messages on the subject on this thread.
• Entries for Tees Regatta are now being accepted on OARA (UK). I'm still finding the new ARA site hard to navigate - the site map is of occasional help if you want something not on the main menus, eg points rules.
• From FISA, Rowing's multi-talented Angela Alupei.
• Information on all the 2006 senior world events can be downloaded from FISA.
• I'm promised that video footage of the new Imperial College Ethos sports facilities opening (UK) includes a bit of Simon Dennis and Louis Atrill erging against each other...

  Thursday 27th April 2006

• Plea for help (UK): - "Strathclyde Uni BC have had their trailer stolen. It wasn't at the University playing fields at Stepps, Glasgow on Friday 21st when we went to pick it up to transport our boats out to Strathclyde Park for their regatta and we have since been informed that it was taken on 15th April at 10pm. It is a De Graff trailer with 12 spaces (3 wide, 4 high) and has a red handbrake cable. If anyone has been offered this trailer or knows anything could they please contact me on 07759559500. Caroline Davis."
• Entries for Borne at Chiswick Regatta (UK) close on Sunday 30th April. Snail, OARA or by hand to MAA are all acceptable.
• Pride at stake in annual clash of oars, a press release from Newcastle University (UK) over their annual Boat Race versus Durham.

  Wednesday 26th April 2006

• Tideway notice: (UK) - for reasons beyond POLA's control some of the yellow clean-up cages are being put in place straight away.
• The website for the Commonwealth Regatta (Strathclyde, Scotland, 5-6th August) is now live. Note - I was told a .com address as well, but in fact only the .co.uk address is working at the moment - RQ.
• BUSA Regatta draw for this coming weekend is now online (UK).
• Meanwhile Rock The Boat (UK) will have their BUSA shirts on sale during the regatta, by the finish tower. A donation/cut is given to the event for every t-shirt sold.
• A press release about the BUSA Regatta (UK).
• The draw for Marlow Spring Regatta (UK) is online now.
• And the draw for Merseyside Regatta (MS Word doc, UK) too.
• Advance information - the poster for Tyne Regatta (Word format, UK) has been uploaded to NERN.
• Details and entry information for Chester Regatta (May 20th, UK) are also online.
• A letter from Bhavik Ghandi explaining why he's just stopped his attempt to row across the Atlantic (IBN, India).
• Fitness product company Triactive America have just brought out a new RowRok machine. Anyone know if it's any good at all? Probably an excellent training machine for skiffers.

  Tuesday 25th April 2006

• I'm delighted to see a website for the Mark Lees Foundation (UK) - which will help aspirant GB rowers apply to it. It's a great foundation, particularly helpful when people are successful but not yet centrally funded.
• Help! (shouts King's School Worcester, UK). An eight they were planning to buy from Leicester University at the weekend has had its riggers and seats removed (they hope by accident) last Saturday at Notts City. The riggers are conventional Sims, marked 'Mike Morris' and the seats are marked 'MM'. Please contact boathouse manager Andy Hadcroft if you have information on their whereabouts.
• And results for Notts City are now up.
• From FISA, Italian rowers selected at the Paolo d'Aloja, and Beijing's rowing course nears completion (water to be added in September this year). Slight head winds for late-day racing, apparently - yum.
• The instructions, circulation pattern and draw for Wallingford Regatta (UK) are now out. Apologies from WRC to crews unable to be accommodated.
• Results online for Strathclyde Park Regatta (Scotland, UK, PDF format).
• Information for Thames Ditton Regatta (UK) is now online, with entries accepted offline or via OARA. For those who received the posted flyer, the correct version is on the website.
• Tideway news - the trial of the seven buoys above UL and buoys between Hammersmith and Putney (UK) ends on 15th May. Comments (good and bad) about them should be sent to the Port of London Authority (see links) before then. Please separate the two sets in your comments. Note that for irregular visitors to the Tideway some of the upstream buoys are being moved this week.

  Monday 24th April 2006

• The recent 2012 press release originally suggesting that adaptive rowing will make its first appearance at the London 2012 Paralympics has been corrected - the link should now point to the right version.
• More encouragingly, it looks as if the Cuban Sports Olympics will include rowing.
• An obituary for Joe Creed, who died while umpiring earlier this month (USA).
• The draw for Evesham Regatta (UK) is online. Record entries this year, to their delight.
• Regular readers may remember Quikky Games (UK), who had an 'Oarsome' rowing game I mentioned some time ago. They've now launched a bumps rowing game (I notice by the title-line the inventor is probably a Tab?) to add to their collection. Sales via eBay UK.
• British competitors note that Doncaster Regatta (UK) is a week earlier than their usual end-May date, this year on May 20th. Details on the link, entries close 14th May.
• The London Marathon is over - so did they all do it? Check the official site for results, the Slug for rowing results, the Times says Sir Steve did make his target (including pledged money), and Matt Pinsent says he can't pace himself. Crackers is a bit miffed he didn't go under 3 hours - missed by 10 seconds.

  Sunday 23rd April 2006

• Editor's comment: - Sitting at my computer this Sunday morning checking to see if there's anything particular I need to put up in news, I look at Steve Redgrave's fundraising page and notice something weird and wonderful. The UK has woken up - as I check by pressing refresh it becomes obvious several people every minute are making donations, mounting up to on average more than £100 a minute plus Gift Aid. And plenty of non-UK donors too, so it's not just due to the TV/radio coverage this morning. At this rate, he's going to get very close to his target... He's a knight of the realm, it's St. George's Day, what can we say. Good work everyone who has helped spread the word about his marathon fund-raising effort.
• World champion Mara Jones (LW4x) is Ontario's Femle Athlete of the Year (Canada).
• See the Tideway Slug for a map of new Thames21 clean-up cages being put out next week (UK).
• Sportsbite (UK) updated.

  Friday 21st April 2006

• Sir Steve is getting there - he's £800,000 of the way towards his marathon record-breaking fund-raising aim (UK). A lot more of the offline donations have been declared on the donations page, and plenty added online. He only needs another 8,000 people to donate £50 each (even without Gift Aid which all UK taxpayers automatically have added if they donate online). Sunday (when the Marathon will be run) could be SSR's last chance to break a world record - all donations gladly received. See his own website for his marathon training diaries and information about the charities supported.
• The safety instructions, schedule and draw for Chester-le-Street Regatta (UK) have all been uploaded in MS Word format onto NERN.
• Details of Bedford Regatta (13th May, UK) now online.
• The upstream buoys (above Chiswick Bridge) on the Tideway (UK) will be shifted to improve their position on Monday 24th April.

  Thursday 20th April

• A poster for the Lady Eleanor Holles 'Evening with Sir Steve Redgrave' (PDF format, UK). The evening's on Friday 5th May, 7:30pm, price £30/£25. Ta to La Tideway Slug for hosting the poster (we don't both need to).
• El Slug has also confirmed that the Vernon Trophy for the Head of the River (UK) was given to London RC after Collegiale Imperiale's effort was ruled not to have fulfilled the conditions of "fastest club crew normally rowing on the Thames Tideway".
• Details of Leicester Regatta (May 7th, UK) online: entries via OARA. It's described by the organisers as "700m dead straight and sheltered". That probably means it gets hit by pounding rain and thunderstorms then - the British weather gods don't appreciate hubristic comments!
• Oxford City's bumps on the Isis are happening this Saturday (UK). The 2006 poster is here (PDF).
• Mentioned on RSR and the RowersWorld forum recently, the Rowing Canada Aviron "Inches" inspirational movie (Quicktime format, broadband advised) featuring Al Pacino's "Any Given Sunday" speech, the one which revved up this year's Oxford Blue Boat. Good watching before seat-racing. Best quote: "we can stay here, get the sh1t kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light, we can climb out of hell." Full text of the speech here, but it's good with the rowing shots on-screen and in Pacino's inimitable voice.
• From the Concept 2 (UK) pressroom, Schools celebrate indoor rowing success.

  Wednesday 19th April 2006

• A piece about Holme Pierrepont in the Nottingham Evening Post - New fears for future of rowing (UK). A reminder to those interested that they can have their say on the councils' plans online (also linked from the bottom of the article). I wonder, are the ARA planning to see if they can divert any of their recent new BIRO funds for rowing into helping this facility survive? Without the grass roots in all areas, the high performance programmes aren't going to do so well.
• A reminder that the closing date for the European Masters Regatta (2nd-4th June, Munich, Germany) is 29th April. See the official website for more details.
• A series of PDF articles about the Bedford Rowing Lake (UK) are now online.
• Romania's national federation website is looking pretty slick - versions in Romanian and English. I particularly like their chutzpah at putting their national medals table on the main news/front page - and it should be remembered that a very large number of them are down to their women's teams. Impressive stuff.
• Full finals results from the GB trials on the BIRO website (UK).
• From FISA, Inroads into the Columbian rowing scene.

  Tuesday 18th April 2006

• For the rower who needs a special something different for their birthday - Rowing Caricatures (UK).
• I've added the BIRO results and reports to the Hazewinkel GB trials page (UK).

  Monday 17th April 2006

• Hazewinkel GB trials results - here are the brief first three in each category and I will publish the full BIRO press release after it has been sent out (seems a pity for press officer Caroline Searle to type away so furiously for nothing). Wind conditions were a bit changeable through this afternoon.
• The organisers of the Ocean to City race (Ireland) can offer free boat transport this year (date 27th May, I think). Competitors will need to deliver their boats to Swansea Ferry a week before the race, and they will be delivered to a secure compound at Cork. Any crew wishing to take up this offer please contact Paul Brant.
• The same guy tells me they're hoping to have a good interest in the Guernsey British and World Open Rowing Challenges on 2nd/3rd September (UK). You can use a celtic boat for the British races or hire a yole for the Worlds, or do both. Guernsey RC are offering accommodation deals from £40 for a tent or up to £150 for a hotel, to include accommodation, meals including a banquet, and entries. Aberdyfi have offered to hold training sessions in their sculled sea yoles for new competitors. Visit www.guernseyrowingclub.org.gg, email him or telephone on +44-1437-891224.
• Marlow Spring Regatta is now open for OARA entries (UK) until 13:00 on 23rd April. Paper entries must be received at Marlow RC by this time too.

  Friday 14th April 2006

• Not content with helping design and build all new FISA-standard courses around the world, Svetla Otzetova's become President of the Bulgarian Rowing Federation (from WorldRowing).
• The FISA Circular no. 2 for 2006 can now be downloaded from the FISA site.
• A reminder on the ARA news page (less obvious than it used to be) that 2005-6 safety audits need to be in online by the end of April (UK).
• A notice about possible funding for learn-to-row courses for London clubs in the Thames (UK) region only. Club reps please note suggestions have to be in by 21st April.

  Thursday 13th April 2006

• An unusual request (UK, London area): NZ international Donald Leach (click on the name for his FISA record) is coming to the UK at the start of May, keen to work a bit, play a bit, and row at Henley Royal Regatta. He's looking for paid coaching work to support himself, so if anyone has jobs going in London for the next few months, please contact him on donaldrowing{at}paradise{dot}net{dot}nz - obvious spamtrap changes apply. Note that he already has some rowing plans, and in any case his Olympic/world finalist status means he's barred from all but the top events at HRR. So the chances are threadbare that you can get him to join your S3 eight hoping to qualify for the Thames Cup....
• Last-minute survey (UK) - Sport England are running a web survey about volunteers in sport. Please would UK volunteers spend a moment filling it out - the closing date is 14th April.
• Details of the ARA Open Veteran Championships and Loughborough Regatta (run together, UK) are now online. Entries for the Vet Champs must be paid for before the closing date whichever entry method is used. The Vet Champs site also includes a discussion of the future of the event on which they would very much like feedback.

  Wednesday 12th April 2006

• It seems that Western Mail (Wales) columnist Steve Tucker can't let sleeping rowers lie.
• From the FISA website, Croatia Open signals a new rowing season and Waleska, rowing her way into the single.
• Full Croatia Open results on the official website (Croatia).
• Bann Rowing Club (Coleraine, Ireland) has a new website. Still a bit of information to go in, but it's a start.
• The Irish are holding their first adaptive regatta (Word format) on 5th June. Good going!
• The draws for both the Limerick and University Championships (PDF format) regattas (Ireland, both) have been revised.
• From Row2k (USA), results of the recent first national selection regatta held at Mercer Lake. Winners were Michelle Guerette (W1x by 8secs), Ken Jurkowski (M1x by 1.6secs), Tyler & Cameron Winkelvoss (M2- by 1.3secs), Megan Cooke & Anne Mickelson (W2- by 14secs), Bjorn Larsen (LM1x by 0.093secs) and Julia Nichols (LW1x by 9secs).
• For friends of Mike Reynaud (ex-Poly/Molesey boy, UK) it will be no surprise to find that he's up to his old kit-removing tricks again, this time in America. Thanks to the inestimable Tideway Slug for noticing that one.
• The BBC Sports Snapper of the Year competition (UK, for amateurs) has a rowing pic (no. 6) in its current gallery of "best so far" submissions.

  Tuesday 11th April 2006

• Results from Bedford Head (UK) are up online.
• An interview with Andy Holmes in the Observer Sport Monthly (UK).
• The BUSA website (UK) has details of the annual Regatta and Sprints - go down to Rowing where the links to Word documents can be found.
• An email address for Swansea University RC (Wales, UK) - they say they check their emails every other day, are "a relatively new club and always up for a challenge".
• Bradford Spring Regatta (UK) has gone live on OARA for entries.
• News on the ARA Recreational Tour (UK, 24th-26th July).
• From the pen of the Atlantic-crosser himself: James Cracknell's no-gym health plan: lose up to two and a half stone on the bust-the-beer-belly plan (from Amazon and no doubt all good book stockists). Where's my review copy, Crackers?

  Monday 10th April 2006

• A Port of London notice to mariners about low upriver depths, eg Mortlake Reach and Kew Shoal (UK).
• A FISA adaptive rowing coaching & classification workshop will be held at the London Regatta Centre (UK) on May 11th-13th. Details in PDF format here. Fourteen countries are so far confirmed as attending. The first workshop was held in Hong Kong in February, and the third will be in Ontario (Canada) on 9th-11th June.
• A reminder for those interested that entries for Notts City Regatta (22nd-23rd April, UK) close at 2pm on Tuesday 11th April.
• An advertisement for a teacher of French with German who is also a rowing coach at Coleraine Academical Institute (Ireland).
• Poster and details for Durham City Regatta (UK) in non-Word format. Note that entries are via OARA only. The entries secretary suggests that if your crew has up to 50% of members needing day tickets, you enter them as someone else and then send the day ticket money by cheque with the real names attached, as a substitution. Quote - "suspect the ARA won't like this, but hey should have made the whole system work before bringing it in"...... J14 and under do not need ARA numbers so postal entries but to be received by the regatta by Wednesday 26th April.
• The poster for Tees Regatta (20th May, UK) can be downloaded in PDF format.
• Poster and entry details for the Merseyside Regatta (UK, Word format).

  Friday 7th April 2006

• A final reminder that entries for Hammersmith Regatta (UK) close this Sunday 9th April at midday, and that the prize quiz offers your club the chance to win a slab of Fullers' beer to celebrate your season with. Yum.
• The Nottingham Schools Rowing Association (UK) has changed its URL to http://www.nottinghamschoolsrowing.org.uk/. Note the lack of a dot between schools and rowing - that is the change.
• A clip (MPEG) of a buddy rescue for a scull, put up online by John Mulholland (UK).
• The poster for Durham City Regatta (6th-7th May, UK) is online in Word format - 450 kB.
• A link to the DRSA Rowing and Sculling Thesaurus, published last year by the Dagobert Rowing and Sculling Association (Canada). Some rather gorgeous images with the text.
• RowTV has Head of the River (UK) clips online, broadband advised. They can be accessed directly from Google - crews 10-41 and crews 42-87. More, up to crew 124, have been uploaded as well, but none after that.

  Thursday 6th April 2006

• The first UK bird 'flu case has been found in Scotland (a dead swan). Without panicking, as a NERN contributor points out, it would be best for rowers in countries which have been infected to avoid touching dead birds and bird droppings. If you do, or if you get your hands wet from a water sources birds can access, it would be wise to wash your hands immediately (eg on return after the outing), and definitely before touching food. Open sores or wounds should also be regularly washed and gently disinfected. Normal disinfectant (eg Dettol) is absolutely sufficient - there is no need to use anything special, and antibacterial washes are useless since bird 'flu is a virus.
• Note that the Gippsland Grammar posts (see 4th April, Australia) are gap-year positions, not full employment.

  Wednesday 5th April 2006

• The Port of London Authority (UK) have just put up a new notice to mariners about the use of high-speed craft, eg launches. And a link to the Marine Accident Investigation Branch report into the accident on Loch Lomond a year ago. Apparently the Tideway is only 5 degrees warmer than Loch Lomond at the moment....
• Notts County Council (UK) are doing a consultation on Holme Pierrepont. Get in there with your views if you're a user of the lake.

  Tuesday 4th April 2006

• Full San Diego Crew Classic results online (USA).
• And Jamco Times (USA) has video replays, split times and its special graphic results of the races at the SDCC and Windermere Classic.
• Warrington Head of the Mersey (UK) is now open for OARA entries. PDF poster available on the club website (www.warringtonrowing.org.uk for those who want to see more about the club - nice photo shots in the top title bar). The new date of 15th April (Easter Saturday this year) is a permanent move from the end of January.
• Henley Boat Races merchandise can still be bought from Rock The Boat clothing. There are also a few spare programmes - contact Jess Stanley if you want to buy one.
• Gippsland Grammar Boat Club (Australia) is looking for rowing coaches for the 2006-07 season (Sep - Mar). "We are looking for people with enthusiasm and ability to help us improve on last seasons results (boys 4th/girls 12th @ nationals). Gippsland Grammar is located two hours east of Melbourne. Please contact Frank Stone for further details." Note that these are gap-year positions, with living allowance, accommodation and meals paid for, not a full salary.
• Another club plea: Bangor University (Wales, UK) are desperate to increase their limited boat fleet. They're willing to take pretty much any old wooden boat off people's hands, as long as it is rowable. If there's anything lying around in your boathouse taking up room, never used any more, etc etc, please consider offering it to them. They could take delivery at BUSA regatta or organise a different time. Email Leon Warrington who is acting as their contact, if you can help.
• There are (UK) plans for a coxswains' dinner on Saturday 6th May in Putney, London. Another bright idea from Vesta RC, home of last autumn's Vesta International Coxing Challenge. According to the Tideway Slug fines will be payable for anyone bringing an oarsman or oarswoman! (but wot about coaches and particularly umpires, eh?). If you want to go, drop an email to munchkins@vrc.org.uk.
• EightsDaq has started up in Oxford (UK) - buy and sell shares in college crews ahead of the Eights bumps in May.
• The Boat Race TV audience was up this year, says the Times (UK). Perhaps because people thought they'd tune in to see a sinking....

  Monday 3rd April 2006

• If you haven't heard, Oxford won the 152nd Boat Race (UK).
• Big Blade was well-positioned to get race photos of the waterborne Blues fest.
• And in the rest of the rowing world.....
• Daily tickets for the 2006 World Rowing Championships (UK) go on sale today - direct link here, with discounts for advance bookings. There are unlikely to be daily tickets for the Grandstand for the finals days, due to 8-day pass demands. Note that there is no mention yet of 'enclosure' tickets, which will not have seating but do allow access right to the lake, but they can be bought. To get the daily tickets on LastMinute.com (the website you'll be sent to from the WRCs site), click on the pink "Next Step" button then choose your date, followed by type of ticket. You might like to read the WRCs information on travel arrangements before booking car-park spaces. Disabled access info is under the facilities section.
• Entries are open for Borne at Chiswick Regatta (6th May, UK), described by the (biased?) organisers as 'the nicest regatta stretch on the Tideway'. Direct enquiries to Ronald(dot)lambe(at)btinternet(dot)com since they've been having trouble with their email server recently.
• Ardingly Rowing Club (UK) has switched its website to www.ardinglyrowingclub.co.uk.
• Results from Northwich Spring Head (UK, Excel format).
• I'm advised the Abingdon RC race information (UK, two days ago) may shift URL: if you can't find it then try the home page.

  Sunday 2nd April 2006

• See yesterday's message about Duke's Meadow access - the police have confirmed that the burnt-out health club has been made safe, and the road is now open to vehicles.

  Saturday 1st April 2006

• Late updates::
• The Environment Agency (UK) has emailed to let me know that the River Thames from St. John's through to Cookham inclusive is entirely red-boarded, with the sole exception of the Caversham reach. Yellow boards are up at Boulters, Bray and Boveney. They normally contact the ARA but don't have current details. Local clubs be warned.
• Important for Boat Race Day (UK): I gather the Riverside health club in Duke's Meadow was burnt to the ground on Friday night.
• Henley Races results: Nephthys beat Granta by 5L, 5:26 to 5:43 (7 secs inside previous record). Osiris beat Blondie by 2.5L, 5:54 to 6:02 (14 seconds inside record). CUWLRC beat OUWLRC by a canvas, 6:00 to 6:01 (1.5 seconds inside record). OUWBC beat CUWBC by 0.5L, 5:44 to 5:46 (17 seconds inside record). OULRC beat CULRC by 2.25L, 5:18 to 5:25 (3 seconds inside record). Roaring tail conditions for much of the day, in addition to the stream pouring down. Rain, hail and thunder sporadically.
• Today's Henley Boat Races.
• Today at 12:40-13:40 (BST = GMT+1) on ITV1 (UK), there is a documentary about this year's men's Boat Race crews.
• FISA have released the 2008 Olympics rowing qualification. Very similar to last time, but countries are particularly asked to note closing dates for entries...
• Entries for Chiswick Regatta (29th April, UK) are now open.
• A poster for the Bradford Spring Regatta (13th May, UK) can be downloaded from the Bradford RC website. Some new senior/veteran events, offline entries can be made now before OARA opens for business.
• Michael Cannon has reworked the HORR results (UK) into % of gold standard time, taking Leander I to be gold standard. It allows you to find your crew in the list and then see how far off the median you are. Not adjusted for status, though. NB the chart itelf overlays the top ten or so Head crews - if you want to see their times, move it to one side.
• I'm told that the Abingdon RC website (UK) mentioned yesterday re: their head race is a funky new one.
• City of Oxford RC (UK) are having a fund-raising auction on 8th April in their bar. Tickets 15 quid for all you can eat or drink, entz laid on, telephone/email bids if required, and prizes including GB rowing kit, massages, signed photos, nights at the dogs, meals out etc.