Archive News from August 2005

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

There is a full Rowing Service archive index online.

Wednesday 31st August 2005

Nick Smith's memorial service (UK) will be at St. Mary's Church West Kington, near Chippenham, Wilts, and afterwards at 'Streams', West Kington at 2:00pm on Saturday 24th September. Dr. Smith "would be delighted for anyone who knew Nick to come to the service." More details on the CUBC website.
PDF poster for Evesham Junior Head (1st October, UK) online.
Monday 29th August 2005
The Gorilla Nest (UK), home of Molesey's finest (!) is revamped and running again.
Pro-Athlete (UK) has articles on members of the GB worlds squad as preview to the event.
A slide-show of historic images of rowing in New York City around 100 years ago on this website (USA - link top RH corner).
Another British university experiments with an overseas coach - a press release from Newcastle University (UK).
And more north-eastern rowing publicity from the English Institute of Sport (UK): Junior performance bodes well for future. The physiological tests it describes are carried out at all levels of the British teams now.
Details of the Northern Rowing Council Autumn Sculling Series (UK) online.
From James Lee: "The inaugural Central England Rowing Conference (UK) is taking place in Warwick on Sunday 6th November. Included are some of the top coaches, coxes, psychologists and nutritionists putting together a day of presentations for everyone from juniors to veterans and novices to elites. Further information from the (currently under development) website."
George Watson's College rowing club is holding its 50th anniversary dinner on 24th September at Murrayfield stadium (Scotland). The main purpose of the dinner is to thank George Hunter OBE, our founder member, for his commitment to rowing over the past years. Anyone wishing to attend should email Jim Ferguson as soon as possible for further details at j.ferguson@gwc.org.uk.
A pile of Worlds coverage from Row2k (USA).
Sunday 28th August 2005
Those mad Dutch boys at NLRoei have taken their new website for Peter Spurrier at http://images.intersport-images.com/ commercial. Now you can buy photos online from one of the best rowing photographers in Europe.
There are no fewer than four solo rowers on the world's oceans at the moment. Updates, positions and news on the Ocean Rowing Society website.
Saturday 27th August 2005
As threatened, I went on holiday for a few days. Now about to go over to Gifu for the rowing (eventually) and back in harness again with a bit of catching up from recent days.
FISA have been having fun recently - first racing was expected to be 2 days late, now they've settled on a Monday start, with heats Mon/Tue, all reps together on Wednesday, and then the programme as originally planned.
Rudern1 (Germany) has pictures from the German squad's training in Japan on its English site, www.rowing1.com.
Cambridge Autumn Regatta (UK) information on the Cambridge '99 website. They'll run any event as long as they can find opposition for you.
Durham Regatta (UK) has put pictures of its trophies online, because they aren't any longer visible in a local shop window.
Monday 22nd August 2005
Things are getting stormy in Gifu - more from FISA on the subject. The 'contingency scenario' they talk about can be downloaded as a PDF here since the link from the press release isn't active.
Also from FISA, A baby goddess for Van der Kolk.
Rowing Service plans. I'm off to Japan shortly, but on holiday for a few days there first. There will be a break of a few days before Saturday 27th August, when I will get online at the course.
Friday 19th August 2005
The poster for Chester Long Distance Sculls (UK) is up on the Royal Chester RC website.
Not sure I've listed Norwich Union Rowing Club's website (UK) before. Oops. Anyway, it's been an open club fo some time and has terribly reasonable membership fees.
There's a new website for the St. Bartholomew's & The Royal London Hospitals BC (UK).
Rowperfect UK are providing warm-up machines for the FISA Masters this year, available to buy at a discount after the end of the regatta, as long as you pre-order before it starts.
Thursday 18th August 2005
A Word doc advert for community coaches for Maidstone Borough Council (UK) including a community rowing coach post. Very interesting idea - good on the council.
On 14th October there will be a memorial service for Professor John Levy, former captain and President of Thames RC (UK), who died last week at the age of 85. The service will be at 2:30pm at St. Mary's church, Putney.
The newly reformed Isle of Ely Rowing Club (UK) has a website and the chairman may be contacted by email.
Erratum - please note that the prices for the MK1 Oarlocks sold by RowPerfect UK which I mentioned on Monday are Ł49 for a pair of oarlocks and Ł7 for a set of inserts. Plus p&p.
It emerges that the RowPerfect UK website can be accessed three different ways, to take account of the products they sell. You can use the standard www.rowperfect.co.uk address, or www.dreheroars.co.uk, or www.coxmate.co.uk - all three lead to the same website. Easy to remember at least.
Godfrey Sports' UK sale is going strong - further reductions just made and new items added to the discount list.
In Australia a couple of days ago - Schoolgirl rowing boat cut in half by Brisbane ferry (Stuff, New Zealand). Other links now moved to the Press page.
Some more background on the Chinese question from Rudern1.
James Cracknell's fashion piece in the Telegraph contains a howler about which airport is next to Milan's regatta course. Let's hope that's the subs changing it, not him. Otherwise I'm worried about the effect being team-managed is having on our athletes' brains, if they don't even know which airport they're flying into.
Wednesday 17th August 2005
The FISA press release for the Worlds is out - 319 crews from 56 countries, with the biggest events the M1x and LM2x, each with 25. Still only 10 countries in the adaptive events, though.
Oh, and the formal website is available here in English and Japanese.
Sportgraphics (USA) claim to have the largest database of rowing images on the web, and it certainly does go back to 1986 - mostly US and Canada with a few overseas regattas such as HRR. However, anything before 2000 is not actually online, so you need to fill in an enquiry form for those pictures.
Tuesday 16th August 2005
Bits on New Zealand's upcoming Great Race on September 10th, which will this year feature University of Washington against Waikato in the men, and the Australian women's worlds eight against a composite of NZ internationals for the women: Stars set to shine on river course (Stuff), and a piece of video on the TVNZ website (Twaddle boosts Waikato). More articles and press releases on the official race website.
Chester Regatta has been cancelled (UK). No idea why.
PDF draw for Warwick Regatta (UK) now up.
A Word document about the Clyde Sprints (Glasgow, 17th September), including teams of five people competing in a supersprint-like format of M2x, W2x and mixed 4+ over 500m. The above link is to a Word doc with the large picture removed to make it just 36KB - if you really want to see the picture, the 1MB fat file in full is here.
A report and pictures from the Marlow Regatta 150th birthday party (UK).
Eric Sims has been appointed Director of Senior Squad Rowing at Maidenhead RC (UK).
Monday 15th August 2005
Canada's World Champs team has been selected.
A website for R O W M A R T, Angel Cruz's unusual rowing kit company (USA).
I was given this link for Dreher UK, which actually turns out to be RowPerfect UK, the agent for Dreher Oars and Sculls - in the UK. The site also has details of the MK-1 Oarlock, which RP also supply - Ł49 for a pair of oarlocks and Ł7 for set of 16 inserts plus p&p, new batch recently arrived in Putney.
Bedford Rowing Club's website (UK) has been updated, with details of their Fours and Small Boats Head on Sunday 16th October. In an unusual move, the club also has a mission statement. Very businesslike.
Saturday 13th August 2005
Unlucky for some - poor Gloucester Rowing Club (UK) have had to cancel their annual summer regatta due to construction work. More information on their website.
Friday 12th August 2005
FISA have put out to their NF mailing list details of the latest updated Olympic Solidarity Scholarships in English, French and Spanish. (If they turn up on the FISA website I'll remove them from here). The OS scholarships are designed to help Olympic-aspirant athletes from countries without much infrastructure or funding, partly by aiding them to train at world-class centres. The last person to get one was Ibrahim Githaiga from Kenya. His coach, Juvenalis Gitau, who was tragically killed in a road accident just before Athens last year, was also funded.
A PDF poster for Chester Long Distance Sculls (Saturday 1st October, UK).
The definitive lineup for the US Worlds team (USA). No LM8+ - they didn't make the time required by USRowing. Anyone offering odds for a lightweight men's eight straight final in Gifu?
A review of 'Must Love Dogs', a new John Cusack movie out this summer which apparently features a lot of sculling. We'll see...
Here's a good game for the stats-meisters: which international rowers have only ever had to row in FISA A finals, never lower? If you consult www.rowingone.com, FISA's online database, you soon find that according to their records Tomkins, Damian and Pinsent all qualify, but Karsten, Lipa and Redgrave don't (to take a few). Mind you, SSR's recent-times record is only blighted by his goodwill gesture of subbing for the ill Jonny Singfield and winning the M2+ B-final with Martin Cross and cox Haydn Bass in 1994. Anyway, the question leads to the realisation that a large number of the FISA biographies are very incomplete, since they don't have older results in electronic format to import. One of the best ways to correct this is for people who have taken part in FISA regattas (including World Cups and Olympic qualifications) to update their own records, which they can do via a button at the foot of their biography page. I'd encourage any internationals who have not yet done this to get cracking.
Thursday 11th August 2005
A fascinating snippet tucked away at the foot of a round-up of FISA pre-Gifu news is the detail that the Chinese have completely absented themselves from the World Championships this year, because they are worried about athletes recovering before the (clearly important) Chinese National Championships in October. That's quite a surprise, but may be a welcome one in certain boat categories.
Lots of information about the World Rowing Forum (3rd-5th November 2005, Istanbul, Turkey) up on FISA's website.
Wednesday 10th August 2005
Australia's new Rowing MagOZine is running a draw - Australian-resident new subscribers can win one of four Interval 2000 ratewatches. The new publication is bi-monthly, with contributors including Rebecca Joyce, Chris Dodd, Sonia Mills, Andrew Guerin and Xeno Muller.
A collection of enthusiasts has now formed the Dubai Rowing and Sculling Club (United Arab Emirates). It's a fledgling organisation but hopes to grow quickly, and has already held a Rowathon (pictures of doubles out on the sparkling azure waters of Dubai in their picture gallery).
North Star Rowing Club's website (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada) is now www.northstarrowing.ca.
It emerges that Sir Matt Pinsent has decided not to stand as BOA Chairman (UK).
For those interested, James Cracknell came 7th (2hrs 15.42mins), Greg Searle 131st (2hrs 30.50mins) and a certain member of Vesta 243rd (2hrs 38.11mins) in the men's 30-34 age-group for the London Triathlon Olympic distance. The elite men's category for it was won in 1hr 43.42mins, just in case Crackers is thinking of changing sports suddenly. (And the elite women's was won in 1hr 56.16mins!)
Tuesday 9th August 2005
Moulds for sale - 2 singles and 1 four. Used for the Project Oarsome scheme. Space urgently needed, any reasonable offers accepted. Email Ian Harris (UK).
There is a website for the Roseninselachter race, led on Lake Starnberg south of Munich on Saturday 1st October (Germany, just at the end of the OcktoberFest). Eights race from a mass start out, round two buoys and back over 12km with men's, women's and mixed divisions. Local clubs can usually lend boats out to visitors. Anyone who can't understand the website can email Bronwennewman(at)hotmail(dot)com.
Heroes' Heroes: Greg Searle on Mickey Skinner in the Sunday Times (UK). Greg, along with James Cracknell, competed in the London Triathlon at the weekend.
RowTV (UK) has streamed clips of the Home International and EUSA regattas.
Monday 8th August 2005
The draw for Peterborough Summer Regatta (UK) is online.
Port of Bideford Regatta (UK) is on August 27th: details on the Bideford ARC website.
And Bristol Avon Regatta is on Sunday 28th August (UK) - details on the dedicated website.
Jaime Uriarte Garcia would like to find a video or DVD of the 1979 world championships lightweight eights racing in Bled, as he was in it. It was apparently recorded by the local TV station. If anyone can help, please contact him by phone (Spain 944-836-634), email (urisanm@euskalnet.net) or c/o Genaro Orra, 6 5A Santurtzi, Vizcaya, Spain. If there's more than one race then Jaime almost certainly means the final, since I checked and Spain won it in 1979.
Details of the FISA International Challenger Coastal Rowing Challenge on 2nd October 2005, in Noli, Italy. However, the promised French and English translations of the website aren't yet in evidence.
A new picture-site, www.rowing-pics.com, set up by Oli Palme (Germany) has shed-loads of pictures shot on the run at Brandenburg, organised by race category, and orderable online. There's an understandable bias towards winners and the crews nearest the camera (often, surprisingly, German...)
And a load more pictures from the DRV = German Rowing Federation.
Warwick Regatta (UK) is again running 'new rower' events, open to anyone who's been sculling or rowing less than a year and who has not yet raced at an ARA Head or Regatta. Free day tickets for such competitors, more information on the Warwick BC website or by contacting James Lee at regatta@warwickboatclub.co.uk.
Queen Elizabeth High School (UK) has a new boat club website at http://www.qehsrowing.co.uk. They have also redesigned their blades, with a smart flash and stripe layout: the new design can be seen on the NERN contacts page (halfway down).
Saturday 6th August 2005
FISA has results, racetracker and race summaries from the juniors which finish today.
I didn't try and do live-online juniors coverage since connectivity was a little crowded, but I wrote live race commentary during the A finals today and then uploaded it here a few minutes after the end of each racing session. RQ, Rowing Service editor.
Coverage and photos from the Junior Worlds on Canottaggio Vero (Italy) and Rudern1 (Germany), and a few on NLRoei (Netherlands).
Details of Bradford Autumn Regatta (UK) on the Bradford RC website.
Friday 5th August 2005
The Brandenburg local TV network Stadtkanal Brandenburg (Germany) is doing various bits of coverage about the junior world championships this week. Not sure if you'll be able to get anything online, nor if they're following actual races, but there may be something for addicts or those in the area. More amusingly, they've run a competition to find the 'official Song of the Junior Rowing World Championships' - first place apparently went to "Everyone here wants to be a winner". The WM Contest link on SKB's website takes you to a page where you can play MP3 files of that gem, along with the two runners-up. (No, I haven't dared give it a try yet!)
The website for Royal Canadian Henley (Canada) is going strong - this year's regatta includes adaptive races.
The Basse Seine rowing club (France) organises a Founders' Head (4000m, 8+ and 8x+, seniors/novices/masters) on 24th September. Lunch can be bought before the race and a free buffet is offered at the victory presentation/celebration, followed by a party. Visiting clubs from any country welcome. A special section of their website has all the details and a registration form (inscription en ligne), there is an English poster (JPG) or you can email the organisers.
Also on 24th September is the Durham Primary regatta (UK) - details on the Durham ARC website.
Gippsland Grammar (Australia) is after gap-year youngsters to act as coaching assistants for the coming year. See the Rowing Service noticeboard for more details.
Thursday 4th August 2005
As promised a couple of days ago, more from Andy Elder on his Badwater ultramarathon.
UK clubs who use their bar as a licensed social venue must convert their old-fashioned licenses into one of the new Registration Certificates or come November will have to reapply for a license with all the delay and risk that entails. Clubs in this position have just a couple more days to make the switch: see the ARA's legal advice here and then get cracking.
A reminder that whether you're a member of the North-Eastern Rowing News (NERN) group (UK) or not, you can read all messages posted to it here on Yahoo Groups. To subscribe, see the early messages or visit the NERN website.
Rudern1 (Germany) is running a variety of coverage at the Junior Worlds this week.
Draw, safety plan and circulation pattern for Maidenhead Regatta (UK) now up on their website.
Lea Rowing Club has a poster up for their Autumn Regatta (UK).
News snippets not worth a whole link - Monalisa Mohanty is to get an Ekalabya citation for excellence in sport (India); and there is a bid to get $200,000 to improve the Melton Hill Lake rowing course (USA).
Wednesday 3rd August 2005
Tragic news in UK: - As some will already have known, ex-Goldie rower and Lancaster John O'Gaunt young veteran Nick Smith died recently after a fall while out fell running on Ben Nevis. A memorial service will be held in September, with details here when they are known. I can indirectly pass messages on to the family by email if needed.
On ITV London tomorrow (UK), "The Way We Were" features amongst other things some colour footage from the first post-war Henley Royal Regatta. Thursday 4th August 19:30-20:00, videoplus 655.
Pictures from the junior worlds opening ceremony (Germany).
Canadian rower injured in bike accident (CBC, Canada). Sheryl Preston (silver LW4x 2004) has a broken collarbone and left leg but is otherwise seems to be fine.
The story of an apprentice - how Jack Dean won this year's Doggett's Coat & Badge (UK).
Stephen Sullivan has put a rigging spreadsheet up on the NERN website.
Tuesday 2nd August 2005
Photos from the Coupe de la Jeunesse on NLRoei (Netherlands), and from the official photographer.
There are pictures on DRV (Germany) from before the World Junior Rowing Championships which start racing tomorrow.
You can watch the juniors opening ceremony online here (Germany), and FISA has other details and will carry results.
Also on FISA, The new Italian stroke, and the latest World Rowing e-newsletter.
Fire and Ice: ex-Goldie rower Andy Elder has become the first Briton to complete the world's hottest and coldest ultramarathons (Badwater in Death Valley and one in the Arctic circle). He's got a fund-raising page for anyone who would like to contribute to his aim of raising Ł40,000 for the Brain and Spine Foundation. He's up to Ł37,000 and going strong. A bit more later (no time to format the story now) about his experience.
Richard Packer has a photo of the winners of the ARA Volunteer of the Year award (UK).
Monday 1st August 2005
There's been a minor mistake on the Oxford City Regatta posters (UK) - it says the racing on both days is over 500m. This is not true - Saturday's racing is over 1000m and Sunday's a 500m sprint. The website (link above) should be changed shortly.
The company NewGrips has devised specialised erging gloves (USA). Not sure that 'eliminating calluses' is a good aim for those who water-row as well, but I like the concept of an open back to keep the hands cooler.
Stirling Rowing Club (Scotland, UK) tell me that they have been having some trouble receiving email and regatta invitations this year. Their current contact details can be found on the SARA contacts page and apparently the website is being renovated and will soon be re-released using a new domain name. Use the tel/email details on the SARA page instead for the moment.
Ex-Coleraine rower Ian Harvey has succeeded in sculling across Lake Superior for charity. (See also recent press reports from US papers, below).
Final commentary round-up and Excel file of the points and finals outcomes for the Coupe de la Jeunesse (UK).