Archive News from December 2003

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

Saturday 20th December 2003
• Letter from the Gulf version 2: Diane Godorov isn't the only umpire on duty in Iraq. Tim Walton (East Midlands, UK) is in Al Basrah. In a recent message he said: "As you will appreciate, there is little call for ML Umpires here though I have introduced all of the members of my Team to the Concept 2 and am still hopeful that we will be able to run the first Iraqi Concept Challenge - PTIs co-operating, before the end of the year. The annoying part about this is that Concept have fully backed the idea but without the blessing of the in theater PTIs I cannot push it ahead. Don't worry, I will continue pressing until I get a result." Perhaps an inter-unit erg challenge?!

  Thursday 18th December 2003

• Letter from the Gulf. A Rowing Service contributor tells me that he's recently received a Christmas email from oarswoman Diane Godorov (USA). The rowing referee and US Army captain writes that she's "still alive and well and rowing in Iraq." Diane is mother to two teenagers and can be contacted via dianegodorov @ hotmail.com (remove spaces and paste into your email send line). From her missive: "A long overdue Happy December to one and all! I am proud to announce that I am the new owner of a beautiful Concept II rowing machine. I have to believe that it may be the only one of it's kind in country. Thanks for this incredible gift to Geoffery Knauth and friends, I am teaching the rabbi as well as the battalion commander and others the healthful benefits of rowing. It is especially nice to have the erg during the rainy/muddy/ mucky/yukky season when the silt/sand is now wet and like quicksand sucking you down. I have personally never liked the erg, it tells about your rowing performance, dear machine of torture, but I am fast to admit it makes for an awesome workout and an even greater conversation piece! AND, it turns out that one of the doctors with whom I do humanitarian medical care was on some US world team in 19XX! We rowers are everywhere, and that is a great thing!"
• For those in need of a holiday-season giggle, the Problem-Solving Flowchart - it's an 80kb Powerpoint presentation. File reloaded now as a .ppt which everyone should be able to view/read. When it opens, don't look, just hit "play slide show" and then watch it unfold. Much funnier as a show.
• On Olympic Odyssey at 8pm tonight (BBC Radio FiveLive, UK): Pinsent, Coe, Colin Jackson, Steph Cook in discussion, plus Martin Cross covering cycling and Garry Herbert doing a bit on judo.

  Monday 15th December 2003

• OK so no surprise, SSR voted the Golden Sports Personality of Britain by the UK. More on the BBC and Sportsbite.

  Thursday 11th December 2003

• The annual Henley Royal Regatta Stewards' Meeting was yesterday evening: no new stewards this year but some event changes. The Prince Philip (open 4+) is scrapped, and the Britannia splits into two. The Britannia Challenge Cup will be awarded to club 4+ (Thames-level, 16 crews) while the new Men's Student Fours will be awarded to university/college 4+ (Temple-level, 16 crews). There is also a rule change, banning current students from rowing in alumni crews entered in the Thames, Wyfold and Britannia (eg Tyrian rowing in the Thames would not be allowed to include any current UL students).
• Headline "the Aussies always get there first"? Perhaps not, but they are the first to formally announce one of their Athens crews. In a show of great confidence in the defending champions and FISA's Crew of the Year, Rowing Australia have confirmed that Drew Ginn and James Tomkins will be the national M2- in Athens next summer, while everyone else in the team has to go through selection trials, starting next week. Ginn and Tomkins are coached by Chris O'Brien, the head coach at Melbourne University BC.

  Monday 8th December 2003

• A piteous little message: "MISSING... Ed the Head Ted, Hatfield Senior Women's priceless talisman. He's a small stuffed teddy bear dressed in blue and white lycra. I believe he also sports a red ribbon, though no-one knows why. Anyway, the girls are going spare so if anyone's seen him please let me know. We've already booked his ticket to Trent; these inanimate toys can be so irresponsible sometimes. Don't worry, if we get him back we'll tie him to our president. Then we'll see how far he can run." Tom Webber.
• RemCatalunya (Spain/Catalonia) report "big raining in Banyoles last Thursday" and have photos on their website (link above).

  Thursday 4th December 2003

• The Algarve (Portugal) is holding its first Adaptive Indoor Rowing Challenge on 23rd-24th January 2004. Details are on a website set up for the event.
• David Clasper has just published a new book, "Rowing: A way of life - The Claspers of Tyneside", covering the 19th century of the family's rowing history. Publishers Portcullis, available by phoning the tourist information centre of Gateshead MBC at Gateshead Library on 0191 4773478 (UK).

  Tuesday 2nd December 2003

• I (obviously) missed the fact that Cath Bishop and Katherine Grainger were named Team of the Year at the Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards (UK) last week. Congratulations, and very well deserved.

  Monday 1st December 2003

• Via Row2k.com in the States, San Diego Rowing Club Mourns the Loss of Kearney Johnston, Veteran.