Archive News from March 2004

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.

Tuesday 30th March 2004

The Henley Stewards' Charitable Trust Scholarships for coaches (UK) are being offered again. Not at all sure how I end up being asked to hold the information on the Rowing Service (perhaps the ARA website is full?) but here we go - the explanatory/reply letter and job specification documents (MS Word format) as sent out by the ARA to those who express an interest.
Saturday 27th March 2004
Rowing Service Editorial - Get the membership forms ready.
Thursday 25th March 2004
The Thames Regional Rowing Council (UK) has put a HTML version of the new ARA Competition Review on its website for those having trouble reading the PDF's published by Birmingham RC.
Wednesday 24th March 2004
Birmingham RC (UK) has put up a set of 12 scans of the ARA National Competition Review here until they appear on the ARA's website.
Tuesday 23rd March 2004
Photo-Row has pictures from the Veterans' Head and the HORR-that-never-was (UK).
Monday 22nd March 2004
Henley Boat Races: Nephthys beat Granta by a canvas in 5:45 to 5:46, Osiris beat Blondie by half a length in 6:15 to 6:17, OUWLRC beat CUWLRC by 3/4 length in 6:08 to 6:10, the Oxford women's Blue Boat beat the Cambridge women's Blue Boat by 4 lengths in 6:06 to 6:19, and OULRC beat CULRC by 1/2 length in 5:36 to 5:37.
The Vets' Head (UK) was shortened to Putney-Hammersmith Bridge after rolling waves increased on the rising tide.
The Head of the River Race (UK) was cancelled amid fears that the marshalling crews would be in considerable danger (particularly the lower divisions around Barnes Bridge). A number of crews went out as the tide dropped, some sprinting from Hammersmith to Putney and an unofficial time-trial involving 23 crews an hour later being won by Imperial College I 30 seconds ahead of Lady Elizabeth (Ireland).
Saturday 20th March 2004
Weather problems have already forced the postponement of the Junior Inter-Regional Rowing selection trials on the river Wear, as wind yesterday made trailing very dangerous. The JIRR trials will be rowed tomorrow or at another suitable date.
Friday 19th March 2004
An Argentinian called Mariano has built an exuberant website about South American and Spanish rowing, including much useful SA information (uptodate calendar, some results, pictures). There are also interviews (reportajes), including one with Santiago "The Chicken" Fernandez. Just try keeping your volume control down a bit when you first visit.... Two addresses lead to the same place: www.iespana.es/mtkremo and mtkremo.iespana.es (no www's for the second one). [All in Spanish].
For the ambitious coach? Aquada (needs Flash), and how it works. Probably slightly outside the Leander budget: maybe Henley Royal should think about getting one as a classier mode of transport for honoured guests into the Enclosures.
Pictures from the Roeivierkamp too (Netherlands).
Wednesday 17th March 2004
Stephen Walker of Ahoy-Boats is running a weblog with news on VirusBoats and MUBC (UK).
Friday 12th March 2004
News and a weblog from Samson Knight, the youngest rower in the current Atlantic Ocean Race, who is raising money for leukaemia research.
A rebuttal of the WADA doping statement by Denis Oswald of FISA.
Tuesday 9th March 2004
The Cambridge (UK) BumpsDaq game will open again on 26th April, but you can register now to begin trading. Outside email addresses accepted, though you need to put a message in saying you're a serious player of the game, when you apply.
Friday 5th March 2004
The Ocean Regatta rowers are all doing well - see OceanRowing.com for links to their websites. One is Samson Knight, doing it to raise money for the Leukaemia Research Fund, and keeping a daily diary as are many others. Stuart Boreham has also just finished his cross-Atlantic row, as the first physically disabled person (cerebral palsy) to row the solo trip. His webpage is here.
Thursday 4th March 2004
An outfit called RowSMS who are doing a free SMS service for the Women's Eights Head (UK) this weekend. They will text provisional results for the Head crew and two others of choice to your mobile, for free. Website has details.
Wednesday 3rd March 2004
It's been announced this morning that the banned Austrian lightweights Heinfried Jurtschitsch, Martin Kobau and Norbert Lambing have completed their six-month bans for negligence in allowing themselves to consume a creatine supplement which inadvertently contained norandrosterone. The ban, imposed last year, was back-dated to 21st August, the date when their out-of-season tests were confirmed as positive. FISA's relatively mild punishment is not typical of rowing treatment of drugs offences. But the executive determined that because the rowers had checked that the supplement was on the list of 'safe' substances kept by their national anti-doping agency, they had done everything possible to avoid taking prohibited substances and so did not deserve a more stringent punishment. Editor's comment: It is understandable why FISA acted this way, however such lenience does allow for the possibility that an athlete or coach could themselves deliberately contaminate an allowed supplement with a banned performance-enhancing drug. If they could do so undetected, and then rely on claiming innocence under their national A-D rules, they could illegally enhance their performance. This reporter would suggest that the harshest approach, as evinced by the several national Olympic associations which do not allow their athletes to take any banned substance, however innocently or accidentally, is probably a better route to the prevention of future drug-taking in our sport.