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Did you catch the brilliant performance of Australia's first EVER Para-Rowing Gold Medal at the Paralympics? Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers triumphed in the PR3 Mixed Double and the scenes from the podium were incredible to watch.

Check out this video filmed before the regatta to get a sense of their journey. Well worth the watch - two exceptional people! And what a great regatta for our Para Rowers!

This edition of Oar Talk...

• State Championships

• Mega Worlds Wrap Up

• World Masters Rowing Regatta

• World Beach Sprint Finals

• 2024 Rower of the Year Awards

• ABC August

• State Team Nominations Open

• Learnings from the Child Safeguarding Dev Session

• WLIS Workshops

• BRC Hiring

Cover photo: Bronze Medalists, the Aussie U23W4-! Credit: Rowing Australia/Art of Rowing NZ

With less than 24 hours to go until the 2024 State Championships it is all ramping up here in the office and out at the Lake!

A huge thank you to the City of Armadale who are our Major Partners for this year's Championship Series - make sure you check out their pop-up visitor centre out at the lake this weekend.

Previews

Junior Rowing News (a UK-based rowing news outlet) have recently invested in more thorough Aussie rowing coverage and as such have a full suite of previews for WA States!! Their writers have done their homework, poring over months of RowingManager data and a few Google searches to produce some solid predictions. Each crew entered in an Open Championship event has been thoroughly researched & you might find yourself name dropped! Well worth the read (and thanks, JRN, for doing my job for me <3 ) 

Will we see Swans extend their 28-year winning streak in the Men's Eight? JRN don't seem to think so and have WARC for the win.

They haven't quite finished every event but check back later today to see the rest roll in.

JRN's Predictions:

CM8+ WARC, Swans, Freo

CW4- Swans, WARC, Freo

CM4- Swans, WARC, UWA/Freo

CM4x WARC, Swans/Freo

CM1x Rossi (WARC), Fox (MUBC), Payne (Freo)

READ: JRN's WA State Champs Previews

Merchandise

The Regatta Shop will be based in the Trinity/St Hilda's shed in the RWA Building, 8am - 3pm both days. Sue Palfreyman and her team of helpers are ready to provide you with all the merch you could want!

There will be a number of Coastal Boats available to 'have a go' from 10am-12pm on both days of the regatta. These are available for anybody to try - you'll find them out the front of the Making Waves shed. Take one for a hot lap around the warmup lake!

Medal Presentations will occur 30 minutes after the last race of the day - head up to the Rowing WA Mezzanine to grab your seat before the room fills up!

The RWA Bar will be open for business from 2pm onwards on both days of the regatta, with a delightful selection of beer, wine & non-alcoholic bevvies whether you want to celebrate or commiserate.

Rowing WA Major Partner, Perfect Balance Rowing, will be set up with their bright blue tent, complete with demo boats for you to admire and plenty of spare parts and accessories. Rene loves company so go say hi!

The penultimate regatta of the International season took the form of 'Mega Worlds' - the combined Senior, Under 23 and Under 19 World Championships

Anyone who has read an OarTalk in the last few months will be well aware of the amazing WA athletes representing Australia at this event - Gen, Becky, Alex, Ben, Lyla, Greta, Jules & Sina made up a mighty group of athletes who did everyone proud!

The group trained in the US and Canada for a few weeks prior to this regatta, which was valuable time to come together and focus 110% on the job at hand. Gen's TikTok fans will have seen all the behind-the-scenes action from their time at Princeton University!

Under 23s

Our two WA-related crews came into the regatta as 'on-paper' favourites for the podium, with stacked resumes. The Aussie U23W4- has medalled in this event in 2022 and 2023 - Gen in the '22 crew and Becky in '23! - and our strength in women's sweep rowing is no fluke. The U23M8+, being a US-based crew, boasted some of the top collegiate rowers in the world - Ben having stroked the Harvard 1V to Silver at the IRA National Championships, and Alex helping Cal's 1V to Bronze just 2 seconds back in the field at that regatta. Aussie U23s are powerhouses!

Results:

Under 23 Women's Coxless Four - BRONZE MEDAL

Under 23 Men's Eight - BRONZE MEDAL

Under 19s

Our phenomenal Juniors did us so very proud over in Canada!! The standard continues to lift at an International level for these young athletes who go so far above and beyond what is expected of your regular teenager. I could barely get my maths homework in on time, these guys are out there balancing study, social and family life alongside their huge training load, year after year. It's just incredible - chapeau girls!!

Results:

Under 19 Women's Quadruple Scull - 6th

Under 19 Women's Coxless Four - 8th

World Rowing run a brilliant annual event that caters to Masters rowers of all levels, and brings together athletes from all over the world to race together. 

The 2024 World Masters Rowing Regatta is being held in Brandeberg, Germany, and is running from 11 - 15 September. In it's jubilee year, this year's edition has attracted over 3600 rowers who will compete across all ages and boat classes. Rowers from ANA, Swan River, Perth Rowing Club, UWABC and Curtin will all out in force on the Beetzsee.

So far we have seen some amazing racing from our Masters over there - check out PRC's Carolyn Fennelle and Susan March after winning the Women's G Grade Pair!

Photo: Kathy Ride

This is a regatta with a difference - World Rowing usually cater to elite athletes who represent their countries, but at the WRMR, athletes represent their clubs and embody a diverse range of ages and experience levels!

The WRMR is famous for its inclusive nature - it's common to row in crews with athletes from other countries, having found these teammates in advance through the 'Find your Rowing Partner - WRMR' Facebook page! 

Click here for the event website!

Browse all the results here

View from the finish line! Credit: World Rowing.

The final World Rowing event of the year is the World Beach Sprint Finals, where you can watch our local legend Blake Whyatt (WARC) in action in the Coastal Men's Mixed Double with crewmate Elizabeth Newell. They race their first round TT at 3:55pm AWST today, with finals to come across the weekend.

Conditions in Genoa have been less than ideal - check this photo out from Thursday..

Photo: Thursday conditions in Genoa, Italy! Credit: aworthyphoto on Instagram.

But for last week's Coastal Rowing World Championships, conditions were ideal, and we're hoping they return for Blake's race this arvo!

Photo: Spectactular backdrops for Coastal Rowing in Italy. Credit: World Rowing.

ICYMI - Coastal Rowing is both a) the umbrella term for any rowing that takes place on an ocean, AND b) the specific name for the long-distance coastal discipline, where rowers head offshore and race over 4000m - 6000m. 

Beach Sprints is a coastal discipline where athletes sprint down a beach, jump in a boat, race a few hundred metres out and back, then sprint back up the beach and dive for a buzzer. 

Beach Sprints can be the perfect option for rowers who are a bit over the long, slow distance training required to be competitive over 2000m of flat-water 'Classic' rowing. The fast, exciting format lends itself to those who love moving boats but who want a bit of variety in their lives!

You can get involved in this sport THIS WEEKEND at State Champs - there will be Coastal Boats available to take for a hot lap of the warmup lake between 10am and 12pm on both days, just head to the Making Waves shed!

Given we are lucky enough to be Girt By Sea, there's no reason why Australia can't become a Coastal Rowing powerhouse!! Bring it on!

Tickets are now available for rowing's night of nights, ROWER OF THE YEAR 2024!!

We've levelled up and are heading to Mineral Resources Park for this annual celebration of our sport, and announcement of award and pennant winners.

Date: October 19

Time: 6:30pm - 10:30pm

Dress code: Cocktail

Single tickets $90, Table of 10 $800

Ticket sales close midnight 8 October.

Head here for more info and to register for your ticket.

The beautiful venue for this year's dinner. Sorry if you're a Dockers fan!

CLUB COACH AND CLUB VOLUNTEER NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN!

Get your nominations in ASAP to recognise the coaches and volunteers at your club! Show them some love and gratitude and make sure they are acknowledged publicly for their commitment to our sport and their community.

Club Coach nomination: https://www.rowingwa.asn.au/surveys/6541/

Club Volunteer nomination: https://www.rowingwa.asn.au/surveys/6542/

Nominations close at midnight on Friday 27th September 2023.

UWABC were the emphatic point-winners of ABC August with a stunning 128 points!

Much like their attendance at the Bunbury Regatta each year, the club recognised a great point-scoring opportunity when it was in front of them and truly put their stamp on the month.

ABC August had one wellbeing-enhancing activity per day of the month, and clubs and schools could earn points towards the Engage.Row.Grow. Challenge - ultimately, the winner of that competition gets a brand new Concept 2 Rowing Machine!

UWABC say their highlight was the last activity of the month - 'Say a big thank you to the 'do-ers' at your club who help organise regatta day!' - they had the opportunity to public thank Evelyn Bowen for providing much needed Anzac biscuits at Pennant 4!!

Thank you to our Major Partners, Healthway and Act Belong Commit, for supporting our community through their funding of this initiative and many more!

Click here for more info on Healthway's support of RWA.

The 2024 State Team. <3 Credit: Pat Boere.

Is your spirit animal a Black Swan? Does yellow bring out your eyes? Does the idea of putting WA on the podium at Nationals fill you with joy?
Nominations for athletes are now open for the 2025 State Team!

Nominate here

Event Requirements

Selection Policy

Nominations close this Sunday 15 September at 9pm.

We are also seeking a suitably qualified Selector to join the WAIS Head Coach and the RWA HP Director, Sue Peacock, on the State Team Selection Committee. Nominations for this crucial voluntary role will be open early next week. 

Trigger Warning: Child Abuse

It was great to have Lisa Purves from Sport Integrity Australia join us for a session all about Child Safeguarding!

We had a group of passionate club representatives in attendance, and Lisa delivered insightful and practical knowledge for us all to take back. Much of her work is traced back to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Thank you to UWABC for hosting the evening.

It was important for us not to think of Child Safeguarding as only being relevant to young children - but for all young people Under 18. Most clubs have Under 18s engaged in their programs or using their facilities regularly.

We learned that there are four 'dimensions of risk' when it comes to child abuse:

1. Vulnerability: the characteristics of the children. For example, very young children or children with a disability.

2. Environment: the opportunities for abuse that the environment offers. For example, a dark storage room with few or no lines of sight.

3. Propensity: a greater-than-average cluster of adults within an organisation with a propensity to abuse children and young people.

4. Organisational: characteristics of the organisation that make abuse more likely to occur, and less likely to be dealt with properly if disclosed. For example, leaders not supporting or prioritising child safety, sweeping incidents under the rug to protect the status quo, or an emphasis on competition and 'winning at all costs'.

It doesn't take much effort or skill to help prevent child abuse. Each of our clubs is unique and require different solutions to ensure our Under 18 rowers stay safe. Sometimes it is about being good role models so that young people learn what appropriate behaviour to expect from adults.

Some easy changes to make could be:

- Never communicate privately with an Under 18 via phone, email or social media - include parents and caregivers in your WhatsApp group chats!!

- Coaches, volunteers and other adults should not follow, friend or otherwise engage with children or young people on social media.

- Ensure no Adult nudity in changerooms when Under 18 rowers may be using the space,

- Keep training and competition open to parents and carers to create a culture of transparency and safety.

- Avoid one-to-one unsupervised contact with a young person, except in emergency. For example - parent is running late to pickup after training, and a coach is left alone waiting with the rower..!

- Always having club representatives be identifiable (uniform or name badge) when, and only when, delivering programs or activities (including coaches and volunteers)

Check out SIA's Do's and Don'ts resource here

Please get in touch with Izzie at devops@rowingwa.asn.au if you would like more information about implementing Child Safeguarding measures into your club, or any other CSG related matters.

Are you, or do you know, a woman in sport? (Hopefully that covers everyone!) Do you have a hankering for some professional or personal development?

The Australian Sport Commission's Women Leaders in Sport program is designed to 'empower women in sport and help to create a culture which values gender equity. The opportunites in this program encourage women in sport to access leadership and other training, while building a network with likeminded women across the country.

Their online Leadership workshop series is an excellent opportunity for eligible women involved in the sport industry, including sports administrators, coaches, officials, club volunteers, and those in sports media who want to enhance or refresh their leadership skills. It provides individuals with contemporary leadership techniques, imparts valuable insights into the sports world, and fosters connections among women from every corner of the country.

Apply here for the WLIS Leadership Workshop Series

Their Individual Grants fund women in sport to access their choice of professional development and training up to $10,000 in value!

Apply here for the WLIS Individual Grants

Both applications close September 30.

The Bunbury Rowing Club (Est. 1921) has a long and proud history, both within the local community and the national rowing fraternity. The club is looking to employ a full time coach to maintain the focus on increasing general club membership, rowing participation at all levels and improving on-water performance at state and national levels. 

An attractive salary package will be offered to the successful candidate with demonstrated experience in the required criteria.

Candidates are encouraged to register their interest by contacting the Bunbury Rowing Club President via email president@bunburyrowingclub.com for further information. 

Head here to read the Position Description

Applications close 24 October 2024.