Good afternoon!

Welcome to a bumper edition of Oar Talk!

In today's newsletter...

• Rowing Australia's Rower of the Year Awards
• Head of the Yarra: How the WA crews fared, in their own words!
• An update on Age Based Racing
• Thea Adamson's Coastal Adventures
• WA Umpires Selected to 2024 National Juries
• Hayley Verbunt's FREE virtual Hour of Power: How to Level Up as a Coxswain!
• CURC Hiring: Men's and Women's Coaches
• UWABC Hiring: Performance Coach
• NIF Resources: Therapeutic Use Exemptions
• Rowing WA Special General Meeting
• Welcome to Perfect Balance Rowing as an Official Partner of Rowing WA
• Wintech Competition Winner Announced
• 'Going to do for rowing what Top Gun did for the Navy': Boys in the Boat

Photo credit for banner image - Claire Jansen (ANA)

Freo, Annabelle & Josh win at ROTY!

Though the glimmering production value of Rowing Australia's Rower of the Year awards may fool innocent bystanders into thinking that rowing is a glamorous sport which remains true to elitst roots - the truth of the matter is that all the big winners on the night were products of years and years of bloody hard work. 

Many of the elite rowers in attendance on the night have put aside career and family pursuits in favour of chasing the ultimate dream. Committee members put personal time aside to undertake tasks which keep our clubs strong. Boat Race Officials spend 8-hour days out in the sun keeping competition fair and fun.

And last Friday night was their chance to swap zooties and coaching gear for evening gowns and tuxedos, and take a moment to reflect on their achievements and celebrate the role they play in our sport.

We are so proud of all the WA winners on the night:

FEMALE CREW OF THE YEAR:

Women's Pair - Annabelle McIntyre OAM, Fremantle Rowing Club (left) & crewmate Jess Morrison OAM, Mercantile Rowing Club (right)

MALE CREW OF THE YEAR:

Men's Eight - Josh Hicks, Swan River Rowing Club/Sydney Rowing Club (bottom row, second from left)

CLUB OF THE YEAR:

Fremantle Rowing Club

(Award collected by outgoing FRC President Pete Holliday)

We would also like to again celebrate the following finalists for their outstanding contribution to the sport!!

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR - Pete Holliday (Fremantle Rowing Club)

OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR - KG Dassanayake (Champion Lakes Boat Club)

All photo credit to Rowing Australia and Acacia & Grace Photography.

The full list of winners can be found here.

In their own words - how did the WA crews go?

The Head of the Yarra is one of Australia's best known regattas - a gruelling 8km course through the heart of Melbourne that is as much a coxswain's race as it is a test of 'who can hurt the most?'

Despite the couple of thousand kilometres separating WA's rowing community from the banks of the Yarra, there were nine crews of intrepid athletes who made the journey. ANA had three eights representing them, Fremantle had two, Old Scotch Cols had one, Curtin had their Black Swans crew plus good representation in the two 'Supergroup' eights made up of Masters women from CURC, Perth RC, Murdoch RC, Swannies, ANA and a handful of Tassie & Vic clubs. 

Photo: ANA Rowing Club

We put out the call for race recaps from these crews - read on to get a glimpse of the HOY experience in their own words!

CURTIN UNIVERSITY ROWING CLUB 'THE BLACK SWANS'

Event: Male Masters E Grade

Result: 3rd out of 11 crews

Coxswain: Bourby Webster (you can read her excellent LinkedIn post here)

Recap by Greg Kerr

"The Head of the Yarra was a new experience for all the Black Swans from Curtin University Boat Club. Nobody had raced this iconic event during their respective rowing careers and we were keen to do well in this one. We had rowed over the course the previous day and found the Big Bend even tighter than what we had been practising at home. It was difficult to get a clear run at it as there were so many other crews training, but we got a good line to work to. Race day was hectic. You can’t warm up on the water so we gratefully took advantage of the MUBC gym to do a quick warm up on the ergo and a leg circuit. You get on the water 10mins prior to your start time, but we felt warm and ready to go..." Continue reading!

SUPERGROUP 1 - Perth, North Esk, Mosman, Derwent Mercantile & Lauriston RC

Event: Female Masters G-H Grade

Result: 1st

Coxswain: Alexander Hutchinson (Lauriston Girls')

Recap by Vanessa Grant

"A Composite crew consisting of Celia Cornwell, Nicky Cato, Carolyn Fennell and Vanessa Grant all from Perth Rowing Club join friends from Mosman Rowing Club, North Esk Rowing Club and Derwent Mercantile Collegiate Rowing Clubs to enter and win the Women’s Masters G-H Division at the Head of the Yarra 8km race last week.  Our cox from Lauriston Girls School used his local knowledge to skilfully steer through the corners, as they say the race is a coxswain’s race. The crew were elated to win the G-H Division being a H crew and at our first row together."

SUPERGROUP 2 - Curtin, Murdoch, ANA, Swans & Perth RC!

Event: Female Masters F Grade

Result: 6th out of 11 crews

Coxswain: Kathy Ride (PRC)

Recap by Ronnie Cooper

"The Curtin University composite MWF8 that entered in the Head of the Yarra this year was a composite crew made up of rowers from across four different clubs and for some, it was their first ever race up the Yarra. The eight had been training for a number of months and it was the job of our coach Joanne Boserio to bring us together as a crew.

We headed out on the Friday for a practice run up to the Big Bend. There is definitely a technique to managing this part of the course while trying to maintain power and pace. The reeds on the side of the river seem to attract boats like magnets. The turning space is tight.

Race day arrived and following a warmup using the ergos at the Yarra Yarra Rowing Club we launched our boat with some trepidation and a great deal of excitement..." Continue reading!

OLD SCOTCH COLLEGIANS

Event: Male Masters H Grade

Result: 3rd out of 8 crews

Coxswain: Aryan Deole (Melbourne High School)

Recap by Dick Sudlow

"Our "Old Scotch’’ VIII competed in the Masters H Category [over 70 years] this year. Our crew ages ranged from 68 years to 82 years and most of the crew had rowed the HOY at least 3 times. It is a cox’s race and we had good local 17 y.o .who took no nonsense from us or competing crews. Overtaking is easiest in the first section of the race and to our surprise we passed 3 crews! We were placed 3^rd out of the 8 crews with Fremantle the only other WA competitor. After a 5 hour carnival waiting for the river to be cleared we then rowed the boat 4 kms back to the boatshed!"

Full WA Results:

Rowing WA Adopts Age-Based Regatta Structure for 2024-25 Season Trial

Rowing WA is set to undergo a significant change in the upcoming 2024 rowing season as it transitions from the traditional grade-based racing system to an age-based regatta structure for all pennant regattas including head races. This move, endorsed by the RWA Board following a recommendation from the Competitions Committee, aims to address fairness and competition challenges associated with the existing system. The change will be implemented as a two-year trial.

After conducting a trial in 2023 with a single age-based regatta, the Competitions Committee has recommended a two-year trial for age-based regattas. The decision, officially endorsed at the November 2023 Board meeting, allows clubs and rowers a learning period in the first year and a comprehensive evaluation in the second year.

Despite the shift, Rowing WA is committed to maintaining the existing calendar with minimal alterations for the purpose of comparison.

Next Steps:

To facilitate the transition, Rowing WA will establish a working group to collaborate with clubs in redeveloping and testing regatta programming for the 2024 season using the age-based grading system.

Acknowledging that change can be met with resistance, Rowing WA is dedicated to working closely with clubs to address challenges. Consultation sessions with club representatives will be conducted over the next couple of months to discuss key aspects of this change. This will be discussed at the upcoming SGM with Club Presidents.

The shift to age-based regattas is aimed at enhancing the overall rowing experience and addressing declining participation levels. Rowing WA appreciates the support of the rowing community as they embark on this change.

This move aligns with approaches adopted in other states and is supported by the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS). The objective is to create a more equitable and competitive environment, ultimately improving the sport for all participants.

Thea Adamson is a legend of the WA rowing community - World Championship athlete, multiple-time State Team representative, longtime UWABC member - and she's now turned her attention to the newest rowing discipline, Coastal Rowing! Thea has been involved with Coastal Rowing for years and represented Wales (she's Welsh on her Mum's side!) at the Commonwealth Rowing Association Beach Sprint Championships last December. She has now switched alliegance back to Australia & is making a run at the 2024 Aussie Coastal National Team. She's had a very busy few months honing her craft at competitions all over the world - read her update here!!

"This month has been very exciting for coastal rowing. The ATIR Around the Island Race in Hong Kong, China, hosted by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Coffs Harbour invitational coastal Beach Sprints hosted by Rowing NSW have offered some diverse and exciting coastal racing this month.

The ATIR offered several categories for coastal boats, and myself (representing UWABC) and Clare Jamison (UQBC) competed in the women’s double for the iron 45km distance event." 

Photo: Thea (bow seat) and Clare (stroke seat) navigating the waves at the AITR race (Credit: Karen Chan @kcphotographyhk)

"We were required to have a safety boat follow us the whole way, which was lucky because some areas around the island were very rough. We were rowing in swift coastal boats, which were covered by our boat hire, and having never rowed together we made the most of the good conditions to put down a great time of 4h six minutes. The race distance meant that at each 10km mark we would stop for a gel and drink while our partner rowed, to minimise stopping entirely. We had some minor issues with a slide, but overall a very scenic and adventurous row with great teamwork and a result that landed us with the win in our category and 6 minutes off the course record! Hong Kong is a beautiful city, with fantastic surrounding nature and hiking trails in the national parks that constitute 70% of the countries land mass. We met coastal rowers from all over the world and had a fantastic time at this great event."

Photos: L - Thea & Clare in a wobbly moment, R - on the podium after their win (Credit: Karen Chan @kcphotographyhk)

"The following weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a coffs harbour invitational event, which doubled as a coastal rowing tryout day. After spending the morning setting up and helping some of the local community try coastal rowing, we did some beach sprint racing in a relatively protected area of the bay. Starting with the traditional time trial format, I was able to progress straight to the semi final with the fastest time. Winning my semi, I came up against the second ranked time trialist in the A final. It was a very close race up until the last quarter, where I missed my wave and placed second overall! It was a very enjoyable weekend and a fantastic opportunity to meet coastal rowers from across the country."

Photo: Thea (left) having won Silver at the Rowing NSW Invitational Beach Sprints regatta (Credit: Brad Redfern @bradredfernphoto)

"Having recently moved back [to Perth] from Kalgoorlie, I’m now looking forward to some more time with family and friends with a bit more on-water training."

You can follow Thea's journey on Instagram at @thea_rows!

Umpiring at Rowing Australia's events is a coveted role, and BROs go through a nomination and selection process to make sure our biggest regattas have highly skilled BRO teams on board. The BRO teams at each regatta are known as the 'Jury'. The 'President of the Jury' is the head honcho, responsible for overseeing all the BROs, making important decisions during competition, and preparing Jury Reports at the end of the regatta.

Congratulations to the following WA Boat Race Officials for their selection to National Regatta Juries in 2024:

Australian Rowing Championships

Grant Ford (President of the Jury)

John Murdoch

Australian Masters Rowing Championships

Lynne Bayliss (President of the Jury)

Alan Butorac (Assistant President of the Jury)

Brian Nash

Brett Woolfitt (Reserve)

Australian Coastal and Beach Sprint Championships

Lynne Bayliss

Grant Ford

Craig James

Alan Butorac (Reserve)

Senior & Para Selection Trials

John Murdoch (Reserve)

Rowing Australia is still deliberating on the State Technical Official role appointments - the STOs are Level 1 or 2 Umpires who fill a variety of positions at Nationals and do things like boat weighing, marshalling and timekeeping. We will hopefully find out soon which of our WA nominees are successful!

The full list is available here. 

UNMISSABLE HOUR OF POWER WITH THE AUSSIE WOMEN'S EIGHT COXSWAIN!

Do you want to go from the 2nd VIII or your club boat - to 1st VII, State Team & beyond? (Not that there's anything wrong with being a #clubbie)

Do not miss this FREE opportunity to learn from the woman on the strings of the Aussie Women's 8+ - Hayley Verbunt 

Hayley is here to shed light on the skills that separate the mid from the elite - topics like running sessions effectively, coaching from the cox seat, how to nominate for teams, goal setting & more.

REGISTRATION FREE BUT ESSENTIAL: https://www.rowingwa.asn.au/events/214300/

📆 Date: SUNDAY 10th December 2023

⏰ Time: 2pm - 3pm AWST

 📍 Location: Virtual Teams Meeting. The teams link will be sent out to all registrants before the presentation takes place. 

Curtin University Boat Club is a university sports club with a mixture of competitive and non-competitive members. At the moment we have three paid coaching positions, head coach, men’s coach and women’s coach. We are looking to fill the last two positions. We had an incredibly successful season for our club this year in 2023 and are looking to elevate and continue that into 2024.

A bit about you:

We are looking for someone who is dedicated and reliable, enjoys working as part of a team and are happy to collaborate with other coaches and the Club Captain to develop a strong club culture and achieve on water results. If you are someone who has a strong rowing coaching background and can lead a group of rowers to develop, implement and achieve individual and club objectives. We would also be looking for someone who takes their work seriously but also has fun along the way.

We offer competitive rates and an absolute blast.

For more information or to apply:

If you are interested in applying please send through an expression of interest or resume to our secretary at info@curtinrowing.org.au you can also contact her for more information or check out the position descriptions on our website at https://www.curtinuniversityboatclub.org/about/coachingwithcurtin/.

The University of Western Australia Boat Club (UWABC) wishes to appoint an accomplished and experienced coach to improve the performance of the club's high-performance athletes. This will include but not limited to the following:

• Conduct up to 7 weekly on- and off-water training sessions (~2hrs each);
• Develop and implement high-performance programs tailored to athletes;
• Enhancing individual athlete prognostic performance over the season;
• Support athlete progression via FTEM criteria; and
• Attend/coach at Time Trials, State, and National Rowing Championships.

This role would be a mid-January commencement. Applications close 8th December.

Please visit their Sportspeople post for more information including the Job Description and how to apply.

It's time to pay attention - for the sake of our sport

There's a new Netflix/ABC documentary you might have seen promo for - Harley & Katya. If you've watched it all the way through, you'll have been rocked by the tragic consequences of a lack of support for athletes & everyone invovled in sport. The issues brought to light by this doco were the catalyst for what is known as 'Katya's Law' - officially, the National Integrity Framework.

The National Integrity Framework is essentially a set of rules that all members of a sport need to follow when it comes to their behaviour and conduct in sport. It outlines a system to protect athletes and everyone else involved in sports that have signed up. It's world-leading and we are so proud that Rowing, as a sport, has signed up. 

This week's NIF Resource - Therapeutic Use Exemption [TUE]

What is a TUE? An exemption given to athletes who are required to take a prohibited substance to treat a legitimate medical condition and where there is no reasonable therapeutic alternative. 

READ: Therapeutic Use Exemptions

WATCH: How to Check if you need a TUE (3:42)

DOWNLOAD: The Sport Integrity Australia App on Apple and Google Play

Rowing WA are excited to welcome Perfect Balance Rowing onboard as a Major Partner. 

Above all else, PBR are here to support the growth of the WA rowing community. Local rower Rene Brovelli is their exceptional customer service representative here in Perth, and she is ready to assist with all your equipment and performance needs. Rene will be on-site at most major regattas across 2024.

PBR are your go-to for Filippi and Swift rowing boats and spare parts, rowing accessories and merchandise, and much more.

Contact Rene at rene@pbrowing.com.au with any questions or queries, or head straight to their website.

At November's Coaching and Officiating Conference, Wintech ran a great competition - 'Bespoke your Boat'! The competition encouraged participants to colour in a Wintech boat & use their creativity to make their dream boat!!

Vanessa and Nicky are happy to announce the winner... anyone got a drum roll handy?

Congratulations ALAN BARRY of CANNING BRIDGE ROWING CLUB (aka Murdoch Uni RC)

The prize - a scale model of a single scull - will be presented to Alan on Sunday 17th December.

Congratulations Alan and thank you to Wintech for their support of the Conference!

Wintech representatives Vanessa Grant & Nicky Cato can be contacted at wa@wintechracing.com.au or head to their website at www.wintechracing.com.au

"This movie will do for rowing what Top Gun did for the Navy!" - Yaz Farooq (UW Women's Head Coach)

The biggest rowing movie ever is about to hit a movie theatre near you - officially being released on January 4th 2023 here in Australia. 

"Based on the best-selling book about the inspirational true story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing team that competed for gold at the Summer Olympics in Berlin."

Watch the trailer here!

Rowing WA is holding the final Special General Meeting of the year this Saturday December 2nd.

At this meeting, the Board-Approved budget, the revised RWA consitution, and the 2024 RWA Calendar will be discussed. 

After these discussions, delegates will launch into a Membership & Participation Workshop where a review of sport and club-level membership and participation trends will inform an open discussion related to ideas and strategies to improve membership and participation in our sport at a club level. Additionally, each club has been provided with an individualised data pack containing their own unique membership and participation statistics.

These meetings are closed and only for affiliated member clubs - all of which have been invited by email to have a representative present. Clubs are welcome to bring more than one representative to be involved in this meeting - the workshop element will be especially valuable at a wider club level. 

Contact Dan at ceo@rowingwa.asn.au if you have any questions about the SGM.