30 MARCH 2022 | ISSUE 496 | FREE
T
he Australian Rowing Championships was relocated to Nagambie just two weeks ago, after water contamination issues at the Sydney International Regatta Centre required event organisers to find a new location. The celebrations started on Friday with Mass concelebrated by Bishop Shane Mackinlay Bishop of Sandhurst diocese, Monsignor Frank Hickey (part Parish priest) and Fr Tony Hill (current parish priest). Rowing Australia CEO Ian Robson said there had been careful and thorough consideration given to all available venues with Nagambie ultimately selected because of a strong commitment and willingness expressed by Rowing Victoria, the Shire of Strathbogie, Nagambie Rowing Club and Greater Shepparton City Council to contribute and make this event succeed.
“We’re thrilled and delighted we’re going to be able to offer the Australian Rowing Community the event they want, the Australian Rowing Championships. We know there has been a bit of turbulence with travel arrangements, accommodation arrangements and logistics. But racing started this morning (Monday) and that’s fantastic. “There was no doubt at all, we wanted to stage the regatta and that was the first thought, the only thought that drove us to explore the options that were available to us at short notice. “I’d like to express extraordinary thanks to the Rowing Australia team and everyone behind the scenes, including Rowing Victoria CEO Ian Jickell and his team and Julie Salomon and her team at the Shire of Strathbogie. From the moment we had the
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first conversation with Julie and her team, it was all about ‘can do’ ‘want to do’ ‘how can we help?’. “If the community in and around Strathbogie Shire Council didn’t have the mindset to want to make this happen, we wouldn’t be here. “The regional clubs and the regional venues such as Nagambie Lakes are such a compelling part of the heartbeat of our sport,” Robson said. All eyes will be on the Goulburn River Region with the regatta bringing Australia’s top elite rowers, schools, and clubs as they battle it out to be crowned National and Interstate Champions in their respective boat classes. The Australian Rowing Championships is Australia’s largest rowing regatta and incorporates the following signature events: • The Australian Open Rowing Championships • The Australian Open Schools Rowing Championships • The King's and Queen's Cups Interstate Regatta The ultimate day of competition being Sunday 3 April, includes the Finals of the Open Schools Championships and the King’s and Queen’s Cups. The King’s and Queen’s Cups are the most revered and highly sought-after pieces of silverware in Australian rowing seeing the Men’s and Women’s Interstate Eights battle it out for the most prestigious title in Australian rowing and ultimate bragging rights. The Victorian Men’s and Women’s Eights are reigning champions, having reclaimed the Cups in 2021 and the crews will be looking to secure backto-back victories, at home, in 2022. The Community Voice caught up with Nagambie Rowing Club member and rower, Strathbogie Shire Councilor and dedicated volunteer Dave Andrews to gain an insight into the Australian Rowing Championships. “Well hopefully you are already up to speed with the Rowing goings-on at Lake Nagambie this week. From Monday 28th March to Sunday 3rd April, 2022, the Lake will be alive with racing rowing boats, coaches and officials.
The Nationals are a very important event in the rowing calendar and ‘showcase’ our brightest and finest rowers, from all over Australia. How they perform will determine whether they represent our country at International Rowing events. This is effectively the early buildup to the 2024 Olympics, with a series of World Championships to be rowed beforehand, to cement who is the best of the best. I will resist “going the early crow” as they say, as conditions here are near perfect for rowing. Light breeze, light cloud cover and flat water, a rowers and officials dream. Everything gets progressively more difficult as the weather degrades. Hard to align the boats at the start, difficult for the rowers to keep a straight course and row effectively. This also affects the times and therefore likelihood of getting close too or setting a new record. Anyhow, fingers crossed here. I am on the Starting Platform at the 2000 metre start. We have volunteers here from Latrobe Uni and as far away as Gippsland Grammar. The experienced National umpires take care of the starting formalities, while the volunteers hang out precariously on the starting ‘fingers’, holding the stern of the boats. They are in communication with the Aligner, who gets them to either move the boat forward or to the rear, so we have an even line. The aligner then signals via white flag to the starting tower where the starter gives the ‘roll call’ and starts the race. The roll call names the clubs of each crew from lane one thru to seven or eight, notifying the rowers that a start is imminent. Quite formal, almost Army-like, but exciting. Racing starts at 8am and goes through, with a lunch break, to about 5pm. So if you are able to get to the lake at some point, it is worth ‘ticking off that
bucket list’. You can view, with a coffee or picnic lunch, from Jacobsens Outlook, near Black Caviar, or round at Buckley Park. Of course you could sit in the beer garden at The Nagambie Brewery or Nagambie Rowing Club Hotel and have a very pleasant afternoon. Mid-week is advised, as the weekend may ‘go off ’!”
The Regatta will run from Monday 28 March – Sunday 3 April 2022.