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UoK’s rowers were on fine fitness form to participate in a gruelling ergathon that continued throughout the entire first week back
Rowing Club raring to go for a good cause University rowers to raise over £500 for charity In true Kent rowing style, the university’s club members have not been easing themselves gently into the New Year. The first week back from the Christmas holidays saw the rowers taking on the exhausting five day task of an ‘ergathon’, a charity fund raising event in which they covered the 285km distance from Canterbury to Paris on one single ergo (that’s a rowing machine to the rest of us!). The erging marathon, which was arranged in conjunction with Kent’s RAG and as part of the Sports Federation’s ‘Fresh Start’ week, took place at various public spots on campus. With the task designed to raise money
and awareness for the kids’ charity ‘Wooden Spoon’, for over five hours each day one of the rowers could be found pounding out the kilometres on the erg. Aided by a change-over time of only a few seconds between each athlete, the combined efforts of all the members resulted in the club smashing its original estimated target of 285km and rowing a total distance of 351km 802 meters, far beyond that of Canterbury to Paris! Whilst rowing is ultimately an outdoor activity, land training is just as important a part of the sport as water training. However, if asked, most rowers will claim that even the most brutal water session will never compare to the pain of the ergo. One Kent rower states: “It’s an excruciating experience which
makes every muscle in your body burn; hated by rowers across the globe until it ends, the satisfaction of finishing the erg is one of the best feelings you gain from sport”. Erg sessions, in which rowers will be expected to test themselves to their absolute physical limit, are not infrequently concluded with vomiting, fainting or the inability to move one’s legs; the undertaking of the erg marathon therefore was not one the Kent rowers took lightly! All other land training in preparation for this season’s races ceased for the week so that everyone could dedicate themselves to completing the ergathon successfully. Efforts paid off as students all over campus sympathised with the grunts of pain coming from
the rowing machine and charity buckets accumulated a total of £536 by the end of the five days. The rowing club, which has had huge success recently with multiple wins at races such as the prestigious Marlow Head, also raised £1000 for the local charity ‘Kent Kids Miles of Smiles’ in a record-breaking gold at the gruelling Boston Marathon last term. This year’s chairman, James Cooper, said of the club’s efforts: “Kent Rowing has seen massive growth and progress this year; I was extremely proud of the dedication everyone showed in raising money for charity during the Boston Marathon so had no reservations about asking them to help out when Raise and Give asked us to contribute to their cause this term.”
Gillingham lost in embarrassing fashion to exit the FA cup last Tuesday night. Accrington Stanley pulled off a performance that they will undoubtedly label a “giant killing” after seeing off the Kent side 1-0 on a freezing night in Lancashire. This game was rescheduled after the initial date was postponed due to the heavy snow over the Christmas period. The hindrance of the weather was not a shock to the Gills as their league game against Swindon last weekend was their first game in a month not to be the victim to the cold. Gillingham entered this game understandably low on confidence, as they were (and still are) the only team in League One without an away win in all competitions this season. Despite the gulf in divisions, the Kent side took heart from having won three of their four meetings againt Stanley, including both the fi xtures last season when the sides were together in League Two. An understrength Gillingham side found it difficult to assert themselves on the game as Accrington seized the initiative and produced an early scare for stand in keeper, Alan Julian by narrowly missing after only thirty-seven seconds! Things did not really pick up for the away side as they struggled to play football on the pitch which had only passed an inspection at 4:30 that afternoon. Julian was later twice tested in quick succession, first by a turning shot by McConville and then by Grant six yards from goal but the striker’s attempt curled wide of the top corner. Playing against the wind first half, Gillingham’s luck got worse as their first shot on 19minutes was blazed over by Chris Palmer, and then midfielder Curtis Weston had to be substituted on the half hour mark with a suspected hip injury. continued on page 22
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Issue 5.0
Haiti quake claims Kent man’s life
Criminals of the biggest UK heist ordered to pay up Nicola Standley
Adam Silver The first British casualty to die in the Haiti earthquake has been named as UN worker Frederick Wooldridge. The 41 year old from Maidstone, Kent is believed to have died in the collapse of the HQ building in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince. Mr Wooldridge had been based in Haiti as a political affairs and planning officer since 2007, and had recently married his long-term girlfriend and fellow UN worker Teamar Melles, 34. The victim’s family led the tributes and said in a statement soon after his death that: “Frederick was a much-loved member of a close family. He leaves behind his wife, his parents, brother and sister, grandmother and extended family. “He had many friends in the UN and beyond, particularly Geneva where he loved skiing and mountaineering.” These tributes were soon followed by that of the Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said of Mr Wooldridge that he was ‘hugely grateful for the work he and others were doing in the UN Stabilisation Mission’ and that his thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the Caribbean country on Tuesday 12th has taken thousands of lives and has left many still missing in the rubble. Casualties are estimated at anywhere between 40,000200,000; Jean-Max Bellarive, the Haitian Prime Minister, be-
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lieves that over 70,000 victims have been buried in mass graves. In response, Kent’s fire fighters sent a team of six to help join the emergency relief in Haiti. The crew that arrived in the country’s capital on Wednesday 13th January have since been involved in the rescue of an elderly man [pictured] who was found trapped under his bed having been thrown out of it during the quake. A Kent Fire and Rescue spokesman said that: “Once he was located under the building, it took the Kent team seven hours of tunnelling to reach him. After rehydration, the lucky survivor recovered well and was
treated for minor injuries.” The six-strong unit then moved 25 miles west of Port-auPrince to Leogane where reports suggest the town has suffered 80-90 per cent total destruction. Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, has praised the efforts of the six fire fighters by saying: “The people of Kent can be proud of the efforts of the search and rescue professionals from Kent Fire and Rescue Service. “They are helping the people of Haiti at a time of dire need and their skills and experience are vital to the ongoing search for survivors.
“I would like to thank them on behalf of the British Government for their commitment and bravery as part of this international mission.” These men have now safely returned to the UK having spent a week helping to prevent further casualties before the search for survivors was called to a halt. Team Leader John Mazzey said that he felt privileged to be a part of such a global effort: “The reception from the local community was very good and it was excellent to be able to help, but it is important that we are not a burden to the country and so continued on page 5
The six men who plotted Britain’s biggest cash heist have been ordered to pay back almost £3.5m to the Crown. The gang carried out a robbery in Tonbridge at Securitas in February 2006, stealing almost £53m in cash. Nigel Pilkington of The Crown Prosecution Service, Kent, deemed the act “a crime of violence,” as the gang members kidnapped Colin Dixon, his wife Lynn and their young child, and held them at gunpoint in order to gain entry to the building, where CCTV recorded 14 employees being tied up with cables. The men then loaded up their 7.5 ton lorry with cash until full, whilst warning the employees “You will die if you do not do as you are told.” The hostages were then locked up in the empty money cages. The kidnapped child was the first to struggle free. Although the raid only took 66 minutes, the court was informed it took the gang over a year to plan their criminal offence. The men were fitted with sophisticated prosthetic masks made by hairdresser Michelle Hogg, who was initially on trial. However, she agreed to become the main prosecution witness when all her charges were cleared. Currently, she is in the witness protection scheme, but fears for her life. The money to be given back by the criminals will go into a crime-fighting fund set up by central Government. Together, the gang will serve more than 150 years in prison.
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