The senior boys' squad was thin on the ground this year, but strong commitment broke through and those who put in the effort were given a chance in a four. The season started slowly for them with a solid performance at Schools' Head of the River, where they placed 13th in the country, but with some crew bonding and an intense training program from the coach (Mr Reay) in Nantes, they began to see their boat speed increase. Once they arrived back from Nantes their speed and new found confidence were put to the test at Evesham regatta, where the crew faced tough opposition from fast crews from the local region, but they pushed through to win two wins in one day. They went into National Schools Regatta with high spirits and soon found themselves in the final alongside the best crews in the country, after coming third all day they had one of the favoured lanes. In this case the boys defiantly rose to the occasion and performed to their potential coming a very credible 6th. Alongside all the school rowing activities, Michael Lawrence has been trialling for the GB Junior Team and has attended several trials and camps. He has been hugely successful throughout the season and has gained selection for the final trials to be held in July where he will attempt to find a place in the team for the World Junior Championships which will be held at Dorney Lake in August, the venue of the 2012 Olympics. He has done the school, the Boat Club and himself proud. Overall, it has been an amazing year for the Boat Club with wins in all year groups and events and it has all been made possible by the dedication and hard work of all the Monkton coaches. We thank them for all their hours of coaching and patience. We all appreciate what you have done for us. So a big thank you to Mr Hubbard, Miss Mawasse, Mr Dietz, Alice Tetley, Seb Norman, Mike Smith, Jim Brown, Andy Groves, Carl Purchase, Mr Bewick, Miss Blackstone and Mr Reay. Here’s to an even more successful 2012. Michael Lawrence and Lucy Bush
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