Rowing Summer Sport
owing is more than just a fast boat on race day. Rcomplementary Like success it is a journey, not a destination. It’s a experience to an individual’s mental, physical and spiritual development. Internally, you experience rowing as a microcosm of life – solitude, learning, rest, nourishment, sharing, emotion, passion and ultimately – challenge. Alessio Di Biaggio Captain of Boats 2003 aving won the Hamer Cup for PSA Champion H Rowing School in 2002, the young men who row and their coaches had a great opportunity to go backto-back in 2003. Repeating great achievements is never as easy as it seems. Apart from the six usual strong rivals, you pick up the biggest enemy of repeat success of all – complacency! The Hamer Cup always requires a concerted and passionate effort from all thirteen crews, all reserves pushing for seats, all sixteen coaches expecting only high standards and the support of hundreds of parents, friends and Old Boys. Thankfully the 2003 leadership of Alessio Di Biaggio, Christian Skinner, Tim Wood (Vice-Captains), Chris Lloyd (Captain of Coxswains) and all the Year Twelve rowers stamped out as much complacency as they could. Their combined efforts united the club into a confident and irresistible force on Head of the River day. Excellent conditions on the river led to much close racing. Trinity courageously led most races from the start, a club culture we work hard at maintaining. Some highlights were an inaugural race win by our Year 9E quad scull, our youngest and smallest crew. Brave Year Ten crews all gained a place. The 2nd quad scull lead from start to finish and won by a monster margin to set the fastest time ever in the PSA – 7min 16.2 sec. All three senior eights kept the blue flag flying with the 3rd Eight placing second, the 2nd Eight rowing the race of their lives to win emphatically by clear water and the 1st Eight powering home to claim third, just 0.3 of a second from season favourite, Guildford. However, line honours and our congratulations went to Christchurch for the strongest row on the day.
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Celebrating a back-to-back Hamer Cup victory
So while Trinity had won each of the six lead up regattas comfortably, the Head of the River as usual proved to be much, much tougher. Nine of our thirteen crews placed in the top three to win back-to-back Hamer Cups for the first time. Well done to all the rowers, coxswains and reserves on taking their opportunity. A huge thank you goes to our hard working and magnificent coaches whose untiring efforts make each season happen. Their job is very, very difficult and deserves our gratitude. Special congratulations to Mr Colin Webster who had our new quad scull named in his honour, thanking him for eleven years service to the club. Also, thank you and congratulations to Mr Phil Jurjevich on his marriage to Carolyn at Dunsborough which was well attended by Trinity Rowers. To the parents, friends and Old Boys who support the rowing effort from near and far, thank you. A special thank you is extended to David and Kerry Garrick whose contributions prior to and during the three years of his Presidency of the Rowing Auxiliary could never be adequately covered here. Their energy, innovations, countless hours of unseen organisation and unconditional support of all rowers and the running of the club deserves the highest praise and will continue to bear fruit long into this new era of Trinity Rowing. Finally we give a thank you to Principal, Tony Curtis, in his retirement year who constantly looked for ways to support the necessary improvement of the club, particularly in terms of boats and equipment. To finish I will paraphrase some of Alessio’s thoughts before the Head of the River…for us there are no centuries, no goals or aces, no individual distinctions … we are team, we are crews, it is always the team ahead of individual desires and it’s that unselfishness manifested on the river that will never be forgotten!
Ray Kosovich Coordinator of Rowing
