WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

Last weekend we unfortunately saw some cancelled events at the Head of the Schoolboys', however those who were able to compete displayed some great racing! Meanwhile, the Junior Schoolgirls had another solid row on the Barwon River, and interstate, our Victorian crews claimed an array of medals at the NSW Rowing Championships.

This week clubs and schools flock to Nagambie, including some star athletes... for what is shaping up to be a hot and exciting Nagambie Regatta! Meanwhile, it's the Junior Schoolboys chance to gain more experience on the Barwon.

Read more below.

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

Rowing Victoria

        UPCOMING EVENTS

NAGAMBIE GOLD - PREVIEW

A big weekend of racing ahead! Come down to the Nagambie Regatta this Saturday to watch Australia's best rowers compete for some serious prize money! A prize pool of $50,000 is up for grabs across four events:

F1X, M1X, F2-, M2-

The fields are set with Victorian and interstate crews ready to put on a show for the Nagambie crowd, including representatives from Adelaide, Banks, Corio Bay, Fremantle, Mercantile, Melbourne University, Sydney, Sydney University, UTS, and the University of Western Australia!

The Nagambie Gold races are scheduled to begin at 12:00PM on Saturday!

NSW ROWING CHAMPS

28 Victorian Clubs and Schools made the trip up to the Sydney International Regatta Centre last weekend to compete in the 2024 NSW Rowing Championships.

Our athletes returned to Victoria with a stack of medals from across the three days of racing, well done to all who made the journey and congratulations to all medal winners.

Shout out to Mercantile (4th) and Melbourne University (5th) for their top 5 finishes in the overall point score.

Victorian Medal Tally (including composites)

🥇 18 Gold 🥈 14 Silver 🥉 19 Bronze

Check out the full results via the link below and keep an eye on the Rowing NSW Flickr for more images!

Images: Rowing NSW

MIDSUMMA INTER CLUB PRIDE ROW

There was a fantastic turnout on the weekend for the inaugural Midsumma Pride Row hosted by Melbourne Rowing Club.

Members from Banks RC, Hawthorn RC, Melbourne Argonauts RC, Power House RC, and Richmond RC were in attendance, with individuals and boats proudly displaying their colours! 🏳️‍🌈

Banks RC came away with the win and claimed the inaugural disco ball trophy. A great initiative by Melbourne RC and all involved!

BALLARAT SPORTSMEN'S CLUB - COACH RECOGNISED

Congratulations to Wendouree Ballarat's Jamie McDonald on receiving the Ballarat Sportsmen's Club's 2023 Widmer Award. The Widmer Award recognises the great coaches, mentors, and trainers who assist in the development and growth of sport and athletes within the Ballarat region.

Jamie's continued recognition is much deserved following his efforts as coach of the Australian U19 Women's Pair, guiding Ballarat locals Katie Jackson and Lucy Richardson to a Bronze medal at the 2023 World Rowing U19 Championships.

VICTORIAN PATHWAY INFORMATION SESSIONS

Rowing Victoria will be hosting a series of information sessions in Geelong, Melbourne, and Ballarat. State Development & Pathway Coordinator, Delwyn Oliver, along with current Victorian Pathway Program athletes, will be providing information about:

Victorian Performance Pathway (VPP) athletes will talk about their journey from senior rowing at school to where they are now.

Local Clubs will be present to discuss their rowing programs for athletes in the junior and U21 age groups.

You can register for these sessions or nominate yourself for the 2024 Pathway Team via the links below.

EVENT SPONSORSHIP

Have your business/family name published in the online regatta program and results, as well as being announced by the event commentator during the race, with sponsorship now available for all events at these regattas:

Rowing Victoria State Championships - March 1st-3rd

Head of the Schoolgirls' Regatta - March 15th-17th

For further information or to discuss additional sponsorship opportunities, please email kieran@rowingvictoria.asn.au or adam@rowingvictoria.asn.au.

VALE GARTH MANTON

It is with great sadness that we inform the rowing community of the death of Vale Garth Manton.

Garth began his rowing career at Geelong Grammar School in Victoria in 1947. After a brief stint in Sydney, Garth returned to Melbourne where he joined Mercantile Rowing Club in 1951. 

From there he proceeded to excel in the big boats, representing Victoria in the five seat from 1953 - 1956. On his home turf, Garth and the rest of the Australian Men's Eight received a Bronze medal at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 2010, Garth was inducted into the Victorian Hall of Fame. His humour and dedication to our sport will be missed. 

Garth passed away peacefully on Thursday 1st of February, 2024. 

Sincere condolences to Garth's family.

Image: 1956 Olympic eight with Garth in the five seat

CHANGE OUR GAME - COMMUNITY ACTIVATION GRANTS

The 2023-24 Community Activation Grants Program is NOW OPEN!

Grants of up to $10,000 are available to support community sport and recreation clubs. The grants aim to increase participation and enhance gender equality in sport and active recreation.

Funding is available across three streams:

Stream 1 - Participation

Stream 2 - Capability

Stream 3 - Community Leaders

Applications close 5pm AEDT, Monday 4 March 2024.

CLUBMAP WEBINAR

CLUBMAP will be hosting another webinar on Monday February 19th - MEMBERSHIP: DOES YOUR CLUB HAVE A PULSE?

Membership is the foundation of success and is often misunderstood by community clubs. Learn about proven, new-age methods to grow your organisation's membership.

RIVER SAFETY - BOW & STERN LIGHTS

It is important that all rowers who are on the water (and coaches on bikes and powerboats) between sunset and sunrise have adequate lighting for your safety and the safety of others. 

Rowing boats, in restricted visibility and between sunset and sunrise, are required to exhibit;

• Two all-round white lights - one attached to the boat at or near the forward or bow end, and one attached to the boat at or near the stern end.
• Bow light - A continuous white light is considered acceptable if it is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
• Stern light - A flashing white light is considered acceptable if it flashes at least once per second and is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.

Not withstanding the above, it is considered acceptable for a light to be masked so as not to interfere with the vision of the vessel’s occupants, provided at least one light is visible from any direction (see diagram below).

SAFETY REMINDER

Rowing Victoria would like to remind all members the importance of using our equipment and waterways safely and appropriately.

Please follow traffic rules, including correctly using designated turning zones. By following these rules, our waterways are safer for all. 

We have also been made aware of a number of incidents where rowing coaches have been sighted either riding without helmets, using megaphones at incorrect hours, or using mobile phones while riding (both in conversation or filming their crews).

For your own safety, to avoid fines, and to respect other members of the community, we ask that you please ensure you are obeying the law and not partaking in the behaviours above.

WATERWAY ACCESS & INCIDENT REPORTING

Could all waterway users please ensure they are acquainted with their local waterway rules; traffic direction, turning points, stationary obstacles etc.

So that RV, Maritime Safety Victoria and now, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority can support the community in providing safe waterways, please register all incidents via the RV Report an Incident tile on the home page of the RV website.

A consistent management of reporting will assist us in ensuring we are kept safe on the water and the chances of equipment damage is mitigated.