WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

Last weekend saw over 2,000 school athletes hit the water for the Junior Schoolboys (Carrum) and Junior Schoolgirls (Ballarat) Regattas! With many rowers racing for the first time, there was plenty of excitement in the air! Thank you to St. Kevin's and Sacred Heart for their work in hosting.

This weekend we look to finish off 2022 in style, with the return of the Carrum Regatta and our first Coastal Rowing Come & Try day! A final RA domestic time trial will also take place prior to the Carrum Regatta.

Read more below.

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

        UPCOMING REGATTAS

COASTAL ROWING COME & TRY

Entries remain open for our Coastal Rowing Come & Try this Sunday December 11th!

Events categories include:
⭐️ Male/Female/Mixed
⭐️ U18/U35/Over 35
⭐️ Single/Double Sculls

Don't feel like racing? Casual trials (no entry required) will be available from 8am and will continue throughout the day.

All abilities are welcome - come on down and give it a go, or sit on the beach and watch the action unfold!

All equipment will be provided, you simply have to bring yourselves!

ROWING AUSTRALIA ROWER OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Last Friday, the successes of the Australian rowing community were celebrated at the Hancock Prospecting Rower of the Year Awards, hosted by Rowing Australia in Penrith NSW. Congratulations to the following Victorians on their awards and recognition:

Annabelle Eaton - Pathways Coach of the Year

This award recognises the importance of the pathways program in developing the future talent of Australian rowing. Annabelle was the coach of the gold medal winning Under 23 Women's Coxed Four at the World Championships in July this year. She was a joint winner of this award with Judith Ungemach from UTS Haberfield (NSW).

Emmie Frederico - Pathways Athlete of the Year (U23 Women's Coxed Four)

Coached by Annabelle, Emmie was apart of the successful U23 Women's Coxed Four crew mentioned above. All rowing out of the US college system, her crew set a championship record on their way to taking out the gold. They were joint winners of this award with the U19 Men's Coxed Four who also won gold.

Patrick McNamara - Rowing Australia Life Membership

Based on his tremendous contribution to rowing, including significant time on the Rowing Australia and Rowing Victoria boards, Patrick was awarded Rowing Australia Life Membership.

DISABILITY SPORT & RECREATION FESTIVAL

Last Friday we were present at the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Festival to help celebrate International Day of People with Disability (Dec 3).

The sun was shining and lots of energetic individuals were eager to learn how they can get involved in rowing!

If you are interested in giving para-rowing a go, or if you have any questions, contact Delwyn and she can help get you started!

📧: delwyn@rowingvictoria.asn.au

SPORT INTEGRITY AUSTRALIA - ONLINE INFO SESSION

Those who were unable to attend the in-person Sport Integrity Australia session on Monday November 28, are invited to attend an online session which will cover the same learning objectives. The session will be run by Rowing Australia (RA) as part of a national education program in conjunction with Paddle Australia and Australian Dragon Boat Federation. The presenter will be Liam Bourke, RA's new National Integrity Manager.

DETAILS

Date: Tuesday 13 December

Time: 8:00pm - 10:00pm

Location: Online (via Microsoft Teams)

Please register for the session via the link below.

If you were unable to attend the in-person session, we strongly encourage at least one relevant representative (eg President, Vice-President, Secretary, Member Protection Information Officer) to attend on behalf of your Club – and strongly encourage multiple representatives to attend if possible.

If you have any questions, please do not hesistate to reach out to Liam Bourke, RA’s new National Integrity Manager, at integrity@rowingaustralia.com.au.

SRV SPORTING CLUB GRANTS PROGRAM

The Sporting Club Grants Program provides funding for grassroots sport and active recreation organisations across Victoria. Access to this funding helps clubs and organisations address barriers in participation, develop safe and sustainable practices, and build social and active local communities.

This program assists organisations to purchase sports uniforms and participation equipment, increase the skills of coaches, officials, volunteers and management committees, and supports improvements to club capacity and accessibility.

It is fantastic to see that 11 of our clubs have been successful in receiving this funding across the last 2 years.

Round 2 applications open in February 2023, however we encourage clubs to consider and prepare an application in advance. For those who are unsure where to begin, Club Builder offer services to assist in preparing an application. You can contact them or read more about the grant requirements via the links below.

LOCAL SPORTING CHAMPIONS

ARE YOU:

1. Aged between 12-18 or 12-24 (Para)?

2. Coaching, officiating, or competing at the State Championships or ARC this season?

If the answer is YES, then you may be eligible for a grant from $500-$1,000 towards the cost of attending!

CLUBMAP WEBINARS

CLUBMAP will be hosting another webinar on Monday December 12th - PLANNING FOR FUTURE VOLUNTEER SUCCESSION

Retention of volunteers is so important for sustainability. They'll show you how to share the workload to retain your club's greatest asset, and the steps required for a great succession plan.

RIVER SAFETY - BOW & STERN LIGHTS

With the dark mornings now upon us it is crucial that all rowers who are on the water (and coaches on bikes and powerboats) between sunset and sunrise all 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 safely and appropriately.

The police have 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 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.