WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

This week our Masters athletes continue their preparation for the Australian Masters Rowing Championships, starting next Thursday!

Meanwhile, other members of the community have a range of off-water initiatives and programs to explore.

Read more below.

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

Rowing Victoria

        UPCOMING REGATTAS

AUSTRALIAN MASTERS ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2023 Australian Masters Rowing Championships are being held in Penrith at the SIRC from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th June.

Athletes from 19 different Victorian clubs have entered including:

We wish all athletes the best of luck and safe travels, as they continue to prepare for racing to begin next Thursday!

RA CORE ESSENTIALS ROWING GUIDES

It is with great anticipation that Rowing Australia has published The Core Essentials for on water sculling and sweep oar rowing techniques. The posters are clear, simple and will bring consistency, if implemented, across the entire rowing community. The guides are available here:

Sculling Guide

Sweep Oar Guide

We encourage you to please display these in prominent places and refer to The Core Essentials when coaching coaches as well as coaching athletes.

RV GENERAL MEETING & MASTERS FORUM

Notice is given for the upcoming RV General Meeting to be held at 6pm Wednesday June 14.

Please note that the Masters Forum originally scheduled for June 7 will now be included as business within this general meeting.

The meeting will be held both in person at Power House Rowing Club and online via Zoom.

NATIONAL RECONCILATION WEEK

Tomorrow marks the beginning of National Reconcilation Week (NRW) for 2023. NRW is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The theme this year is Be a Voice for Generations. We encourage the rowing community to use this week to think of ways they can be a voice for reconciliation in their everyday lives. 

More information, including events and resources, can be found via clicking the banner above.

CHILD SAFETY REMINDER

We would like to remind the community of our obligations surrounding the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

Organisations are currently being audited for their compliance and the off-season is a perfect time to ensure we are all meeting the standards.

There is an abundance of resources to support you through this process, which can be found on our Child Safety & Member Protection webpage. If you find yourself with some spare time, we encourage you to reach out to your club committees and offer support in working through this process.

For any additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out to kieran@rowingvictoria.asn.au.

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

Last week we joined organisations throughout Australia in celebrating National Volunteer Week!

The week provided us with the opportunity to celebrate and recognise the vital work of all the volunteers in our sport, and to say thank you. Our sport would not be the same without them!

Additionally, it was a great time to remind our community of the resources available to assist in recruiting and supporting their volunteers. Relevant resources for all stages of the Sport Volunteer Cycle are available below.

HAVE YOUR SAY! - SPORT PARTICIPATION SURVEY

The Australian Sports Commission invites all Australians to have their say on the development of the nation’s first codesigned National Sport Participation Strategy through an online survey.

Please share it with your communities and encourage others to complete it. The more people who report they participate in rowing, the better for us all, especially when we’re applying for grants etc!

Please see the link to the survey below.

RIVER SAFETY - BOW & STERN LIGHTS

With the darker mornings and evenings now upon us, it is crucial 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.