WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

The sun and talent shone bright in Ballarat over the weekend at the Rowing Victoria State Championships. A great turnout from our clubs and schools made for an exciting 3 days of racing!

We now head into a racing free weekend before we cast our eyes towards the annual spectacle that is the Head of the Schoolgirls' Regatta!

In more great news, a number of Victorian superstars have been selected to represent Australia and head abroad in 2024!

Read more below.

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

Rowing Victoria

        UPCOMING EVENTS

RV STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS - RECAP

We had an excitement filled weekend on Lake Wendouree for the Rowing Victoria State Championships! Well done to all athletes who competed and congratulations to all event winners. We thank you for your cooperation and positive attitude across the three days.

As always, a special thank you to all the amazing volunteers who make our regattas possible! From our umpires, timers, boat holders, boat drivers, bow numbers, commentators, medal presenters, and more, your efforts do not go unnoticed!

Image galleries are available thanks to Boathouse Drive and Australian Rowing Images.

SENIOR, AUS A, & U23 NATIONAL TEAMS ANNOUNCED

Rowing Victoria congratulates the following Victorian athletes, and their crews, on their selection in this years Senior, Australia A, and Under 23 National Teams.

The Senior Team will look to showcase their talent in Europe in the lead up to their ultimate goal, the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.

The Australia A Team will compete at World Cup I in Varese, Italy from April 12-14. The U23 Team will compete at the U23 World Champs in St. Catharines, Canada from August 18-24.

View the full team and crew selection via the link below.

SENIOR

AUSTRALIA A

UNDER 23

HOSG - SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Rowing Victoria are pleased to offer a range of opportunities to advertise your business at the upcoming Head of the Schoolgirls' Regatta.

A fantastic opportunity to advertise your brand to a large audience both in-person and online. The regatta is scheduled to be held on the Barwon River in Geelong from March 15-17.

Please see the link below for available packages. For more information, or to register your interest, please contact kieran@rowingvictoria.asn.au.

PRIDE ROW 2025

On 11 Feb 2024, we saw the second Pride Row on the Yarra, with the participation of Banks, Melbourne, Richmond, Argonauts, Powerhouse, and Hawthorn. It was a Henley-style elimination sprint race between mixed eights, with the purpose to to celebrate diversity and demonstrate acceptance in our community.

It can send a signal to queer people who might be considering rowing, that this will be an accepting community, as well as to existing athletes that it is a safe place for them to openly be themselves. The organisers are looking to go bigger and better next year, and are aiming to be a Midsumma event and potentially be on the regatta calendar!

If you would like to be involved in the 2025 event, please get in touch! Expressions of interest can be sent to tom.f.marshall@gmail.com. Although the event is in Melbourne, regional clubs are still very much welcome! In order to get a steering committee together before the cut off for Midsumma registrations, please get in touch by the end of March.

ARC - TRAILER SPACE AVAILABLE

Loreto College Ballarat have trailer space available to and from the Australian Rowing Championships in Penrith. Room is available for a couple of 8's, six 4's, and one or two small boats.

For those interest, they are asking for $30 per seat, with the trailer departing Ballarat around lunchtime on Monday 18th March and returning Monday 25th March.

For more information, please contact Craig Smith on CRSmith@loreto.vic.edu.au or 0492 435 279.

CLUBMAP WEBINAR

CLUBMAP will be hosting another webinar on Monday March 11th - PLANNING FOR SUCCESS

Failure to plan is planning to fail. All successful community sporting clubs have a roadmap, learn what plans your club need to put in place to ensure success in 2024 and beyond.

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.