WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

Our string of Head Races begins this weekend with a record number of entries for the Head of the Barwon! We look forward to seeing almost 400 athletes competing in Geelong.

We also hope to see lots of new and returning faces down on the Yarra this Sunday for the Boathouse Drive Open Day! Registration is encouraged however not essential.

If you know somebody who you think would love rowing, now is the perfect time to get them involved!

Stay Safe, Stay Rowing!

Rowing Victoria

       UPCOMING REGATTAS

HEAD OF THE SHANGHAI RIVER REGATTA

The 'Australia A' team put in a stellar performance across two days of racing at the Head of the Shanghai River Regatta last weekend!

The Men's Eight claimed first place in the 500m sprint event, whilst the Women's Eight finished a close second. Both crews powered through the 4.2km race on the final day, securing second-place finishes in their respective categories!

The crews, featuring Laura Foley, Fraser Miscamble, and Hamish Wynn-Pope (all MUBC), were competing in the elite category against the British Rowing Team, University of Cambridge, and Oxford Brookes University.

Images: Rowing Australia

AUSTRALIAN U23 TEAM - EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Expressions of Interest for the Under 23 Australian Rowing Team are now open and will close on Monday, 2 December.

THE EOI IS NOT THE U23 TEAM NOMINATION FORM.

All athletes, including those on the 2024 Under 23 Rowing Team, are to submit an EOI. The 2025 U23 Nomination Form will open on Friday, 6 December. Athletes can then submit a nomination if, based on their national ergo ranking and on water performance, they believe they can compete for a National Team seat at the U23 Selection Trials.

TRY PARA-SPORTS DAY

Disability Sports Australia and Paralympics Australia are excited to present Try Para-Sports, a free event to start your Para-Sport journey!

The Victorian event will be held at the State Sport Centres, Parkville, on Sunday October 27th.

The event will provide people with disabilities the opportunity to:

• Try & learn more about local Para-Sports
• Make new friends
• Meet and greet Paralympians and see their medals up close
• Have fun!

This is a positive, inclusive and safe space to be active. For those looking to learn about classification, there will be classifiers available. This event is for people with disabilities ages 10+. Registration is required and places are expected to fill quickly, register today!

If you have any additional accessibility requirements, please contact: max@sports.org.au

NOMINATIONS - RV MASTERS SELECTORS

Rowing Victoria is calling for nominations for selectors to assist in the selection of Victorian Masters teams to represent Victoria. We are seeking to fill three selector positions.

For more information please contact Adam Harrison at adam@rowingvictoria.asn.au.

OCEANIA COACHING & SPORTS SCIENCE CONFERENCE

This year's event will take place at Griffith University on the Gold Coast from Thursday October 31 to Saturday November 2.

It is a program full of terrific presenters including:

• High profile rowing coaches, successful school coaches as well as the important support staff.
• The one and only Wayne Bennett who has been so successful at different clubs over many years.
• Scott Fairweather who has worked closely with Wayne Bennett for a number of years.
• Bonnie Hancock who paddled around the coastline of Australia in 253 days = a World Record, 50+ kms per day! She’s an extraordinary woman and speaker.  
• Tony O’Connor who coached the NZ Men’s 8 to Olympic Gold in Tokyo. He teaches in a school where he also coaches. Tony has a wonderfully simple, but clear message about coaching.

All tickets sold by COB Friday the 17th October will go into a draw to win your money back. There is also a bundled ticket offer for the Rower of the Year event on the Saturday night. On Sunday morning there will be a Coastal Rowing Beach Sprint demonstration put on locally.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SPORTING CLUB GRANTS PROGRAM

Access to this funding helps grassroots clubs and organisations address barriers in participation, develop safe and sustainable practices and build social and active local communities.

The program assists organisations to:

Applications close October 11th.

SIGNIFICANT SPORTING EVENTS PROGRAM

The Significant Sporting Events Program helps sporting, community and event organisations to deliver significant sporting events in Victoria.

Eligible events include those hosted by local sporting clubs that are regionally specific and recognised by a relevant sporting body.

Round 2 is now open, with applications closing October 31st.

BIKE LIGHTS

In addition to safely lighting our boats, it is important that coaches are also meeting requirements off the water. By law, your bike must be fitted with a rear red reflector, a bell, and at least one working brake.

When riding at night and in low-light, you must use a front white light and a rear red light. The light can be flashing or steady but must be seen from 200 metres away. It is also a good idea to use flashing lights during the day to help other road users see you.

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.