There were some great results for the Bairnsdale Rowing Club (BRC) over the weekend at the Footscray Saltwater Regatta.
A large contingent of BRC members travelled to Melbourne to compete in the regatta on the Maribyrnong River on Saturday.
The 800m sprint course with the Melbourne city skyline in the background is a favourite for Bairnsdale rowers as the regatta attracts a wide range of clubs, with both experienced and novice rowers taking to the water.
The BRC came away with some well fought and well earned wins, in a variety of events, with the spoils shared.
Club president, Lynne Broad, teamed up with senior member Kate Holzapfel to win the female “C” grade double scull.
The mixed coxed quad race was won by Carol McCauliffe, Ron Alexander, Tomos Clark, Kate Holzapfel and Louise Avery (cox).
Sharlene Davis was brilliant in the stroke seat in the para double scull race, teaming with Broad for a gold medal.
The senior BRC women also won the female masters coxed four, coming across the line strongly to take the gold.
The BRC junior members have also been busy competing, with solid performances by Maggie Sheridan, Lily Bramhall and Jack Pownall-Lee at the Head of School Girls Regatta in Geelong and the Victorian Junior State Championship in Nagambie.
Junior members, Lagan Joshi and Sam Reynolds won the open schoolboys coxed quad at the State Championship and have just competed in the week-long Australian Rowing Championships in Sydney with some very strong performances.
The highlight of being the fastest Victorian team in the under 19 coxless quad was a great reward for training hard all season, with the boys having plenty to look forward to on the water in the next 12 months.
After a big day at the Footscray Saltwater regatta last Saturday, BRC members travelled back to Bairnsdale to run the club’s “Autumn Learn to Row” course on Sunday morning.
The course is in full swing, with 12 participants of all ages learning the basics of rowing each Sunday morning, which includes includes on and off water instruction under the guidance of experienced and trained instructors.
