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More
than 250 guests gathered at Strathclyde Park last Friday to see
HRH The Princess Royal open the National Rowing Academy.
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| The
Princess Royal arrives escorted by her personal commentator
during the Princess Royal Challenge race, Stewart Bates |
Arriving
at the north end of the course, Her Royal Highness transferred to
a launch from which to watch mixed junior 15 coxed quadruple sculls
racing for the Princess Royal Challenge - a special event with a
special trophy, being competed for on this one day only and to be
held by the winners in perpetuity.
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| SARA
president, Ronnie Goldie, escorts Her Royal Highness during
part of her visit. |
The
Princess Royal disembarked at the pontoons and was introduced by
the Lord Lieutenant of North Lanarkshire to Provost Barry McCulloch,
North Lanarkshire Council chief executive Gavin Whitfield, Assistant
Chief Constable Ricky Gray and Ronnie Goldie, president of the Scottish
Amateur Rowing Association.
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| Iain
Somerside, director of the National Rowing Academy, showed
the Princess Royal around the Academy and introduced members
and staff |
Ronnie
Goldie chatted informally with Her Royal Highness as they walked
to the entrance of the National Rowing Academy, where Ronnie introduced
guests including Alastair Dempster, Chairman of Sportscotland and
Liz Connolly, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire;
these two bodies, together with North Lanarkshire Council, had provided
the major funding for the project.
Iain
Somerside, the past president of Scottish Rowing who conceived the
National Rowing Academy and who, as Director of the National Rowing
Academy, has led the project delivery team, escorted Her Royal Highness
on a our of the Boathouse Fitness Club, where he introduced several
local members, and then across to the National Rowing Academy's
state-of-the-art rowing tank.
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| Her
Royal Highness meets (left to right) Scotland's national rowing
coach, John McArthur, Mr Gilbert Cox OBE (partially obscured),
Lord Lieutenant of North Lanarkshire, Former world champion
Scottish rowers Jim McNiven and Peter Haining. |
While
a Scotland senior women's eight demonstrated the tank in action,
Her Royal Highness heard about the facility and its training value
from 3-times world sculling champion Peter Haining, from former
world lightweight eight champion Jim McNiven, from Scottish Rowing's
new development officer, Callum MacDonald and from our new National
Rowing Coach, John McArthur.
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| Eight
established Scottish internationalists - all contending places
in Scotland's 2002 women's teams - demonstrated the rowing
tank in action |
Speaking
to members of the eight after the event - they being the first real
crew to test the tank - the response was extremely positive.
Some
of the universities represented at the opening were already looking
to make bookings for introductory coaching for their autumn intake
of students. After meeting the architect, Eugene Mullan, and members
of the SARA and professional project teams who have worked on the
Academy - along with members of the SARA Executive, Her Royal Highness
chatted informally with numerous guests in the marquee.
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| The
presentation of the Princess Royal Challenge trophy to George
Heriots School. Left to right: Ronnie Goldie, Jim Wilkinson
(coach), Jennifer McBride (cox), Karina Williams, Blair Mowatt,
Gemma Lumsden, Iain Somerside, HRH The Princess Royal and
Joe St Clair (stroke) |
The
crew from George Heriots School, winners of the Princess Royal Challenge
were led forward by their coach Jim Wilkinson to receive the trophy
and individual miniature replicas, presented personally by Her Royal
Highness; the smiles confirmed this was quite an occasion in these
young rowers' lives.
Ronnie
Goldie spoke of the importance of the National Rowing Academy to
the future development of rowing.
"The
National Rowing Academy – and in particular its two staff,
our Development Officer and our National Coach – are central
to the development of the sport in Scotland in years to come,"
he said. "We now have the infrastructure to achieve more in
rowing at every level from grass roots club recruitment plans to
national high performance coaching."
Her
Royal Highness spoke enthusiastically about the potential contribution
the Academy could make not only to Scottish Rowing but to British
rowing as a whole. She then unveiled the commemorative plaque -
an engraved stainless steel oar, crafted and gifted to the Association
by Rolls Royce of East Kilbride.
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| The
stunning stainless steel oar commemorating the opening was
created and gifted by Rolls Royce of East Kilbride |
Kimberely
Somerside, Iain's 6 year old daughter, presented Her Royal Highness
with flowers before her departure, as guests began to enjoy the
celebration buffet lunch - with the added attraction of the World
Cup football coverage live on large screens around the marquee.
There
are rumours of a photograph of Di Ellis (chairman of the Amateur
Rowing Association), Mary Massaro (Vice President of SARA) and other
ladies rowing in the tank still wearing 'posh frock' rather than
sports kit - but the firm evidence hasn't reached me yet so I can't
put it up. It was that kind of occasion, though: after the formal
opening, the tank was swarming with users ranging from local J14s
to 3-times world champion Peter Haining, the kids in tracksuits
and Peter looking suave as always in a three-piece tweed suit. |
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