To get your news & photos noticed, simply e-mail me

March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002 September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002

30 April

Junior Scottish performances at GB Junior Selection Regatta: while the rest if us were enjoying a challenging cross-wind at Strathclyde Park, a small number of leading junior Scots were battling with, would you believe, a strong cross wind at Dorney Lake at the GB Junior Selection Regatta. Chris Logan (George Watson's)finished 6th fastest in JM 1x, Kirsty Myles (George Watson's) finished 9th fastest in JW 1x while Anna Anderson and Alex Gemmie (Nithsdale) finished 4th fastest in JW 2-.

Stirling in time-shift mystery? Readers yesterday will have seen 'advance notification of Stirling RC's open day to take place on the 3rd of, err, March?!? This should of course have read 3rd May - but hey, the typo got them a second plug for the event.

DUBC sponsored row video: readers will remember Dundee Unis sponsored row. They have a clip of video of the event on their web site - it's a rather large file, but if you have the right sort of line connection I'm assured it's worth a look. Incidentally, DUBC are still looking for a volunteer coach - check the wanted page for details.

A 'Head' at Strathclyde Park? Strathclyde Park RC have announced they will be holding a new small boats head on the Park on 11 October, now added to this year's events page listings.

28 April

Strathclyde Park Regatta survives challenging conditions: conditions for Strathclyde Park Regatta & Scottish Universities Championships were far from ideal. Wind forced some Saturday 1000m races down to 500m from free starts, and conditions on the exposed 1000m start forced most of Sunday's 1000m races to be raced from the 2000m start to a mid-loch finish.

Regatta chairman Ronnie Goldie pays tribute to the efforts of all who made this possible. "It took tremendous flexibility and hard work by the regatta team, umpires and competitors to keep racing going - the only alternative would have been to have cancelled the whole thing when the wind blew up late on Saturday morning," he says. "We finished on time on Saturday and 40 minutes late on Sunday, with only 1 race from 178 being cancelled in the whole weekend."

Obviously the timing system is set up to produce results from either 1000m or 2000m starts to the normal finish by the tower, so we don't yet have full results to put on the web. I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to put up the finish orders at least - with times for those races which did run on the standard courses.

Open House at Stirling Rowing Club: Stirling RC are having an open day from 11.00 am to 4.00pm this Saturday 3rd March. Tours, ergometer intro-sessions, 'have a go at rowing' sessions, etc. They're leafleting the local area to try to increase participation in the sport in Stirling, particularly in the Riverside district.

Next Regatta - it's Clydesdale! Full details are now on the club's web site re the Clydesdale Regatta on 10th May.

24 April

Final Draw for Strathclyde Park Regatta: the final draw for SPR and Scottish Universities is now up for Saturday and Sunday. Crews are advised to check their race times. All we have to hope for now is good weather . . .

Time/place for Scottish Universities meeting: the meeting of University boat club representatives mentioned in News a couple of days ago will gather with Alan Easson at the ceremonial booth in the refreshment tent at 11.00am on Sunday

21 April

Scottish Universities meeting: the usual meeting of Scottish Universities boat club representatives will take place during this weekend's regatta at Strathclyde Park: the exact time/place have yet to be confirmed via universities coordinator Alan Easson, but will be notified to clubs and published here as soon as possible.

Strathclyde Park Regatta Draw for Saturday and Sunday: for anybody who hasn't tried doing a draw for a regatta this size, it may interest you to know that it has taken 14.5 'man-days' (except that half were women) of work between close of entries last Thursday lunchtime and midnight Monday to prepare for and do the draw. Thanks to all who worked on the job.

The huge entry (who would have predicted 20% growth?) and fairly universal multiple event entering has pressed separation between rounds/events down toward the minimum. It has also prevented the team from meeting some competitor preferences on timing of events. Please accept that the team started by reviewing lists of those preferences and did their best. However if you do believe the draw has overlooked an event clash that was stated on your entry, please contact the team ASAP.

Copies of the draw are in the post to club entries secretaries: do read the contents - it includes important information, and an social invitation from the Scottish Rowing President too.

For clubs wanting to bid to hire a boat from the National Rowing Academy Fleet, the application form is here: be warned - demand will be heavy, so the importance of your 'reasons for needing to hire' on the form will be significant in determining who gets priority.

21 April

Strathclyde Park Regatta - news from the Draw: the draw is under way on Monday 21st. We have a very large entry - 20% up on the previous record - and 14 very welcome visiting clubs from England competing. The draw, together with a range of useful/important notes to competitors, should come up on the web site this evening (Monday).

Scots success at GB Trials: word from John McArthur that Gavin Shaw and Henry Westwood finished 3rd in trials in U23 lightweight 2-. Gavin has already been invited to row with GB at the Essen regatta.

17 April

Calling all potential Regatta Commentators: we're always eager to add to the pool of commentators for Strathclyde Park Regatta. All you need is a clear voice, a broad interest in and knowledge of the sport in Scotland (a bit of who's who and who's done what previously) and a few hours on your hands during the regatta to do a shift at the mike in the tower. If you fancy volunteering, please drop Terry McNeill a line

Don't get 'nicked' transporting your boats: as the regatta season starts, there will be many more boats getting moved around Scotland either on trailers or on car roofs. Where the overhang (front or rear) exceeds 1 metre, there are very strict requirements about marking these overhangs. Having spoken to the SARA safety convener, Katy Cameron, she recommends the ARA guide on boat transport as giving clear advice on how to fulfil your legal obligations. It would be a pity to be late at the start of your race because you were on the hard shoulder getting nicked!

16 April

International athlete registration: the International Rowing Committee (IRC) has published these lists of senior men and women who have registered under the selection policy for consideration to represent Scotland in the Home International this year. The next compulsory trial is Strathclyde Park Regatta (see yellow panel on right), entries for which close tomorrow. Trialists must race in events 5, 7, 8 or 10 for men or events 54, 56, 57 or 59 for women on the list of Events Offered (ie the pair or single scull relevant to their weight).

Kit found at Strathclyde Park: a kit bag was left in Dundee Uni's trailer at Strathclyde Park at the weekend, thought probably to belong to someone from either ABC or AUBC groups who were also training there. It wasn't spotted until the trailer got back to Dundee, but can be claimed by contacting DUBC captain Dave Shea, as they put it, 'preferably before the sweaty contents biodegrade!'

15 April

Meanwhile in Belgium . . . Watson's, Heriots and Nithsdale were off competing in the Ghent Spring Regatta (a popular early season event in the junior calendar). The regatta web site doesn't seem to have results yet, but I hear Nithsdale won junior women's 4- with Heriots 2nd. Kirsty Myles of Watson's got a silver in junior women's sculls and Chris Logan (also Watson's) got a further silver in junior men's single sculls. The Heriots and Nithsdale girls fours combined to race an eight in a senior class: came second behind a senior Belgian crew, but ahead of all other junior entries (Westminster School were next).

. . . and also in Belgium . . . Gavin Shaw and Henry Westwood are competing in the GB final trials at Hazewinkel this week. I also see some other 'weel kent faces' from Scottish teams past (but now based outside Scotland) on the contenders list: Katherine Grainger, Alasdair Stuart, Stewart Bates, Danny Harte, Martin Harris, perhaps others my quick scan missed. You can follow progress of the trials on the ARA web site.

12 April

North East Regatta: full information on the two-day North East Regatta in Aberdeen is now up on the Committee of the Dee site.

SPRC in the 'cage': having outgrown their accommodation (healthy sign!), Strathclyde Park Rowing Club are in the process of moving out of the space they shared with the National Rowing Academy fleet and into the former SARA 'cage' which they have leased from North Lanarkshire Council. This does now mean they have some free racking space which they can offer to frequent visitors wanting to base a boat at the park: contact SPRC Treasurer Karen Ness for details.

11 April

"Scientific and Applied Aspects of Rowing Performance". Aberdeen University coach Charlie Simpson, who has been working on a PhD relevant to rowing training, is giving a talk under this title in the Clyde Conference Room at Strathclyde Park next Wednesday 16th April at 7.30pm. The discussion is likely to be of interest to most coaches and a wide spread of athletes, and will touch on three main topics:

1. Improved Training Methods
2. Practical Training Tips
3. Ergogenic Aids to Performance

Some of Charlie's PhD data from Aberdeen Uni on rowers will also be provided. There is no charge for attendance, though donations to the cost of room hire would be appreciated.

10 April

Strathclyde Park Regatta: entries close next Thursday 17th (Regatta 26-27th April), so this weekend is just about your last chance to try out your crews and get the paperwork done. Much work has gone into encouraging competition from outside Scotland to come to the regatta to add spice this year - of course no one will know until the draw whether it has worked. But here's hoping for a good multi-lane kick-off to the season. Full regatta bumf through the links on the right.

University Focus Day: a reminder that this event is at Strathclyde Park this Sunday: agenda is here.

Crowds curtail rowing at the Park: there's a big road race starting and finishing on the water side of the centre at Strathclyde Park this Sunday. Access to the water for boats will apparently be restricted at times. The advice from development officer Callum Macdonald is plan your outings for early if possible, and check with Park staff for more info.

9 April

	Pictures from the Scottish Rowing Awards by Tom Baker: click on the thumbnail to enlarge. Please note that Tom is a professional photographer and owns commercial copyright over these: if you want a copy, please e-mail him

Although the Police and regatta organisers don't envisage problems, SUBC would like to advise all visitors that although the regatta will be running as normal it may be wise for visiting clubs to take sensible precautions such as leaving potential valuables at home. As their note to me says: "We're looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend and we're sure that the weekend will still be a success for all concerned and we can all have a lot of fun."

8 April

President 'off-line': SARA President Mary Massaro has a fault with her PC and will be unable to receive e-mail for a few days. Anyone trying to contact her should do so at one of the phone numbers on the contacts page. I'll put up another message when she's back on line.

They're big boys in Inverness! Inverness RC are urgently seeking to buy a 95 kg 4+. See Sales and Wants for details

Trialists' priorities in entering Strathclyde Park Regatta (SPR): this notice is from the International Rowing Committee. Athletes registered as trialists for the Scotland senior team in 2003 will be aware from the selection policy document that SPR is a mandatory trial; the IRC will require reasons for non-attendance by the midnight the following Saturday. Trialists must compete in the single scull or coxless pairs event relevant to their weight (i.e. Events 5, 7, 8 or 10 for men or events 54, 56, 57 or 59 for women on the list of Events Offered).

Do you have graphic design/DTP skills? SARA development officer Callum Macdonald has a couple of publishing projects for the National Rowing Academy in the offing and is keen to hear from anyone with relevant skills/experience who would be interested in helping.

Going to Ghent? A reminder that there will be no formal Scottish Rowing entries managed by the IRC at Ghent this year, but it is understood that several clubs plan on entering club crews independently.

7 April

More photos from the Scottish Rowing Awards: scroll down for the main batch, but a couple of new subjects are now here too. I have a full crop coming overnight from Tom Baker and will try to put up a montage tomorrow.

Chain found: a gold chain was found on Friday at the Scottish Rowing Awards ball. Claimants to Clare Haley please.

Strathclyde University Easter Regatta draw: good to see a new event attracting a decent entry, emphasis being on small boats. 47 races during the day and the draw is here.

Boat Hire for Strathclyde Park Regatta: as usual, the boats at the National Rowing Academy are available for hire at the regatta. Check the fleet list first to identify the class of boat you hope to hire, then complete and submit the application form

Baby Barnes on the way: one other piece of happy news broken to friends on Friday night at the Scottish Rowing Awards is that Commonwealth Champion Ali Barnes and husband, Gordon - who had both traveled from Putney for the event - are expecting their first baby in October.

Boat Race write-ups: What a cracking race! Oxford overcome weight of history - by 12 inches - the Guardian, Oxford survive by closest of margins - the Times, Oxford's epic victory closer than 'dead heat' - Daily Telegraph, Oxford win by one foot after titanic struggle, the Independent

Bow tie found: a gents bow tie was found during clear-up on Friday night after the Scottish Rowing Awards. Claimants to Paul Mackie please.

5 April

The award winners were:

* Junior Oarswoman of the Year: Lucy Buglass, Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association
* Junior Oarsman of the Year: Chris Logan, George Watson's College
* Volunteer of the Year: Terry McNeill, Aberdeen Boat Club
* Coach of the Year: Ali Paterson, Aberdeen Boat Club
* Oarswoman of the Year: Ailie Ord, Clydesdale Amateur Rowing Club
* Oarsman of the Year: Gavin Shaw, Aberdeen University Boat Club
* Crew of the Year: Aberdeen Boat Club Men's Coxless Four: Angus Argyle, Drew Hendry, Tom Morgan and John Langley.

Thanks to everyone who traveled from near and far to make the event such a success (unbelievably, there were more tickets sold in Putney than in Edinburgh!), and particularly to guest of honour, Peter Haining, who was invested as a Fellow of the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association by SARA President, Mary Massaro.

Thanks to Ron Wallace for the photos: we don't seem to have pics of the junior award winners yet - can anyone help? Please e-mail me

4 April

Looking forward to the big night out: the cream of Scottish Rowing will be in the Elphinstone Hall in Aberdeen tonight for the Scottish Rowing Awards. Scottish members of 2002 GB teams and members of Scotland's Commonwealth and Home International teams are coming from across the UK for the event, joining big contingents of guests from the Aberdeen-based clubs in particular. Chief Guest Peter Haining MBE promises a combination of entertaining anecdote and thought provoking 'look ahead' into the future of the sport in Scotland and more widely. Check back here tomorrow for a list of the award winners and perhaps even some photographs.

Inverness hogging the headlines: "Debut on Thames for Highland Rowers" (Highland News) and "Veterans enjoy comfortable win" (Inverness Courier). I get the impression some other clubs could learn from Inverness's success in getting coverage in their local press.

3 April

Strathclyde Uni extend entry deadline: Strathclyde University have got permission from the Race Control Convenor to extend the entry deadline for their regatta (Saturday 12 April) to 12 noon this Saturday. The draw now starts at 2.00pm the same day. This is a new regatta on the calendar, rowed over a mix of short and longer courses on the Clyde. Early season fun in the Easter Hols. Regatta notice here.

Are you Insured in England? This from Race Control Convenor, Sandy Walker: "All Scottish competitors should note that the ARA day ticket fee paid by SARA competitors is an administration fee, and that insurance cover needs to be provided for Scottish competitors through their SARA members insurance. It is therefore important that all crew members competing for Scottish clubs in England are holders of a current SARA Competition Licence and have their document available for inspection if requested by the regatta organisers."

Is someone going to swipe your free water? It appears some users of Strathlyde Park have quickly adapted to the new registration and swipe card system - others are still playing hookey despite the fact it's free (!). There is a real need to manage and monitor facilities use through this system and, as this important notice shows, the system is going to have to be applied and strictly adhered to. Otherwise it may be the free water concept itself that gets swiped.

2 April

SARA Half Yearly News Round-Up: Here is the promised round-up of discussions at the SARA Half yearly General Meeting. Topics seem to have included things that affect almost everybody, so worth a read.

Changes to Rules of Racing: the full amended Rules are now here for download, following changes at the Half Yearly (which apply with immediate effect). The principal changes reflect the revised Competition Licence arrangements resulting in modification to rules A10 and B14, an additional rule C18 concerning circulation patterns, the requirement for weighing in lightweights in rule E10 and disciplinary measures in rule F33 expanded to include abuse of fellow competitors.

Tideway photos: the photos are coming up in droves at JET Photographic, Big Blade and Natures Images

Viewing problems?

This site is designed for MS Explorer 5/ Netscape 5 or later. If you have older versions, try using the links to download their latest (free) v6 updates