Over the last few weeks we have been running on water sessions on a Saturday at Roundhay. Our year 7 and 8 students have gone from complete beginners at rowing on the water to competing at their first race in just under two months which is extraordinary and owes a lot to not just their commitment and also the foundations we have laid with the indoor programme. We took a total of 18 students from across the trust to Bradford amateur rowing clubs sprint regatta. This included eight year 8s, eight year 7s and two year 13 students from Elliott Hudson.
All crews competed in a 600-meter side by side sprint. Whilst only being on the water for a short amount of time the stamina and power they demonstrated during the race is a credit to the work they do during their after school clubs and strength and conditioning sessions.
Although having limited time on the water did not deter our J13 boys Quad from pulling off two phenomenal races despite only being in the boat as a crew twice. All four boys showed composure under pressure and despite a mistake halfway through in the final they showed resilience and recovered superbly catching the Bradford crew and coming away with a win in their division which is an incredible achievement and the first one for the club this year. The crew consisted of:
- Jamie Ford - Farnley Academy
- Ryan Atkins - Farnley Academy
- Dom Johnson - Boston Spa
- Will Warren - Boston Spa
- Alex Porter (cox) - Elliott Hudson
I would like to shout out for our J18 double, Gabi Swaine and Alex Porter who committed to training even while studying for their A-levels. After racing in the morning, challenging their opponents all the way down they stayed to the end and helped cox our younger crews, demonstrating leadership and teamwork attributes we strive to impart in all our athletes.
Although our other junior crews didn't come away with a win each one showed a commendable attitude both while on the water and off and every one of them should feel proud of what they have been able to achieve in such a short space of time.
