Rowing news from the UK and across the world
Rowing cronies Melissa Wilson and Holly Hill have barely left each other’s side for the last seven years so spending lockdown apart was never an option.
The pair met at Cambridge University Boat Club in 2014, won the Boat Race together in 2017 and both made their senior World Championship bows in 2018.
They ended 2019 at the World Championships in different boats – Wilson in the quad sculls, Hill in the four – but remained inseparable in every other way.
Wilson’s parents live in Guernsey and Edinburgh so she has been staying at Hill’s family home in Gloucestershire for three months, training together under the trellis in the garden.
When trying to recall their last argument, Wilson draws a blank. Surely there’s something they disagree on?
“The main difference is that Holly was the captain of nearly every single sports team at her school, whereas I would write my own sick notes to get off P.E!” said the 27-year-old.
Full story courtesy of https://www.teamgb.com/news/wilson-navigating-choppy-waters-with-close-friend-hill
In its latest round of event allocations, World Rowing has today announced that Great Britain will stage the 2022 World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals. The event will be staged on Saundersfoot Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Andy Parkinson, British Rowing CEO commented, “We are delighted to be able to bring international rowing back to Great Britain for the first time since 2018. The British rowing community has a long history of delivering world-class events and we look forward tremendously to hosting the international rowing family again in 2022.”
The 2022 World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals will be staged off Saundersfoot Beach in Wales in association with Welsh Rowing and supported by Welsh Sea Rowing. The event will take place over two weekends in October and, with the event in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, British Rowing is aiming to lead the way in environmentally-friendly event delivery.
It is anticipated that some form of coastal rowing will become part of the Olympic programme from Paris 2024 onwards so it’s particularly exciting for British Rowing to be hosting an event in the new Olympic discipline. Coastal rowing, as a whole, offers a fantastic opportunity for the sport of rowing to broaden its reach into the coastal communities around the world and beach sprints, in particular, presents an exhilarating new format of the sport hoping to capture the attention of a younger, more diverse audience.
“The exciting nature of coastal rowing will fit perfectly with the Pembrokeshire coast. We already know that British Rowing has the capability of staging world-class events and we are looking forward to working with the organising committee to make these events truly memorable,” said FISA (World Rowing) President Jean-Christophe Rolland.
The event will be hosted in association with Welsh Rowing and supported by Welsh Sea Rowing. Theo Huckle QC, Chair of Welsh Rowing, said “We are thrilled to be hosting the World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprints Finals in 2022 at Saundersfoot. West Wales has shown how successfully it can host international sports events and we now have the wonderful opportunity for Wales and Saundersfoot to represent the UK and be at the forefront of developments of rowing as a global and accessible sport for all.”
As a potential new Olympic discipline, the hosting of the event will be supported by funding from UK Sport and Welsh Government. Esther Britten, Head of Major Events at UK Sport said, “Our ambition is to continue to evolve our major events programme by securing innovative and impactful sporting events to take place right across the UK. We are delighted to be able to add this World Championships to our programme and look forward to working with new host Saundersfoot, British Rowing, FISA and the Welsh Government.”
Eluned Morgan, Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language said, “Amidst the significant challenges that we are currently facing, I am delighted that we received news today that the new Wales International Coastal Centre in Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire has been chosen to host this event in 2022. This will give us a future opportunity to showcase the world class venue to a new audience. The unique surroundings of the Pembrokeshire National Park will provide a stunning backdrop for competitors, officials and spectators and the event will provide a meaningful legacy for the sport in Wales and inspire the next generation to get involved”.
The event is likely to welcome over 1,000 competitors from around the world to the Pembrokeshire coastline, providing a welcome boost to the local economy. Councillor Phil Baker, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Licencing and Major Events commented, “I am delighted that Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, Wales has been successful in securing this fantastic series of sea rowing disciplines. Pembrokeshire has an impressive pedigree in delivering world class events and I know that the residents of Saundersfoot and Pembrokeshire will provide a great Welsh welcome to both the competitors and visitors alike and I look forward to being part of the delivery team to make this dream a reality.”
Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said “Pembrokeshire has an unrivalled coastal landscape which will provide a stunning location to host the championships and we look forward to working with partners to organise an event that meets the highest standards of sustainability and provides a legacy in the future.”
The event will take place off Saundersfoot Beach and will be supported by the new Welsh International Coastal Centre, Michael Davies, Chief Executive said “It has been a true team effort to secure the bid against other world-class venues. This event will establish a lasting legacy for coastal rowing at Saundersfoot Harbour’s new Marine Centre of Excellence, which will be a future gateway for all ages and abilities to access the sport.”
British Rowing had also bid to host a World Rowing Indoor Championships at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London but, unfortunately, this bid was unsuccessful. British Rowing is extremely grateful to the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority and London & Partners for their support for this bid.
The bids were submitted as part of British Rowing’s Major Events Strategy and British Rowing intends to bid for further international rowing events in the future.
British Rowing is delighted to announce a partnership with indoor rowing studio and on-demand class platform, ROWBOTS to deliver an indoor rowing training concept, ROWBOTS @ HOME, that transforms the way people use an indoor rowing machine.
The all-new partnership is in response to a notable rise in the demand for indoor rowing and quick, at home workouts during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown. Available for all abilities, ROWBOTS @ HOME is an online platform delivering tailored indoor rowing, floor and body-weight workouts, with additional opportunity to include a WaterRower for a low, monthly fee.
Pioneered by Real Madrid’s football phenomenon, Gareth Bale, and Team GB powerlifting icon, Hendrick Famutimi, ROWBOTS is the complete workout for both the body and mind. Created and developed by professional athletes and mental health professionals, each workout is tailored to build mental strength and resilience, alongside high-intensity rowing and floor interval training. Alongside ROWBOTS@HOME, the partnership is set to deliver wider workshops and challenges to help build on the objective of making rowing an accessible and exciting sport, and effective training tool for all.
Gareth Bale, ROWBOTS Co-Founder and Footballer said: “Now more than ever people need to switch on, both physically and mentally. By partnering with British Rowing, we can give more people access to our physically enhancing and mentally empowering workouts, either from inside The Machine Room, or from the comfort of their own home.”
Greg Zimmerman, Co-Founder & CEO at ROWBOTS said: “Our goal at ROWBOTS is to deliver world-class training to as many people as possible. Our Co-Founder and professional footballer, Gareth Bale, uses rowing to build fitness and prevent injury but we’ve seen how effective our combination of rowing, conditioning and mental training can be for everyone. The ROWBOTS programmes are holistic; working on strength, stamina, recovery and recharge so it’s not just about beating yourself up every day to get fit. We’re very excited to partner with British Rowing to get more people on a rowing machine and transform the way people train.”
Kenny Baillie, Director of Partnerships & Communications at British Rowing commented: “Over the last few months, we’ve seen an exponential growth in indoor rowing and demand for quick, effective home workouts. ROWBOTS has been recognised as one of the most innovative organisations in the fitness industry so we are delighted to work with them to continue to build our indoor rowing offering and grow our membership.”
To sign up to ROWBOTS @ HOME: On Demand visit: https://rowbots.co.uk/rowbots-home/
GB’s Tom George (Leander Club) has broken the GB Rowing Team men’s 2km indoor rowing record while training at home, setting a new fastest-ever British time of 05:39.6 and becoming the first ever British rower – and eighth man ever – to break the 5:40 barrier.
Tom’s incredible time beats the current GB Rowing men’s team record of 5:40 held by teammate Moe Sbihi, who himself broke Sir Matthew Pinsent’s 11-year record in 2015.
Tom, who is staying with his parents in Gloucestershire, said: “I texted Moe in the morning to say I was going to go for it; we always text before pieces. I told him afterwards that I did it and he said ‘honestly, fair play, I know how hard it is, congrats and enjoy it’. To get that from someone like him who’s won the Olympics was really humbling.
“I did have a moment afterwards where I thought about how everything I’ve done so far in my rowing career has been with the goal of winning the Olympics; to achieve something like this makes me actually feel like I’m on the pathway to doing that.
“I went out full pace in the first half and thought I’d see what happened in the second half. At halfway I thought right, I have to either fully commit or I won’t do it. The third 500 is where it really sucks but you just have to close your eyes and do it. The projected time was saying 5:40 but I knew I had something left. During the last ten strokes it ticked on to 5:39 as the projected finish; weirdly the last ten strokes were enjoyable as I felt that sense of accomplishment and knew I could do it.”
Olympic Chief Coach Jürgen Grobler said: “I am so pleased for Tom. He is a strong puller and this is really impressive in the current situation. Big respect to Moe as well whose time was also fantastic.”
Jürgen also paid tribute to the wider GB Rowing Team men’s and women’s squads, who have been posting strong performances despite training from home.
“It is hard training at home and there is a real variety in the location and training set-up,” Jürgen said. “It can be slower to recover from injuries without our physio support and they do not have strength and conditioning coaches so it is harder for them to get technical advice.
“However, there have been lots of PBs (personal bests) in the squad, which shows they’re very competitive. Everybody is on the case. They are still a young team.”
Tom agreed, saying: “Everyone’s pushed on massively. We’re still on WhatsApp groups together and we’re still meeting as a full squad over Zoom – we’ve created an environment to push each other along regardless of when or where we’re training. There really is a responsibility to go out and train well and train hard.”
The Team have been utilising cross-training methods while training from home, with road cycling and running both playing a larger role than usual.
Team physiologist Sarah Moseley said: “There have been lots of really strong performances from the squad over the past ten weeks, with a large number of PBs on both the 30-minute and 2km ergo tests. The ergometer has been the foundation of the squad programme however this period has seen a much higher proportion of cross training compared to normal, with static and road cycling making up more than 30% of training time and running making up 5%.”
For Jürgen, who has coached medal-winning crews at every Olympic Games since 1972, lockdown has presented an entirely new coaching challenge.
“I have learned we have the right athletes,” he says. “Their passion is great – we are not a sport driven by money and they still have the motivation. They have dealt well with the delay to the Games.
“I am sure the IOC will do everything they can to give this generation of athletes the opportunity to showcase their performances.”
Words courtesy of https://www.britishrowing.org/2020/06/tom-george-breaks-gb-rowing-team-2km-record-in-lockdown/
Officially launching today, the ‘Train Your Way to Tokyo’ challenge sees Blue Peter presenter Lindsey Russell joining forces with athletes from the three GB squads to cover the 9,448km distance – an average of 314km per day, which they are completing from inside their own homes or outdoors within current government guidance.
Supported by star mentors Lauren Rowles, Elinor Barker and Laura Muir, Lindsey will be trying her hand at all three sports for the 30 day challenge and getting an insight into how Olympic and Paralympic athletes are training at home.
Rowers from British Rowing’s Olympic, Paralympic, U23 and World Class Start squads around the UK are all getting involved and contributing their training distances to the challenge.
The group effort is running until 16th June, with the final film being shown on Blue Peter on 18th June (5.30pm) on CBBC, iPlayer, and CBeebies on Friday 19th June at 5pm as part of a Sport Badge Special. The 2020 Sport Badge was designed by a Blue Peter viewer to celebrate next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. To earn a sport badge, kids aged 6-15 must try a new way of getting active.
Paralympic and World Champion Lauren Rowles MBE said: “I’m incredibly excited to be part of the Train Your Way to Tokyo challenge with Blue Peter and our friends at British Cycling and British Athletics. During these tough times, it’s more important than ever for kids and parents to stay active and I hope this challenge inspires them to get involved in sport and take on new challenges.”
Laura Muir, five-time European athletics champion, said: “It is great to be supporting Lindsey as part of Blue
Peter’s ‘Train Your Way to Tokyo’ challenge. I loved the show when I was growing up and so jumped at the opportunity to take part. It was so exciting to receive the new Blue Peter badge and I hope everyone watching can learn something along the way. I’ll be contributing my normal training miles as part of the challenge and I am excited to be offering my support and tips and advice to Lindsey – I have no doubt she will do a fantastic job.”
Olympic and World champion Elinor Barker said: “I’m enjoying being part of the Train Your way to Tokyo challenge with Blue Peter and already in our first week, myself and my Great Britain Cycling Team teammates have clocked up a good number of kilometres in training to help Lindsey on her way. Hopefully, we will help to inspire the audience to take up more activity themselves especially as we’re in this difficult period of lockdown.”
Blue Peter’s Lindsey Russell said: “Though I’ve completed many Blue Peter challenges, I’ve never taken on a multi-sport challenge quite like this. It’s daunting but I can’t wait to train with these incredible athletes and hopefully show what can be achieved by working together, all from our own homes.”
In conjunction with Rowing Australia, Rowing Canada Aviron and Rowing New Zealand we are inviting indoor rowers worldwide to log their training metres with the shared goal of accumulating, as one singular community, 384.4 million metres – the distance from Earth to the Moon. Can you help Great Britain top the leader table against the other nations and get us all to the moon?
To get involved, simply row as far as you like in a session and then record your distance. Remember to keep coming back before 06.00 on Sunday 31 May 2020 (BST) and making as many new submissions as you like.
Links & info – https://www.britishrowing.org/indoor-rowing/row-to-the-moon/
British Rowing, Rowing Canada Aviron, Rowing Australia and Rowing New Zealand have today announced the One Minute Challenge, a joint initiative for indoor rowers across the respective nations
Taking place over the weekend of 8-11 May, the mass-participation competition challenges anyone with a rowing machine at home to see how far they can row in one minute. Members of the public will compete alongside rowers from each nation’s Olympic and Paralympic teams for individual awards in various age, weight and adaptive rowing categories, with international bragging rights also at stake for the country that records the furthest combined distance.
To keep track of the results, participants will be asked to log their scores on a live, real-time web platform, then share their results and nominate friends on social media using #minutechallenge.
The web platform will be open for entries throughout this coming weekend, opening at 00.01 (BST) on Friday 8 May and closing at 23.59 (BST) on Monday 11 May. British Rowing CEO Andy Parkinson said: “In these uncertain times, we’re delighted to be able to join together in friendly competition and motivate indoor rowers across our four nations.”
“This couldn’t have happened without fantastic collaboration between each of our National Federations – it’s been a real team effort to put this together and we look forward to further exciting initiatives together in the future.”
Rowing NZ Chief Executive Simon Peterson added, “Our indoor rowing event launched today alongside Canada, Great Britain and Australia is a humbling reminder that New Zealand’s rowing community are not alone in our eagerness to get back out on the water, and highlights a great relationship that exists between our counterparts across the globe. These are challenging times but we remain impressed with not only our domestic rowing community, but also the global rowing community who continually seek the connection and comradery that comes with our sport.”
Ian Robson, CEO of Rowing Australia, echoed his colleagues’ sentiments, saying, “We’ve had some fantastic indoor rowing competitions in Australia during these unprecedented times and it is wonderful that this One Minute Challenge enables us to connect, virtually, across the world to compete. We’re all in this global pandemic together and it is heartening to see all our rowing communities, across the world, coming together to compete in a digital format.”
Rowing Canada Aviron CEO, Terry Dillon, said: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Australia, Great Britain and New Zealand to highlight the value and connectivity of indoor rowing, both during these unprecedented times and in our everyday lives. We look forward to challenging ourselves and our fellow competitors to get active and take on the #minutechallenge this weekend.”
The One Minute Challenge marks the first of a new series of online indoor rowing challenges which will be hosted by British Rowing. Further details about upcoming challenges will be announced in the coming days and weeks.
Take part in the challenge – https://www.britishrowing.org/indoor-rowing/one-minute-challenge/
The GB Para-rowing squad have been finding innovative ways to mix up their training from home.
We spoke to Chief Paralympic coach Tom Dyson, PR3 mixed coxed four coach Nick Baker and cox Erin Kennedy to find out what the team have been up to.
Home gyms
As soon as lockdown was announced, the para squad coaches delivered equipment from the Caversham training base to the rowers’ homes in what Nick describes as “a sort of coaches Uber service”. Each member of the squad received an ergometer (rowing machine) and Tom and Nick tried to ensure that they had access to another piece of aerobic training equipment for variety, such as a bike or handbike.
With help from the English Institute of Sport, they also delivered weight training equipment to supplement each rower’s home gym setup; Nick adds: “There have also been a lot of community gyms who have been really kind in letting our athletes use their equipment.”.
Training programme
While training remotely can be tough, it also gives opportunities to tailor each person’s training programme to their individual requirements. Individual schedules, motivation and even the weather have all come into consideration.
Tom says: “There has been a shift away from a fixed daily training programme to providing rowers with a menu of training, including two weekly ‘challenges’ that are new and exciting, rather than replicating regular training sessions.
“Along the same lines, we have given each rower more control over their S&C programmes. They have a ‘skeleton programme’ which covers the non negotiables for their musculoskeletal wellbeing and then are able to pick their own exercises through to create a fully detailed programme as they would normally follow at training.”
“Obviously they’re all training in different setups, so in the first week or so we asked everyone to film “MTV Cribs” videos of their home gyms to help us understand the options or limitations in each of their spaces.”
Staying in touch
The para squad is an extremely close knit group and this is one of the things they have tried to protect and continue during lockdown. As Nick puts it: “One of our priorities has been keeping that close knit community we’ve worked hard to develop and looking after each other in this period.”
Tom describes how the group have been staying in touch: “Rowers have been meeting up online to complete certain training sessions but this hasn’t been a requirement – we wanted to give each of the rowers the chance to take some space and tailor their days as they wish.
“As well as checking in with rowers individually, we’ve held an optional virtual coffee call each morning – this is a consistent chance for everyone to see a friendly face, ask our coaches, physio or S&C coach any questions or simply have breakfast as part of a group as they would normally do at training.
Erin adds: “One of the benefits of being a smaller squad is that we can all meet up together – every Tuesday morning at 8:30 we have a compulsory full squad catch up to share any important admin information, so everyone knows what’s going on.”
Words & Videos – https://www.britishrowing.org/2020/05/gb-para-rowing-squad-mix-it-up-during-lockdown/
In the film, athletes from British Rowing’s women’s squad, including world champions Polly Swann, Jessica Leyden and Imogen Grant, give a rare and fascinating insight into life at a high performance overseas training camp.
As they push themselves to the absolute limit at a purpose-built training centre in the heart of the Portuguese countryside, fighting to secure their seats; these elite rowers detail the essential role that British Rowing’s Official Analytics partner, SAS is playing in helping them to track and analyse their training data, ultimately ensuring that the boats go faster so as the team stays one step ahead of its international counterparts.