Rowing Down Under
Rowing Down Under - The Australian Rowing Podcast.
Join JRN writers and pundits Stuart John and Chris McCarthy as they take you on a journey through the Australian rowing season.
Tune in for weekly insights, analysis, and guest interviews from across the nation.
Rowing Down Under
S2 Episode 7: It's All Coming to a Head
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Course records, upset victories, and Olympians pushed to the limit. The first weekend of HOTR action certainly did not disappoint. Join JRN pundits Chris McCarthy, Stuart John, and Ant Di Cosmo for all the latest racing news from around the country.
This podcast is sponsored by WinTech Racing Australia.
WinTech Racing has established itself as the world's largest and foremost sustainable boat builder, producing over 2000 shells annually.
They are dedicated to promoting the growth of rowing by making it easier and more affordable to buy boats featuring cutting-edge technology that improve performance at all levels.
Learn more about how you can get a fair price and unfair advantage at wintechracing.com.au
I'm thinking fast every other flash country. It's gonna be something in the water. We wanna go in that fast along with it.
SPEAKER_11Pimple lighting scolly! Windows Google head of the window for 2020.
SPEAKER_01It was not on anyone's big out and it's waiting. I don't think anyone needs to do it.
SPEAKER_12Welcome to Rowing Down Under, a podcast by JRN with Chris McCarthy and Stuart John.
SPEAKER_01Hello rowing fans, and welcome back to Rowing Down and Under, the JRN podcast, where you'll get your fix of all the latest Australian rowing news, interviews, and our unhinged opinions uh here on the podcast, proudly sponsored by Wintech Racing. My name is Chris McCarthy, and I am joined by Stuart John and Aunt DeCosmo. Ant DeCosmo is uh currently uh running away from something, recording in the car. Stuart, uh, who has uh just wrapped up a busy day of racing and coxing down in Canberra. Uh Stu, we'll start with you. How was your weekend? Busy, lots of driving.
SPEAKER_00A lot of driving. So it was the uh schoolgirl head of the river up in Penrith yesterday, so on Saturday, as well as the women's sprint eliminator. Fantastic to be commentating that. Some amazing racing. I know in the afternoon session when you and I jumped on the microphone, Chris, that uh some of the racing there, first race in, and it was about a canvas between first and second. So really kept us on our toes. And the sprint eliminator, um, I know that a number of the athletes really, really enjoyed uh particularly having Emma Twig over there. I think she was a really great in uh for that one. And then today it was up race at 7.30 in the morning, the ACT championships, um, and then went from racing to being a small shouty human on a microphone and coxing the ANU Sea Grade 8 through to a win. We were down by a boat length at the thousand meter mark, and we won by a couple of seats over Camber Rowing Club. So the boys were very, very happy with that. The two that had to back up for another race half an hour later were not happy with me though.
SPEAKER_01Small shouty human on a microphone. I think you should put that in your LinkedIn bio, Stu.
SPEAKER_00That's uh forget LinkedIn bio. That's on my Instagram one.
SPEAKER_01Uh I think Ant could probably uh coin that one as well. Ant, how was uh how was your how was your weekend?
SPEAKER_04It was very good, and I apologize for the audio because as Chris kindly pointed out, I am in a car. Um I spent my weekend down at Head of the Schoolgirls and watching on one screen Brisbane ahead of the river because of Richard and also Scotch Merck's at the same time. So there's a lot happening in the box.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we've certainly got a lot to cover on this podcast. New South Wales Schoolgirl Head of the River, uh, the Sprint Eliminators, the Victorian Head of the School Girls, the New South Wales School Boy Head of the River that was today, the Queensland GPS Head of the River, the South Australian Head of the River, and uh the Tasmanian Head of the River as well, as well as uh some NTC results from down uh on Lake Burley Griffin as well. And this isn't even the uh this isn't even all the head of the rivers. We've still got another weekend with a couple more to go next weekend. Uh, but before we get into all of that, a quick word from our sponsor, Wintech Racing. Rowing Down Under Season 2 is proudly sponsored by Wintech Racing Australia. Wintech Racing have established themselves as the world's largest and foremost sustainable boat builder, producing over 2,000 shells annually. They're dedicated to promoting the growth of rowing by making it easier and more affordable to buy boats featuring cutting-edge technology that improved performance at all levels. And that's the part of the spill where to throw purpose words that you like best, fastest, ultimate. But Wintech Australia are better served by real words like authentic, character, and service. Because what Wintech stands for is genuine and built upon the very best people and practices. Wintech's unwavering commitment, sustainability, affordability, and innovation drive them to propel the sport of rowing into a more inclusive and exciting future where your excellence will know no boundaries. Learn more about how you can get a fair price and an unfair advantage at wintechracing.com.au. Alright, let's get into it with the New South Wales Schoolgirl Head of the River. Always a fantastic event. I love driving up Castle Raid Road and uh seeing all the signs and uh all the decorations from all the schools and all the school spirit. They do a fantastic job of it. Uh, and I'm sure it's very similar down at the head of the schoolgirls uh for you, and I know uh it's a real festival vibe down there. I'll quickly run through all of the headline results. Pinball Ladies College with a win and another course record in the School Girl 8 and won the second eight. Canberra Girls uh Grammar School back to back in the senior quad and uh also won all of the uh all four of the Division I quad events and won the Hetty Cap point score. So I think uh we'll have to look at uh entry rules about Canberran schools coming up to the New South Wales head of the river in the future. Uh Lorena Normanhurst won both the Year 10 first and second eights in a fairly uh dominant style, um, which uh I've been told I'm not allowed to talk about. Well, throughout the season, I've been barred from talking about them uh by their coach Jackson, but he said he can't uh hold me at bay forever and uh post head of the river. I'm free to uh talk about them and gas them up, so we'll have a chat about them. Queenwood won the overall point score. Stu, we'll start with you. What did you make of the day? It was uh certainly one of the uh one of the one for the record books, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_00Ah yeah, so I think that's um well I had a message from the Canberra Girls grammar coach Kaz Pipers on the way back down to Canberra on Saturday night saying it's potentially the first time that any uh school has swept the Division I quad result. So they won the year eights, um, that's a crew with Memphis Lynham in it, who is the daughter of Olympian Zoe Lynham from the Beijing Olympics. I think she was in the quad. Um they won the year nines, they won the year tens, and they won the open. So that was an absolutely amazing uh achievement by the Bad Amin Green Machine, who did a lot better than the Canberra Raiders in the second half on Friday night. But I I think also, too, Chris, it's worthwhile mentioning. As you say, when you drive down Castlereagh Road to Cirque and you've just got all the signs that are up there, I think the only thing that kind of put me off a little bit was the life-size student signs that they had up there and I go, Oh, geez, are they are they kids running along the side of the road? And no, it's just life-size posters of these schoolgirl rowers. Um, but no, a great atmosphere. And I the thing that I absolutely loved after Queenwood won the point score, the way that they all got around, the cheer that came from the grandstand when Queenwood was announced, when you announced Queenwood as winning the overall point score, and then the war cry that they had down in front of the grandstand was just absolutely fantastic. I just loved the atmosphere of these big school regattas.
SPEAKER_01It is fantastic, isn't it? And and is there anything from the results that's uh really really stuck out to you? I know obviously you weren't there, and we'll we'll chat about the uh head of the school girls uh uh to you as well, but uh or if if if if if we want to move on uh to to pimble as well, um with what you made of them at uh at State Champs. Anything that's uh really raising eyebrows for you?
SPEAKER_04Uh from a Victorian perspective, head of the school girls from our state big weekend, or do you mean what commenting on the life size?
SPEAKER_01We'll move on to the head of the school girls after uh the life size. It is it's a size of a bit. I wish I'd taken a photo. I'll uh I'll try and dig something up for you. But um we might just move on to talking about it.
SPEAKER_04A bit of insider info. There, I didn't even realise.
SPEAKER_01No, life size cutouts all around the gates at Circ. It's uh it's a great um is that a regular occurrence? Yeah, I don't know. It's kind of cool. Yeah, there's a couple of schools that do it every year. Um, yeah, yeah. PLC Sydney have uh they have the cutouts and then they put a new face on them every year uh with the with their first quad uh on it. Um yeah.
SPEAKER_04As a tourist for this podcast, that's new to me.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's uh one yeah, one of the one of the quirks. I know there's some quirks about head of the schoolgirls as well. We'll get onto that. We'll get onto that. But um I think the big story of the day is uh Pimble Ladies College uh winning the first date, course record, first time in eight years. They're they've now won 17 out of the 37 runnings of the schoolgirl first date in New South Wales. There was a period where they won it for like 12 years in a row or something ridiculous. So it's all it's weird to say that they've only uh now won it uh for the first time in eight years. Um Harry Randall's done a great job with those girls. Uh they've really stepped on well from uh the base that they had last year and then that fantastic under-17 eight that they had last year, which I think set a national record um at the national champs last year. Um and the question I wanted to put to you because you the the school that you went to, Genizano, wasn't one of the the really big players in in eights rowing that sort of thing. From your perspective, how impressive is it that a school has managed to turn around eight years of going without a win?
SPEAKER_04It's amazing. I don't think people realise behind the scenes how much effort it takes. Because I think it starts at a schoolgirl level with with a culture. You have to build up a culture within the squad, and particularly in age, and a self-belief that you can do this, that you can row together, that you can do this, and have that sort of winning spirit to carry across across the line. And I think Jenizano's had, for example, my school has had its peaks, and now we're we're in a bit of a trough, but on on the way back up. And a lot of it has to do with instilling a culture of self-belief. And that can be quite hard to do across school girls. So it's I think it's incredibly uh impressive for pinball, but it's also taken them eight years to do that, to really instill a self-cycle of if we can do this, we back ourselves in, and then deliver those results.
SPEAKER_01Sue, um as Ant said, like there would be having that belief uh is is certainly uh a huge part of it. You think they they surely would have had some doubt after state champs. The last time they come up against Kinross, Kinross beat them. Um how impressive is it that they've managed to turn that around?
SPEAKER_00Well, I think what was great about their role on Saturday was that they were pushed really hard by Kinross. So through the first 500, 750 meters, it was level pegging between Kinross and Pimble ladies. It wasn't really until past the thousand meters that they just started to pull away. They made sure that they did the basics well, you know, the blades were in cleanly, um, they got that drive-in. And what it meant was that, yeah, they were able to drop the team that beat them. The only crew really that's been able to beat them all season, which for them unfortunately was at the New South Wales State Championships. And I think what it does do is that it sets them up well for the national title, you know, when they go down to Lake Barrington, having that experience of going, okay, well, we got beaten by this mob last time around, we got put under a lot of pressure by them in this race, we got past them, we came away with the win. Now we reckon we can do that. The the challenge will be to do that at the national level.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and I think uh everything that we've just answered is probably going to get reflected pretty well in uh we caught up with uh the captain of boats, Millie Callinate, who was on the junior team last year and uh is the third head of the river for Pimble, and uh uh the coxswain of the crew, Mia Solomon's, after the race. So have a listen.
SPEAKER_09Billy and Mia, congratulations. First time in eight years that 10 years wide ahead of the river.
SPEAKER_08Uh firstly, how'd you feel sort of coming into it though? You guys put down some incredible times the last couple weeks. But then kids can't know where it uh stay changed. Is there still that creeping creeping in the back of your mind that Kim Ness's sort of come back a little bit and really channels in the end, but what'd you expect?
SPEAKER_03Um yeah, we were definitely very aware that humans was gonna be just and we're kind of really where we went wrong at state, and that was a big emphasis on just like really trying to stay from and not let the pressure on get to us right, because that's when we know we can perform like this. So that was kind of the mentality coming into this race, but we were definitely and then just pretty well in the in the first sort of half of everybody out there, or you just pick um suddenly stick to the.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think we executed the plan really well to then really strong the screen that's a lot to do that really much to then.
SPEAKER_06Just in terms of might not be super aware, but some of the moments. And um be a woman here about the same thing for me. Ahead of the wheel. What's it sort of like some time turnaround and made a winning culture again? What's it been like in the last couple years in the champions um the rest of the process?
SPEAKER_03I'm definitely just like some home showing I'm every gonna make a member for what I'm definitely thinking. The culture is still always like we wanna win wanna like this season. Everyone was trying to like everyone was like, um, how many seconds? Three, three um, so give me two.
SPEAKER_13Um is it happening?
SPEAKER_03Um things are still on the side. We're just figuring everything up. When you can actually have a lot of people, really?
SPEAKER_07Okay, cool. Well, I hope you guys go because I'm going and I hope to see some more Australian cruises. And it was great last year, just on the cruise, so hopefully that all does the same for lucky.
SPEAKER_03Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_01Alright, thank you to Mia and to Millie and uh all the best at the national championships, and uh very much hoping that that trip to Henley Royal Regatta pulls or plays plays off, pulls off, they pull that off if that happens. Uh, because uh I would love to see uh uh one of uh our top crews mixing it with uh the best that the UK has to offer. Moving on, because we have a lot to cover, head of the schoolgirls regatta and uh Ant, on Saturday, you found yourself being a short shadow person on a microphone down in Geelong. Please uh run us through some of the headlines from the event.
SPEAKER_04Um, it was just a packed weekend, and it's actually now the biggest regatta for school kids in the world. So it's it's gotten bigger again. Um I obviously called Loretto for the first date, and Melbourne Girls got it. So that was wonderful to see. And I saw Furbank get the bronze in that event, and that they were fourth last year. So good to see those guys uh progressing. But um, it was actually packed, so there was just so much happening at one time.
SPEAKER_01Melbourne Girls, good bit of momentum there as well. They certainly haven't been winning all season. Do you think they can sort of step on and be sort of up there on the podium, mixing it up there with the Kinrosses and the Pimbles of the world when we get down to like Barrington?
SPEAKER_04I reckon if Pimble leaves the door open, Melbourne girls could sneak in. Those guys got the silver in that event last year, and they've been really steadily building, and there's a beautiful arc there if you go back with their results that they're looking at peak at Nationals. So if Pimble, if Pimble leaves that door open, I wouldn't be surprised if Melbourne Girls sneak, sorry.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I seem to remember them winning a heat at Nationals last year or a semi-final or something and just upsetting everyone. It was like, whoa, where where did they come from?
SPEAKER_00I think they beat Kinross or something like that in one of the heats, and yeah, we were just sitting on the it was not on anyone's bingo card. No. No, no.
SPEAKER_04Um a fun little trivia, a bit of trivia. The stroke of last year's Melbourne Girls Day is now in our Victoria Cup. Emily Anthony. Famous Anthony name in that boat.
SPEAKER_05There we go.
SPEAKER_04So we'll see singer at the interstate races on the Sunday. But Melbourne Girls has been on the build for a while, so watch those Victorians, they're coming.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, okay, okay. I am not gonna write anyone off just yet. Not just yet. Wait till predictions next week, then.
SPEAKER_04And then they're all written.
SPEAKER_00But speaking of, speaking of Victorians to watch out for Gibson Grammar in the quads.
SPEAKER_04Storming home. Storming home. Gibson Grammar, that quad has been putting on a massive performance. They did really well at state champs as well. And then, of course, winning head of the school girls. I I would put them as one of the top picks for the nationals. They're a really strong uh quad, and I saw them in their semifinals on the Saturday. Some really strong rowing from school kids. Some really strong high quality rowing. So that is definitely the crew to be the national.
SPEAKER_00I reckon I wonder whether it's going to be the two crews in green, Canberra Girls Grammar and Gibson grammar, that'll be up the front, up the pointy end of that school girl quad.
SPEAKER_04I would not be surprised. They the rowing out of those girls that I saw on the weekend, next level. Next level. Yeah, that was definitely very good. And then Albert Park, who got the silver, obviously, in that, and that's that crews coached by Virginia Lee. Strong performance, but they were just a little bit further back off the pace from Gippy Grammar.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and uh the two of the Gippy Grammar girls who Gippy Grammar uh split their program over the weekend and had their girls down at the head of the school girls in Geelong and had their boys uh up at the schoolboy head of the river in New South Wales. I think there were some uh younger brothers of the the two of the girls in the um in the Gippy Grammar quad, judging by last names alone, so that can be a dangerous thing to do. But uh I think uh there there were there were some, so there's probably some people tuning in from the uh uh from New South Wales, the head of the river from the New South Wales, Head of the River, tuning in to the Head of the School Girls coverage. Um and just because so uh majority of our listeners aren't from Victoria, um unfortunately. Um and Head of the School Girls is quite a unique event. Can you just run me through uh the intricacies of Head of the School Girls? Because it's not six-lane, 2K racing, is it?
SPEAKER_04No, it's four. So it's four lanes and it's 1.5k because the bar it's down on the bar when an inch along. And because of that, we have semifinals, quarterfinals, there are just we've got repercharges, there's just so many different dynamics to it. So it's held across three days. But the good thing about the four-lane format is you could be the underdog in that competition, and you might get up into that A-final just by who you draw in your heat or how you get go with the repercharge. Just the very nature of it means that you could be an underdog making it into that final.
SPEAKER_01And I think you need to give a shout out to uh the silver medalists in the Cox 4, correct?
SPEAKER_04Yes, yes, the Genizano, the Gen Dogs, as we're commonly known as sometimes. For anyone listening, that's my old school, and I was definitely very excited on the microphone every time they came down. Um, congratulations to the winner in that, which was Loreto Ballarat, but Genizano has made the recent change to go from eight back into Cox 4, which is how we originated back in the day. Um very excited to see those girls get a silver medal in that in that event.
SPEAKER_01Always such a fantastic event. The head of the school girls, and I think so many events uh could uh learn from the show that uh that they put on down there. I'm very keen to hopefully one day get down there to witness that one.
SPEAKER_04It's something else, Chris. Honestly, like no bias intended with this statement. It is something else. You walk through that pavilion and the the banks are just lined with parents and banners and ribbons, and they hang the bat the banners um off the bridge, the Macintie Bridge. It's just honestly, if anyone and not just if anybody is ever in town at the same time, go and have a look because it's something else. It rivals the Grand Prix.
SPEAKER_01I actually was in town at the uh on the uh head of the schoolgirls weekend last year, uh, but I was at the Grand Prix, so it's it's it sounds like you guys just need to do an exchange program, you know.
SPEAKER_00We'll get Ant up, you guys we'll get Ant up for the uh schoolgirl head of the river up in Sydney, and then Chris will get you down to uh commentate on the bar one.
SPEAKER_04Oh, you're gonna do ex-I just know though, he's gonna do exactly what Richard did on the Saturday. And Richard had the Brisbane Head of the River on his laptop as he's commentating the race is coming down, and he's giving updates about what's going on in Brisbane. And I'm looking at him going, these parents don't care what's going on in Brisbane, they want to know what's happening on the course because now they can see what's happening on the course, they need to know what's happening in Brisbane.
SPEAKER_01Well, I tuned in briefly this afternoon, and all I heard was uh AFL score updates. So it's good to know that uh you're really getting your money's worth out of that uh out of that live stream. That's all I'll say on uh on that front. But that uh leads us on nicely. I think we'll uh maybe just deviate slightly from our run plan. Stuart, as a uh former Queenslander or a Queenslander at heart or a half Queenslander or a third Queenslander, whatever you want to identify yourself as. Please run us through uh some of the the headlines from the Queensland, the Brisbane GPS, uh the Queensland GPS head of the river on Lake Wyralong today. Yesterday.
SPEAKER_00Well, well, I just want to clarify something there. Hundred percent Queenslander. Thank you very much. I happen to be. Well, yeah, but he still considers himself to be a Queenslander now. to Queensland before I was born. So you know it's uh 100 100% Queensland, 100% legend. That's all it is. But uh no, up in the I actually went to a GPS school, but there are two GPS schools in Southeast Queensland that don't row, which are Ipswich Grammar and Toowoomba Grammar, which is the one that I went to. And I guarantee you had I been a had Toowoomba Grammar had a rowing program, I definitely would have been a coxswain. Oh yeah I was an extremely small human going the the whole way through. But um no Brisbane GPS um a win for the Southboard school I think that was pretty much going on form there. Churchy Anglican Church grammar school finishing in second place Brisbane grammar back in third all six of the crew all seven of the crew sorry finishing sub six out at Wyar along so it was a very quick it's a very quick eight in there. So Brisbane State High were only 11 and a half seconds behind the Southport school um and I think last year Brisbane State High made it onto the podium for the first time since the 70s or something like that. So no very much very much as per the form guide um the Southport school I think in recent years have really started to dominate I was reading that uh one of the Southport school rowers has gone through yeah three years undefeated you know the first rower to do three years undefeated at the senior level. So it's um whatever they've got down at the Southport school and I guess a little bit of an advantage I guess because the Southport school backs onto some canals. So it would be really really easy just to go from the school go out rowing on the canals.
SPEAKER_01I remember playing soccer down there and they've got parents in tinnies having to go chase the soccer balls around yeah it's a it's a great place to row as well like we've had we've had Olympic crews in the past uh train there uh I know Drury and Duncan free used to train up there um uh on the on the canals of surfers paradise and it is like St. Ignatius here in Sydney that uh Southport school have have the shed on the grounds there and um not a bad little shed too heaps of space and very very it's even closer than St. Ignatius you don't have to walk up a massive hill to get up to the school um very very close um yeah Southport dominant very fast times I probably wouldn't read too much to the fast times I think we saw I'm curious to see if there is more speed in the Southport school crew because we saw at state champs they were a little bit off the pace of the the New South Wales and the uh Victorian uh crews at uh at that regatta wasn't it yeah um yeah I'd be really I mean we saw the same thing last year they won uh they did okay I think at the Barrington Cup but they weren't at the same level of the New South Wales and the Victorian schools yeah exactly right um we'll we'll quickly I think we'll quickly go through the South Australian the Tasmanian head of the river we'll just very briefly just uh run us through the the results and then we'll have a bit of a chat about the uh the sprint eliminator and the New South Wales schoolboy head of the river and then get on to we've still got so much to go through and then we'll get on to uh what we're gonna do uh or what what what's coming up next weekend with the GPS and the APS head of the rivers and we'll talk about Scotch mercantile regatta then. So uh Stu, if you can quickly tell us about the South Australian and the Tasmanian heads of the river please.
SPEAKER_00Yeah so the South Australian head of the river uh in the school boy eights we had Prince Alfred College uh getting up by less than a second over St. Peter's College. St. Peter's really pushed out hard early got themselves about a third of a boat length ahead through the early stages. PAC they've been the strongest crew in South Australia throughout the season they were able to row through and I I think they'll be better for the run when it comes to nationals. They are my dark horse for the national titles um so we'll keep an eye out on those ones. In the schoolgirls it was Seymour College by 0.76 of a second over Walford Anglican at the state titles it was reversed. It was Walford Anglican by about 0.7 of a second over Seymour College so those two crews are great rivalry right the way throughout the season and uh yeah Seymour College able to go through and take the win there. In the head of the river down at Tasmania so they're the ones that actually get to Rowan Lake Barrington get used to that one in the school home regatta very much so. So in the school girls it was Scotch Oakburn from Launceston I believe up over collegiate and Launceston grammar. So pretty convincing win there 12 and a half seconds between Scotch Oakburn and collegiate in the school boys it was the Hutchins school uh just under nine seconds ahead of the Friends school and then back again to Lawnceston grammar. So getting that practice on the home waters and uh I will talk about it but I cannot wait to get down there next weekend.
SPEAKER_04Yeah and and quick times too Ant, did you have a chance to look at the times for those but no I actually didn't know it until just before but I just I'm just impressed by all the school kids across the board the times that are getting faster every year like across the country like this cohort I don't know it's gotta be something in the water because we weren't going that fast when I was at school. The archer is Brisbane 2032 as being a potential you know you've got the carrot on the end of the stick which is the 6 a.m starts it it could be I also think there's a lot of like these sort of Tazi South Australia even you just mentioned there the girls from New South Wales wanting to go to Henley I think as we see more and more schools start to make overseas trips there's another carrot there.
SPEAKER_01But yeah it's just it's incredible to see how quick everybody everybody is getting yeah Scotch Oakburn I think did 630 on uh Lake Barrington which is pretty close to if not I'll have to double check the national record is six thirty um six thirty point yeah six thirty point one nine for Scotch Oakburn and then Hutchins were a 553. I reckon that's a national record uh because it was six it was about the 630 mark that we said was the national record last year in the Heats or semi-finals I think um at uh at the national champ so we'll have to double check that one and uh I'm sure we'll have that stat readily available in the commentary box at like Barrington. Yeah and uh Scott Oakburn were under under five under 550 so it would just be five five five fifty through Hutchins and the school boys.
SPEAKER_00So sorry yeah it's um I I mean geez imagine if a Tassie school won one of the eights down at Barrington at the noise we're in we're in the A final last year um and uh for the Sydney Cup possibly we're possibly sleeping on something here um we'll wait we'll wait and see it makes sense home ground advantage it would make sense yeah would you know you've got the the crowd on your side the parents on your side if there's just so many things working it would make it would make a lot of sense if it has the crew gone up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah I remember you telling us Ann about uh about the bush at Cirque that you use as as a marker right like we don't have that at Barrington it's hard to know where you are it you get lost out there you're out in the middle of the lake but guarantee you those local crews that are there all the time they've got their tricks they know they've got their tricks there will be the Cirque bush somewhere or the Cirque Bush equivalent on the Barrington like Barrington there.
SPEAKER_04That's gotta be the clip for socials for sure bush anything open my mouth is the circbus anything like the nut bush no okay there's a bush at the 300 meter mark I explained this 300 meters to go and you know what a Sydney local told me about that bush.
SPEAKER_01I wouldn't have noticed it otherwise and that has been where I wind ever since and if you've got if I've got my Sydney friends on on the bank because I've got friends from Sydney the price of price um they will yell out bush and that's when I know all right time time to wind up good okay that's the the secret to Ant's race plan is uh that she'll be pushing before the 250 to go um for anyone that's racing her up at Sydney thanks for letting everyone know that um you're welcome I've just given them the the race plan there you go speaking of racing up in Sydney today was the New South Wales schoolboy head of the river I want to talk about the Spring Eliminator first because we didn't talk about it too much in terms of the women's um that was crazy women's one first and you you went back and watched it nuts right that was that was crazy like I know and you know talk about the kiss kiss of death there Stuart you didn't really call up Romie Cantwell and look where she ended up I like your predictions.
SPEAKER_00Stay away from the Victorians well I think my predictions were Bella Scammel, Tara Rigney and Emma Twigg and I think Emma Twig was the only one that ended up on the podium um but they were just so close there was I think the race with five scholars in it they were all within a canvas of each other and it was just so much fun Chris wasn't it to be there to be calling it to be part of that action it it's such a great event.
SPEAKER_01Energy was insane it like how do you even call something like that how do you even I don't know previous comments about short shouty person on microphone uh and that's how Stu made it work called it brilliantly um very it was a lot of fun to be on the uh on the podium uh interviewing everyone um highlight for me was interviewing Emma Twig and her just saying how bloody hard it was uh when you get to you know she did the full nine she contested the final and went down to uh Georgia Patton who I don't think we've mentioned yet but Georgia Patton won um who isn't you know she origin was originally a scholar uh but isn't normally a scholar these days um and uh she just the entire way through with every race that went by just looking at her and going she has got something in the bank there she looks comfortable she's cruising she was smashed at the end too like she said it was saying how tough it was as well but Emma Twigg Olympic gold and silver medalist in single scale saying how difficult that race was nine two fifties back to back with about five minutes in between it is um it's a serious test and I don't think anyone's suited to it I think it is just guts and racecraft yeah part of me thinks that you know what these guys make it look easy I could do that I could do that I could take on twiggy in the skull let's go and then you you hear those comments and you go no no no no no well it was really interesting just say with the so they had Kate Atherton who'd made it through the qualifiers who's the lady from Tasmania and she in the in the very first race she flew out of the blocks I think she was leading at one point and she hung around for I think three or four races. Yeah I think it might have been the third or fourth I think it was the fourth race that she was knocked out in and she was just so happy to be there.
SPEAKER_04It's great um she was I love those are the crews that I love the ones that are just happy to be there.
SPEAKER_01Like yeah I'm going against an Olympian yeah yeah I think Nikki Lepresti got knocked out in the first race but she was between gold medalist Emma Twig and gold medalist Lucy Spores like how much fun is that yeah and like those those guys had to earn their spot they had to qualify and uh they weren't you know I mean Nikki was the first one out but like Kate wasn't the first one out and then in the guys we saw the same thing Pat Burke and Henry Blackwell um you know that they made it through quite a few rounds um Pat Burke I made it through I think three or four rounds and then Henry Blackwell I think was out uh just before the the top three I think he was fourth um might have been fifth double check I should remember I was there um but they were just so happy to be there and it's like you know you get a normal sort of athlete just working their way into an event taking an opportunity and racing against Olympic medalists. Yeah an incredible event heaps of fun I think kudos goes to to Rowan New South Wales for doing something innovative and putting together a cool event format um in amongst the the heads of the rivers um and we will talk about the schoolboy head of the river that was hosting that event so uh it's not the main if you're not from New South Wales and you're like why do we have a schoolboy head of the river and something else it's a bit weird um the GPS Head of the river is its own thing next weekend uh with those schools schoolboy head of the rivers sort of everyone else a lot of the scaling schools your Kinross your Redlands your Barker your uh all the Canberra schools um your uh Cranbrook all of those sorts of schools come up and it was a really good regatta particularly I think it was always with this regatta I just love the year eight and nine quads um they're always so much fun um it's just really good quality racing 1k racing fast and furious they had the drone up really fun to call um St. Ignatius won the overall point score they didn't enter like most events they don't know the whole program there they just had the year eights and nines there and they meddled in every single event that they entered in the year eights and nines and won I think four of them um yeah I think it sort of proves that that winning culture up at the top end trickles down and uh you know you see it in how they row it's how they're taught very early it's very basic it's very simple and it really just works. So kudos to uh Saint Ignatius Kinross really impressive as well the year nines on the single double and quad uh in the year nines um and they're some big boys for year nine in their first year of rowing so keep an eye out for Kinross and Stuart you'll be very uh glad to hear Marist uh winning in the school boy quad and they were rapid yeah look uh five seconds that win over Kinross Wallerooy and Gibson grammar so it's I I know that a few of the a few of the guys that were in the crew last year were a little bit upset with me when I didn't pick them for the schoolboy quads in the final and I just said well show me up boys that's the best way of doing it and that's exactly what they did.
SPEAKER_00So and a a big shout out to the Maris program. It is a completely volunteer run program. There are no um or at least last year I think they've got Lyle McCarthy involved in some form this year but you know they've done that success the way that it works is that the school doesn't it it's almost like a franchise they're a rowing program with the Maris College name. They're not directly you know they don't have a staff member who is the head of rowing at Maris College. They have Tom Hayes who is the parent of Garvin and Cormac Hayes um who has been running that for the last few years and to go through to have a volunteer program win a national title last year and put themselves in a great spot for 2026 as well is it's just I I tip my hat off to them because it was only a few years ago that it was Cormac Hayes and that's it. And now they're you know challenging for national crew boat titles.
SPEAKER_01Yeah and they're gonna be a big threat for one again this year and they were also um what were they fourth in the overall point score um as well um up against you know schools that were much fifth. Oh oh sorry um sure does sure count in these ones yes yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah okay yeah they were they were fifth behind Canberra grammar yeah yeah fifth behind uh sorry fifth yes fifth yeah yeah sorry I'm reading that wrong um it's yeah it's it's formatted a bit weird the way that the point the point the point score is written there um we have the uh GPS and APS Heads of the River next weekend they are the two single biggest sporting events in terms of crowd numbers for school kids uh in in the Southern hemisphere um it is insane how big how many people go to those events you know often see crowds of sort of 10 to 15,000 people um out at uh circ and like Negambe respectively and uh I'm very very uh privileged to be calling the GPS Head of the River for the first time this weekend uh or next weekend uh so very excited for that and we had the final lead-in event which is the the the lane seeding mercantile regatta the lane seeding championships that uh seeds the lanes for the heats that seen the lanes for the finals for the head of the river um I'm not even gonna pretend to understand how it works they have their own little thing and they they no I I can't but you know what they're all happy and they make it work which is great they do your position and then they multiply it by the number of spanners in a sitchrome toolkit and then divide that by the number of days in which it rained in Cooper Pete.
SPEAKER_00Simple.
SPEAKER_04That sounds very close to exactly how they do it exact size. There are some Scotch parents who listen to our podcast so we might my lots of I gotta be careful because I'm gonna have a spanner thrown at my head if I'm not careful. And I've been asked to go down to APS the head of the river and call some of the races until I'm off to Barrington which I'm very excited about. So I have to be uh careful anyway it works for them but uh Scotch winning their uh open eight Melbourne grammar in the Z2 um year tens bit of an interesting mix up it wasn't the Melbourne grammar crew that came out on top this time uh it was it was Scotch again uh so Scotch really really showing their dominance but I think underdogs there would be Xavier College they had some strong performances and if you look at the times across you know each 500 meter point Xavier had a pretty strong a pretty strong point there in in their races for that um open eight but I think Scotch I think tentatively I think we'll see unsurprisingly a strong performance at a Scotch college next next weekend. Yeah I think they're gonna be pretty hard to beat um for the head of the river they've won everything they haven't been beaten um well they did get beaten by review once at the barwing regatta I think um but starting technique from those Scotch boys like an interesting technique when you watch them row verse and they're big boys they're not like they're men respectfully they are men they're big units um they're bigger than Chris or I and me it's not hard surprisingly I bet you know anyway shockingly um but you know some of the boys in the Melbourne grammar are a little bit like smaller a bit more nimble so they've got to be a bit more technical. I think if Scotch was throwing some weather at Nagamby at APS I'd be interesting to see how they hold up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah they they've got this you know very distinct technical model Scotch of this um early square and this very long layback this aggressive catch and um if you ever see them out of the boat as well you'll see that all of them are just their seats are jacked up like a couple of inches and like inches of seat pads on top of them. And they sit up very tall and that lets them lean back and gives get all this extra length. It's a very simple technical model. It's not the most efficient way to row I think everyone acknowledges that. I'm sure Tom Woodruff would uh would acknowledge that it's not the most efficient way to row but it is a very good way to teach people all the way through and an easy way to teach everyone to do the same thing and it definitely works when you've got the horsepower behind them and that is why they are the most successful school rowing program in the country in the history of rowing in in Australia like St.
SPEAKER_04Catharines a couple of years ago had a very the St. Catherine's lean back is what we called it similar model but you've you're right you've got to be strong to do it like I I can't pull that off we can talk down on it we can talk down at all we want both of those schools have won Henley in the last six years with that it worked but you've got to be strong to do it like you couldn't you couldn't just whack it into any program.
SPEAKER_01And those St.
SPEAKER_04Catherine's girls big girls as well in that 2022 22 the the Yeah they were you had Sarah Marriott and that crew some like strong strong girls so it's a strong technique but if your crew's a little bit more on the nimble side of things I just don't like you look at St. Catherine's at head of the school girls just flicking back didn't get up on the podium didn't get into the A final so I think it's a very particular model that has to work for your cohort.
SPEAKER_01Before we final little thoughts and sign off Stuart we had the ACT uh state champs and uh the National Training Center made uh made an appearance uh which was nice of them um just uh headline results there uh from uh those those small boats on the men's side yeah look so in the pairs it was uh the Adelaide combination of Angus Dawson and Alex Hill who managed to come away with the win there ahead of Mitch Salisbury and Harry Manton and then Austin Reiner and Darcy Water.
SPEAKER_00And then in the men's singles it was Cormack Kennedy Leverett who's actually outside of the NTC he's been training with the ACT Academy of Sport. He's from Queensland training with the ACT Academy of Sport rowing for Sydney Rowing Club um so make sense of that uh Marcus Delamata from Sydney University came second and then Jackson Free came third. I think what's really interesting there and we'll touch on it when we talk at nationals is how many Queenslanders are in those top sort of few people so it's going to make it really really interesting uh to see how the interstate goes and in particular the King's Cup.
SPEAKER_01Yeah you know same thing as we said for the last 80 years it's Queensland's year.
SPEAKER_0087 80 it's been 87 years since Queensland last won the King's Cup. 87's unlucky in cricket will it be unlucky in rowing I reckon we can wait to I reckon they should wait till 100 just to make it nice and I'm on Queensland back in the underdog no I'm joking I'd love the story I'd love the story I'd also wouldn't love it to be the the year that that happens is the year that I'm not at the interstate regatta um so but it's gonna be the year that happened you've said it now yeah yeah 100% it'll be because you're not there and Ray Ebbett's not there either yes yeah true I think Ray Ebbett would be very upset if that happened um I would like to also just quickly point out when we quickly on Interstate ACT's boating King's and Queen's Cup for the first time since at least 2013 we haven't had a King's Cup since 2015. It's 30 years of the ACT um being an official RA affiliate and I am super stoked to see them out on the water we've got a men's eutate as well uh all four single skulls I'm I'm just Super, super stoked that um Ken Peters, Sarah Davron, Tom Westgarth have uh managed to put out so many boats.
SPEAKER_01It is a great sign. And it uh so I think I think this interstate regatta is possibly the most well subscribed interstate regatta that we've maybe ever had, um, with the addition of those. And pretty much everyone's pretty close to having a full fleet of crews. I don't think there's too many people not boating um lighties and and paras and and the such. So um there's a few around there, but it's it's a very well-entered interstate regatta.
SPEAKER_04So it's and you're not gonna be there. And I'm not gonna be there.
SPEAKER_00So it's not gonna be there. It's a full fleet in the women's singles, the lighty men's well it says lighty men's four, but that's because they've got West Australia and West Australian rowing clubs so there's something weird going on there. Yeah, but uh full in the women's singles, the youth I don't think it'll be the youth women's eight, but the King's Cup will have all seven, and that would be the first time since 2015 um that they've had all seven seven eights coming down, which I think in music terms might be a waltz or something like that. I can't remember.
SPEAKER_01And it's gonna be it's I think it's gonna be tight, the King's Cup. It's uh I'm just ignoring you sure. Um I I think it's gonna be I think it's gonna be close.
SPEAKER_04Um I don't reckon it's gonna be close. I reckon Victoria's got this in the bag.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I think Victoria got it in the bag, but I think I reckon this is a conversation for next week. Yeah, this is a conversation for next week.
SPEAKER_04True, I might be. No, I'm not gonna I'm back the I'm back in the big white V.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I'm gonna fly my flag now.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um, all right, that is about everything that we've got time for, I think, uh, this week, because the Formula One is starting in three minutes time, and I am gonna go and watch it. Um and uh I think Ant has training to go to and Stuart has a dinner date. So Rowing Down Under season two is proudly sponsored by Wintech Racing Australia. Wintech Racing have established themselves as the world's largest and foremost sustainable boat builder, producing over 2,000 shells annually. They're dedicated to promoting the growth of rowing by making it easier and more affordable to buy boats featuring cutting-edge technology and improved performance at all levels. Wintech's unwavering commitment to sustainability, affordability, and innovation drive them to propel the sport of rowing into a more inclusive and exciting future where your excellence will know no boundaries. Wintech Racing can be found at a Regatta near you and will be up to be attending the upcoming National Championships at Lake Barrington in just over a week's time. Learn more about how you can get a fair price and an unfair advantage at wintechracing.com.au
