S2 Episode 9: Gale-Force Glory at ARC26

The 2026 Australian Rowing Championships have thrown up challenges in just about every form, but on the first day of finals, we laughed, cried, and cheered as the best in the country worked hard for their medals.

Join Chris McCarthy, Stuart John, and Ant Di Cosmo for all the latest from Lake Barrington!

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:11

Welcome to Rowing Down Under, a podcast by Jarren with Chris McCarthy and Stuart John fans, and welcome back to Rowing Down Under, the Jarren Podcast to give you all the latest from here, live at Lake Barrington, the Australian Rowing Championships. My name is Chris McCarthy. I am joined by Stuart John and Ant Lightning DeCosmo. Still in a zooty after a race. Stu's uh here chopping at the bit for if racing gets resumed, because unfortunately, we've had our fifth delay in four days here. It has just not been our week. But the racing's been brilliant, hasn't it, Stu?

SPEAKER_00 0:49

The racing's been absolutely fantastic. The finals that were on this morning, some really tight racing, even the semi-finals yesterday. Um, you know, there's just been some really tight racing. The best rowers have come to the fore, the challenging headwind conditions. But uh yeah, we'll we'll get into it. Can't wait to unpack exactly what's been going on.

SPEAKER_07 1:08

And we'll get into it a little bit uh a little bit deeper. But Ant, you were out on the water, you had a cracker. I really enjoyed watching you get a bit of redemption in the B vinyl. How was it out there?

SPEAKER_01 1:17

The redemption row. No, I never mind the it was it was windy. It was windy, and it's always very um deceiving up in the warm-up lake because you think oh. You don't think that's so bad, but we were getting gusts of wind in the warm-up lake, and we were like, oh, this could be a bit hairy here. And then you come out and oh yep, there it is. There it is. We all survived, so that's good.

SPEAKER_07 1:40

All that and more coming up on this episode of Rowing Down Under. But first, a quick word from our sponsor, Wintech Racing Australia. 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 that improve performance at all levels. Now, this is the part of the spiel where we're supposed to throw superfluous words at 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 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. Learn more about how you can get a fair price and an unfair advantage at WintechRacing.com.au. Alright, let's get into it. So as we mentioned, we're here in the commentary box getting blown around by the wind. Massive headwind. We've had some very slow times the entire way through the day. I but I I don't I still think it's been some great racing. There's been some great storylines come out of it, that's for certain. Um, Stu, you first, what were your expectations coming into today? I feel like we kind of we we fell into the classic trap of going, oh well that's these people were the quickest in the semifinals, and they've they've impressed us all through the season, so they're gonna win. And uh yeah, maybe it wasn't quite that. What did you think coming into this morning?

SPEAKER_00 3:12

Yeah, look, there were definitely some favorites for a lot of the races. So we'll unpack the particularly the open men's and women's single scales. One of them turned out as expected, one of them didn't turn out as expected. A couple of the favourites did go through and win. Um, I think in the juniors in the under-7. Well, in the under-17s, we had the favourite win in the under-17 women's, and that was Ayla Drury from Willenbar. She put so much in, got a big lead, and then right towards the end there, it was Isabel Paddington from the University of Queensland who closed to within a canvas, really, half a boat length to a canvas at the finished, um, just missed out, just ran out of course, and we're sitting there wondering, well, why isn't Ayla Drury putting, you know, putting in the big strokes to try and make certain of that win? And she um and we saw when they got to the podium, Ayla was cooked. Absolutely cooked.

SPEAKER_07 4:06

She had to be carried onto the podium and off the podium by uh by uh fellow competitors. It's uh he gets very very uh worried volunteers around all the time. Of course, we want everyone to be safe and healthy, but I think it's pretty normal to be able to spend yourself that much in a race, and uh it is good to see. And uh reports that she is fine. She didn't get back in a boat and row off. So um great to see.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

I think but then in the men's race, you know, we were uh Lucas Dorgato was the one that got up there, had a Luca Wilson from Lycard Rowing Club. Luca had been the New South Wales champion, he'd won the South Australian championships when he went to collect the boat. So I think we thought that he was going to win that one. Lucas Storgato from Maris College taking away uh Maris's third ever national title, and they've all come in the last three years.

SPEAKER_07 4:50

So that part was a little bit um surprising, and then And on on sort of the racing, before we get too much more deeper into the sort of the the results and and everything, because we do we do have I think so many good stories from from the results from today. And I want to kind of throw to you and when you come into a day like today and you realise that it's starting the wind is starting to blow up. I mean, you pre-rowed this morning before. No, you didn't, no you didn't, because you had a uh a few things going on, but um but you know the pre-row for everyone who did would have been beautiful. It was glassy when we got down here at about quarter past seven, it was gorgeous, or quarter to eight rather, not quarter past seven. Um it was gorgeous. Wind starts to pick up as you get on the water. Is your first thought, oh, what rig are my oars, or is your first thought, oh, this has opened right up?

SPEAKER_01 5:36

Um no, I definitely so when I got here first and foremost, I I took a I already rode with pretty short oars, so I actually added a length to my inboard. So you do things to reveal the numbers in the uh I mean you can if you want. It ends in a four for the overall length and uh an 87 for an inboard. Yeah, I mean good luck if you want to get it. I don't I don't know the actual I can anyway, I can tell you the ends of it and that's about it. Um but very short oars for me because that's what I prefer and it comes into how I've got my boat set up as well. Yeah, if you're a different span. Um so that's for the skull, and then of course it changes to a more standard rig for the rest of the boats. But I I'm trying gear it a little bit lighter where possible just because I know it's gonna be a bit heavier in a headwind. But I never, I personally don't panic when I see it chop up and get windy. I just know that, okay, well, I'm don't have to rate 36 out of the blocks on this one. It kind of gives me a little bit of breathing room. But I know for someone like me, okay, you've got to take it back to the basics. Separation, tap down. You just really strip it right back when when the conditions are like this, and try your hardest not to panic. Um, so no, I didn't pre-row.

SPEAKER_07 6:44

Okay, oh well then maybe that's the secret because uh we'll get onto your racing in a little bit when we talk about the opens and the lighties and the conclusion of the day's racing. We're gonna have a quick little pause here for a second, an awkward little jump cut because or we might leave it on air. We could show what's going to be. So we're in the commentary box at the moment. Racing has been suspended, but there's a lot still going on around the course. There's a meeting to decide uh what else is gonna happen, and uh, I think the bar is still open. And point that mic towards Stu. We're gonna hear his on-air voice here.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

A reminder that there is a coaches' meeting about the remainder of the regatta that will be held in the Raconians at 2.30. So starting in ten minutes at the Rasonians, it is a meeting at 2.30 for coaches. And also that the row union bar is still open. So the row union bar is still open for those that would like to go down and grab a drink, and then the 2.30 coaches' meeting in the Rasonians.

SPEAKER_07 7:39

I like the idea of everyone going to the row union bar, uh spending a bit of time there, and then going to the coaches' meeting and just everyone just fighting over what's gonna happen the rest of the regather, don't you? Hopefully, by the time we finish this podcast, we may have uh be able to let the people know roughly what's uh history books. It's not really that you know it's a podcast, it's not we're not live radio here, but um we might know something by the end, but we might not. Uh it's about 20 past two now, and uh we definitely won't by the end of this podcast. Um moving back to the racing, we had those under-17 results. Stu, I don't know about you, but I nearly shed a tear at the under 19 single because um, well, uh we talk about the favourites and everything. We really expected uh the Mossman girls to do well. They just didn't seem to fire out there today. Maybe the rig was wrong, maybe they raced a little bit too hard yesterday in uh some other races. Um we'll we'll have to find out. Um, but it was a an emphatic win for Talia Turnbull in the Under 19 women's single skull. Silver medalist was Isabella Henderson from the Armadale School, rowing in the UTS colours rather, but very proud resident of the Armadale School, Patty Bowen for the bronze medal. I definitely expected to see Talia and Patty up amongst the podium. I thought for Isabella Henderson there's such a high level of sculling. I thought she was, you know, probably maybe a chance for a bronze there, and for her to like a silver and you know, well and truly a silver, and she was bawling her eyes out when she came into the into the pontoon, and I almost got a little bit of a I thought it was so nice to see. Like I think that just really set off the the the day's racing because we saw so many good storylines, didn't we, Stu?

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Isabella Henderson in that one, but even with Talia Turnbull taking the win at New South Wales Championships, there'd been a mix-up, they weren't aware that the race was about 10 minutes earlier than had been previously scheduled. She'd gone down, was sitting in amongst the men's under 19 single scholars. Nobody picked up that she's a female and should have been out on the start. So she missed the start, couldn't race at the New South Wales Championships, and her coach said, Oh, look, you know, we I reckon she can win nationals. And then so to see her go out and just lead right from the start, I think she was second through the semi-finals, um, came out and took the win, it was really, really comfortable. But yeah, that that vision sort of of Isabella Henderson just really tears of joy, which it wasn't tears for finishing s tears of sadness for finishing second. It was absolute tears of joy.

SPEAKER_07 10:07

Yeah, and you know, the Armadale school, they uh uh Isabel Henderson and Isabella Coddington uh made the A final of the single skull as well. Um, and uh I'm just I cannot remember the name of the lake on which uh they row up at Armadale, but it's very small, and uh I know they absolutely love it up there, but a very dedicated program. They get the uh the single on the roof of the Ute down to Cirque most uh most weekends. Uh great to see a result there. And we did manage to catch up with all three uh on the podium of the under 19 women's scale. Patty Bowland, Isabella Henderson, and Talia Turnbull. Take a listen.

SPEAKER_06 10:40

Patty Bowland, Isabella Henderson and Talia Turnbull.

SPEAKER_07 10:43

Congratulations. Patty, you've had a busy week so far already. What did you think when uh you saw the the headwind start to blow in, probably after you got on the water?

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Look, I think it started in about the first stroke of the race. Um look, wasn't really expecting it. Um, but yeah, look, what can you do? You can't control the conditions, just gotta deal with it, I suppose. Awesome.

SPEAKER_07 11:02

Belsie, congratulations.

SPEAKER_03 11:04

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_07 11:05

You've uh been documenting the journey throughout the week. You built nicely. How do you sort of reflect on that?

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Oh, it's an absolute privilege to be down here and look, it's a UTS saying that Wind is our friend and Rain is our brother, so it was kind of a touching fit to have it in the final and bring it on. Um but yeah, I've had Autodreams as my little virtual diary in documenting everything going on. It's been a beautiful way to reflect and um share with my amazing support team and what I'm up to. So, yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_07 11:32

Awesome. And Talia, congratulations, national champion in the single. Uh Shuart was just telling you before that he's not surprised absolutely in the slightest. Uh you're expecting to win, we've had the confidence uh as soon as you got on the water, or how are you feeling about the results?

SPEAKER_08 11:47

I'm very happy with how I went. I honestly didn't expect that. I just went out there to get the mind, and I'm so grateful for the research.

SPEAKER_07 11:55

Congratulations, girls, we're getting moved on.

SPEAKER_06 11:57

Congratulations, cheers.

SPEAKER_07 11:59

Well, that was great to hear from them. Um I wanted to move on to uh the opens racing because I thought it was what I was looking forward to the most because I had written a couple of previews and I was really, really keen to call some of those races the open women's and men's single and the open women's and men's pairs. Um, do you have a highlight from those four races? Because I think all four could have were so so so open, um to forgive the pun, you know, so many National Training Centre athletes and stuff, but there was also so many storylines around people on the fringes of the NTC, people who have had comeback years or really stepped on this year, or young guns challenging the the experienced athletes. What stood out to you?

SPEAKER_01 12:37

I thought it was great seeing uh Marcus Del Mata obviously win the open men's single skull, and he looked a little bit emotional when he came across the line. So that I think he'd had been having a few issues throughout the week, and so it was just nice to see him get a win.

SPEAKER_07 12:52

Um and I think he's come such a long way in the last 12 months. He uh yeah, I I'm I'm really, really happy for him. I was really happy to see that. I would have been really happy to see either of any of those top three win that race because there was again great stories behind all of it. But um, yeah, for Marcus, I think it meant a lot to him.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

You could see that on his face, and that's what I love about even you know, even when you get silver and bronze, those athletes that really put their heart and soul into it and they're just happy to be here. That's what that's what I love to see.

SPEAKER_07 13:20

And Jackson Free will get his time and Cormac Kennedy Libert will definitely get his time. They will both win that trophy in the coming years.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

Um, not a win, but I was really happy to see Emmy Friedho, Frederico. Sorry. I don't love I love how any they called her Emmy Friedrich. Emmy Frederico there in the open women's cockslass pair, she got a bronze with um Laura Gooley. Yeah, so I was really happy to see Emmy up there, of course. She's a like a really bubbly girl and she's very much about grassroots. She does her best, she always takes her time. Even with me, when I was struggling to learn to rate up, and actually this is a very personal story because when I was I started Merck's as a youthie with Emmy before I moved to banks, and last year I was just having some trouble trying to get the rate up and what to do. And she actually sent me a message, she's like, I've got this erg, don't tell anyone, but come and do the erg with me, and I'll show you how to rate up and we'll do it together. She smashed me. She smashed me, but just those little things that Emmy takes the time to do for other people. Anyway, so really happy to see her get a bronze.

SPEAKER_07 14:15

Yeah, yeah. And and and her brother was uh up uh I think fourth uh in the men's as well, Dom. And I thought that was a really good result for him as well. He he you know, he obviously did really well last year. Um the last couple of times I think he's been out racing. He's uh kind of short to some of the NTC guys, and I think it'd be it'll be chuffed with with being right up there. Stuart, what what stood out to you out of those uh open white open and open open age, open weight races?

SPEAKER_00 14:39

Yeah, I think the uh open men's pairs, you know, you had Angus Dawson and Alex Hill going out and absolutely dominating in rough conditions. It was a nine-second win in the end. And you know, we know that Hilly's got that experience. It's a couple of things. Number one, it's unusual to see a single club entry, particularly when they're both at the National Training Centre. Uh but what it does do, because we're seeing scratchings all over the show, particularly from the NTC athletes. A lot of guys are not in good shape. And I think what it does do, so we saw them, we saw this pair of Dawson and Hill win at the ACT championships when it was the NTC athletes. Obviously, throw in an extra 200 metres and let's not well we'll add in an extra 200 metres and we'll add in a massive headwind, so we'll make you go about a minute and a half slower than uh what you would at what you did on Lake Burley Griffin. What it does do though, is I think that it could potentially set up South Australia as a bit of a dark horse for the podium in the King's Cup.

SPEAKER_07 15:37

Yeah, I think uh that's that's that's not a bad shout. I think um there's some worried faces going around some of the big players um for you know I think there's some worried faces at Rowan New South Wales and Rowan Victoria, um, and uh because I think they know that this I said it a little while ago, and then a few people kind of laughed. I think you laughed me down. Someone laughed me down and said, uh, oh yeah, Victoria's still got to win it in the King's. I think you know, there's been a few people out with injuries in quite a few boats, and I think between those four states, um at Queensland as well, it is very, very even. I will as well mention because I knew they had, but I couldn't remember exactly when. Angus Dawson and Alex Hill have won this event before here on Lake Barrington in 2021. And back then they did a 7.21, and we thought, wow, that's such a slow time. Well, we're gonna see that time slower. And I think it was uh uh closer to pretty close to eight minutes. You've got the time zero.

SPEAKER_00 16:25

Yeah, 748.79.

SPEAKER_07 16:28

Exactly. I think the really big story from that uh men's pairs was uh the UTS boys, Mac Thompson and Henry Blackwell, who uh you know great athletes, they've had a great season domestically in New South Wales, but they were tailing up the NTC boys, like absolutely like on merit. There's no oh it was windy, whatever. Like it was maybe some slightly better conditions for that open men's pair pair race, and those boys, they killed it. They did a great job, and uh, you know, young blokes, they're not at the center. Um, they they've come a long way in the last the last 12 months, and um, they should be really, really proud. And they were chuffed, and that was really, really good to see. Um, my other big highlight from the opens racing was the open women single skull because I so we had a few sort of the timings and stuff on the um uh on on the broadcast between presentations and running to races. So watching the uh the the 500 and the thousand metre times pop up on the screen, and I'm like, can we finish this presentation? Because I really want to call this race because I could see that Sarah Fard was leading for half the race. And uh, you know, Sarah Fard's been on the under-23 team the last couple of years. She is a great scholar, uh, great person too, did some great uh uh presenting at the uh Sprint Eliminator uh the other week the other weekend with me. And um I'm sure she's got a future in a commentary box somewhere at some point, but uh there's definitely some rowing to do in the meantime. Um so yeah, she led Tara Rigney from the outside lanes as well, did Sarah for a good portion of the race. Tara, I I was thinking, oh, maybe she could, because you know Tara's uh you know, she's not she's not a massive, massive unit and a big headwind. Um I thought, oh maybe, maybe Tara isn't, you know, uh could run second here, and that would be a big old upset. Of course, last time she raced the open women single scale at Lake Barrington, she ended up uh pointing the wrong way and she was capsized. Um yeah, in 2021, and she didn't race it last year. So uh and I was like, oh maybe, but the experience shone through, and Tara um absolutely motored through, and it wasn't a big margin in the end. Um, but yeah, Sarah with with that silver medal was a uh a huge one. And Paige Barr, bird aunt.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Paige Barr, she complains a lot on her social media about not liking sculling, and then gets on and gets a bronze. Come on, man. So cracker effort from her, and I saw her very happy on the podium. But just a small shout out to Sarah Deuray as well, who who put herself in the fourth position there. And considering you know, she trains out of Melbourne uni and whatnot, she's a very quiet girl that sort of does her own thing, and I know she'd be very stoked with that that effort.

SPEAKER_07 18:56

And she wasn't with the uh the sort of the top scholars in the in the heats as well. She was sort of the just qualified through to that final.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

Yeah, she is someone who moves with Grace on the water, and I think in the next couple of years we'll be seeing some good things from um Sarah there. But yeah, it was it was very funny to watch Paige just to recap on the podium and her face because she complains so much on her social media, and it's like, bro, I know you're a gun.

SPEAKER_07 19:19

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 19:20

I know you got an engine on you.

SPEAKER_07 19:21

I don't think she can uh yeah, post anything about uh not not being able to scull anymore because uh that was and to be honest, in dead flat conditions, I think she would have been very, very close to you know really, really asking some questions of the leading scullers there. I will also mention Catherine Kahn. Um the first uh you know, it wasn't her race today in the in the open single, but uh the heat of the open women's single was her first 2k race in about a year. Um so uh because she's been doing beach sprints, and I thought jumping into that race that was you know, I think she she probably did a 12-minute or 11-minute time or something. Uh we got you guys have got the times there. It wasn't quick. Wasn't quick 11.36. 11.36. There we go. Thank you, Ann. Yeah. That would have felt that would have felt well, I think. That's not her, that's the wind. Yeah, I don't think I don't think she'd be too uh too upset. She was uh uh, you know, I think that would have felt a lot longer than that. It would have been it's a rude introduction. Welcome back to 2K Racing to have to do that here at Barracks. So I think we've covered off all the uh all four of the uh uh open um the open events. Uh I don't think we mentioned, but Georgie Roe and Bronwood Cox won the uh the Sarah Tate Memorial Trophy for uh the open women's pairs and won it by um I've said it a few times, a couple of postcodes. Um it was a big uh a big old margin there, and uh they were very, very uh chuffed with that one. And um I think did they win it last year?

SPEAKER_00 20:45

I don't I think Bronwwood Cox was in the single skull. So Bronwood Cox finished.

SPEAKER_07 20:49

I think Georgie won it last year with with Emmy. With Emmy.

SPEAKER_00 20:54

Yeah. So I think Bronwood Cox finished second behind Laura Goulay in the C in the open single skull, and then in the interstate singles in the Nell Slatter, she finished second behind Tara Rigney. So it's um so yeah, there's a there's a few of the women's NTC that are just as good with two or as they are with one.

SPEAKER_07 21:13

Exactly, exactly. Okay, that's enough on our national team, and it's been great to have them uh here and uh racing in the small boats, and it's been great that they've put on such cracking racing because occasionally it can be a bit easy to see all the these composites in the same coloured boats, and sometimes it can be a bit boring, but that was uh the best open racing I've seen in a very, very long time. Chuffed. Stu para racing. Uh it was meant to be the last race before the lunch break. We have not seen the uh the PR3 women's single skull out there. We had an on-course report from Susanna Lazzi and uh said it was uh bloody awful. So um fair enough, and uh full credit to uh all our officials made the right decision there in abandoning any attempt to get that race underway because it was just getting worse race by race. But the men's single Stu was uh a very important race for s for for particularly for one person and And uh was uh a win that he'll be very happy with.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

Yeah, Cormac Hayes, it's it's been nearly two years since he was involved in an accident. Uh he was in intensive care for a very long period of time. He was He was in a coma, wasn't he? Yeah, he was in a coma. He was not looking well. Uh you know, about a year or so afterwards, when he had his first race back in the single, I think at last year's ACT championships. And there was a while there where they thought, you know, they were potentially going to lose him. Then it was is he going to need to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? He is about as tough as they come. And today, in really bad headwind conditions, you know, two years since that traumatic event, he just rode brilliantly. So got ahead of Flynn Wilkinson early from Sydney Rowing Club. Flynn winning the open and the interstate PR3 single skulls in 2025. Um yeah, just rode an absolutely great race, looked in control, and I am so stoked for Cormac to for him to come back and to be able to do that. And I know that the big one he is desperately keen on is on Sunday when he'll be he'll be rowing for the ACT in the PR3 singles. He really wants that race, but he's also backing it up in the King's Cup as well.

SPEAKER_06 23:24

So and I wonder whether or not this is on that uh surely it's happened before. I maybe not.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

I do not know if there's ever been a PR3 rower that is backed up from the single skull to the King's or the Queen's Cup. So it's if it I think Nikki Ayers might have come close, and I reckon Nikki Ayers would have been great in an ACT Queen's Cup crew. Yeah. But so yeah, it'll be yeah, it's um it so really, really stoked for Cormac. Uh the great race was actually for third place. Sam Stunnell got out early. Mac Russell, who again, you know, we talk about tough people, Mac Russell is about as tough a racer as it comes. And Mac Russell is quite small, so I think he'd be about five foot five and a pair of Tom Cruise heels. And he really pushed Sam Stunnell the entire way down the course, and right at the very end, he made Sam work hard for that bronze medal.

SPEAKER_07 24:16

I've actually seen Mac perform really, even though he's really small, um, he's performed really well in really tough conditions before. I remember the 2019 Interstate regatta was him against Ben Gibson in the Interstate single. And uh Mac, oh my lord, gave Ben a tough race. And Ben is like a 95 kilo footy player. He's a big unit, you'd think he'd go well in the headwind. Mac had been rowing for a lot longer at that time, but um but Mac just plucky little bloke, just absolutely motored home and uh won it. Again, that was part of the time that he won it, about five years in a row, I think. Um and uh that yeah, so he's he's he's he's got form.

SPEAKER_00 24:50

I keep watching Mac Russell's videos and go, how can I take this to my boat? Because I'm not particularly tall either. And I think what he does really well, he compresses quite nicely and he's got really strong finishes. You know, everything that he does is just absolutely on point. He's raced in the lightweights a few times, and he's got the there's a lot of lightweight rowing about the way that Mac Russell rows. And it's if if you are a smaller rower, get onto his social media, have a bit of a look at that, because watch that, pick up some tips, and that will give you a great idea as to how to row when you're a bit smaller.

SPEAKER_07 25:25

Yeah. Um, and that's a great segue, because I think next we're gonna talk about the lightweights.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

There's a couple of very excited people on this podcast for Miss Alexandra Moylan, who took out the gold in the open lightweight women's single skull.

SPEAKER_06 25:37

Do you know if Alex listens on other?

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Uh she will now. She will now. She better be.

SPEAKER_06 25:41

Well, she's gonna have to listen to the first through the first 25 minutes of the podcast to get to her bit, but we won't tell her what it is.

SPEAKER_01 25:47

No, because she got a silver in this last year of Raina taking this out, and so very happy to see Alex because she's and I'll hand over soon to Stu because I know he's also very excited for for Alex, but she's just someone who works really, really hard and she had a couple of fresh stress fractures, not this season but last season, and it's just really nice to see that gold medal go to her.

SPEAKER_07 26:08

And it was uh there was not not just one ANU athlete on the podium, but two of that race, wasn't there, Stuart?

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah, Hannah Tippett, who's uh been racing with ANU for a couple of years now, and I think again you'll see her rowing for Tasmania in the interstate. Um I haven't seen an announcement as to the Tasmanian crews, but I'm just going off what people what people are uh telling me on that one. But yeah, no, to see Alex and Hannah both on the podium, you could see all the ANU guys gathering around. And as you say, Aunt, Alex works so, so hard. If she worked as hard on the punctuality as she did on the little buddy clip on the way through to run a green national championship. Alex is a dead set legend, like on the water and off it, and super, super stoked to see her uh lift that trophy up in the air. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 27:02

And uh silver medal went to uh one of our team Hong Kong scholars, and it was one of our team Hong Kong scholars who uh won the title in the men's as well, and he won it by 26 seconds um over uh the University of WA's uh I think it's older uh cliffs.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Yeah, I always get a bit nervous when I see these international teams come in because they often enter the lightweight skull. Because I mean that was one of the reasons lightweight was brought into the Olympics in the first place, because you just know they they come like a bat from hell.

SPEAKER_07 27:30

Yeah, yeah. And and and this Hong Kong group that are here this week, they're entering their international boat classes. Yeah, like they're not like uh the Indian uh uh group that came over last year that where they were just you know entering like it wasn't all nationals, you'd enter a whole bunch of different things. These guys are here racing this as if it's a World Cup.

SPEAKER_08 27:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 27:47

Um, you know, it's a the guy won the single, he you know, he was uh in the B-final of the lightweight single in Shanghai last year.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

He also won Hong Kong's first ever World Rowing Cup gold medal in the lightweight singles in 2024.

SPEAKER_07 28:01

Yeah, he's got a bunch of them. He won two two medals in the uh in the World Cups in 2024 and two medals in the World Cups last year as well, one a gold, uh pair of golds actually in uh Varese and Lucerne. So properly good talent coming here to Lake Barrington. I do wonder if the trip from Hong Kong, I mean he's going over the national medal, he probably doesn't matter, doesn't mind, but wonder if uh he's come here and looked at the wind and gone, geez, this is a long flight for this.

SPEAKER_01 28:25

And just the inner silver there, just noting the University of WA and coached by uh Rowley there, Roland Warren. Very good to see these WA scholars, you know, posting some quick times across the board. And we saw a win from the under-21 pair from the girls there from University of WA. So I think that'll be one to keep an eye out on come Sunday.

SPEAKER_07 28:45

Um sweep lightweight rowings, not a whole bunch of it, but um I will shout out the uh the mercantile uh combination uh who raced uh the under-23 lightweight men's pair and then didn't go to the presentation, turned around, went straight back down to the start. I think they would have gotten to the start faster than they raced up to the finish, and then raced the open lightweight men's pair and uh came uh in uh came in fifth place. You know, they weren't quite in the race, um, but uh they they had a had a had a had a good run of it. Um and uh I think they're they're both fresh out of school, um rowing the lightweight stuff. They both went to Scotch and they don't look like they went to Scotch in the pair rowing in the pair, they're they're rowing normally. Um I know some Scotch parents listen, but we we know Scotch have a very uh unique style. We've discussed this, I think, over the last three podcasts. Um what did we make of that last race before racing was abandoned, the lightweight men's pair race? And I know you have heard from some of the people who were in the race.

SPEAKER_01 29:38

Oh my gosh. So well done to the Mercantile boys there, Tyrell and Tomo, because they have been rowing together in that pair for so long, probably for as long as I have been rowing, and you always see them around. Bunch of jokers those guys are in a good way. Um so I'm sure they're very, very happy and very proud because this season has been their season. It's all come up and and they've done a really good job there. Adelaide uni, that was good to see those guys there in the silver, and then the Barwon boys, uh Carl Tomzak and Thomas Hastings taking out the bronzer, which um I know they won have won this event multiple times. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 30:12

So it's an experience. And Carl Tomzak's been around uh Victoria and Lywe running for for you know well over a decade. Uh bit of a break and then came back, is that right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bit of a break and came back back in the uh Penrith Cup for the first time since 2018 when he won it.

SPEAKER_01 30:26

Yep.

SPEAKER_07 30:27

Um, so uh 2019?

SPEAKER_01 30:30

Uh that was Hastings. Are you talking about this event? Are you talking about the Penrith Cup?

SPEAKER_07 30:35

Penrith Cup.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Nah, Tom Zach's never won the Penrith Cup.

SPEAKER_07 30:38

Really?

SPEAKER_01 30:39

Yeah, so he's he's come he's come back to make a crack.

SPEAKER_07 30:42

Right, okay.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

There is a you know, there is a general drive from him because that's that's the sights are set for that one. But Hastings has won it twice. He's been in two winning Penrith Cup votes. Uh, but Tom Zach's gotten a few other medals in that class.

SPEAKER_07 30:56

Yeah, so we will have a a podcast on Saturday for uh the Interstate Regatta. We've we've hinted at it all season. We want to know who we're all gonna think is gonna win the Penrith Cup. I think you can figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 31:07

I think my heart, but uh Tom Zack's got a special like part because I I think I can sympathise with this not having won the Victoria Cup. I've just sort of darted around the edges a few times and had a couple of cracks at it. So I I will be quietly cheering for Tom Zack in that because I I can sympathize, I know how much that that means.

SPEAKER_07 31:26

Yeah, yeah, and and uh the Penrith Cup, the trophy itself, is the best one.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

Oh, it's amazing, it's the best one ever. It's amazing. All of them is so pretty.

SPEAKER_07 31:32

So you know that kept me rowing for quite a while, like trying to make that that boat. I just missed out on a couple of occasions. I didn't never deserve to make it, it's okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

But I've had the pleasure, like the fortune of being able to hold that trophy. It's heavier than me.

SPEAKER_07 31:44

I think I might have held it as well at one point, but a lot. I've interviewed a lot of Victorians who have won it on a couple of occasions. Uh and uh yeah, anyway, it's never gonna happen. I can't lose the weight, let alone get quick enough.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

So uh I was gonna say it's kind of ironic for the lightweight trophy that make it the heaviest one.

SPEAKER_07 32:02

It is the heaviest one. Yeah, it's a big old trophy. It's uh it's spectacular. Um I reckon it could fit the most beers in it out of any of the uh trophies. Well the King's Cup, yeah. King's Cup can fit some beers, but the Penrith go have a look. Penrith Cup is like more than double the size of the King's Cup.

SPEAKER_01 32:16

I could sit in it if they'd let me. I don't reckon they'll let me though.

SPEAKER_07 32:21

Um okay, let's just quickly uh in our sort of wrap-up, let's we haven't really uh touched on it, but it's obviously been an eventful week here at Lake Barrington. We're starting to get on for time, so we won't go on for too much longer. Um but uh we'll just run us through the cancellations because if you don't laugh about it, uh what can you do at this point? Started off the week with uh a bow number issue something that delayed some racing. Um we had uh and then we had a power outage which delayed some racing. We had an umpire's cat sink, which delayed some racing, and now we've got wind and I'm missing delay, yeah, yeah. As soon as Ant walked into the course, there was a lightning delay.

SPEAKER_01 32:57

It's not my fault! It's not my fault.

SPEAKER_07 32:59

Blow out all these good listeners' ears, the speakers.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

Um It's a good thing I was holding the mic for you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 33:05

Well, I don't know, I'm watching the audio here, it did it did spike.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

But um just like lightning spikes around Ant Decosmo. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 33:13

Um, yeah, and now we've obviously got some um some pretty insane wind. I'm really glad that we got this morning's racing in. Um we are absolutely in no way criticizing anyone. Uh I think there's running the regatta because they've done an awesome job, haven't they?

SPEAKER_01 33:25

Oh, every time there's been a delay, they've got it. The volunteers and the officials have got it back on time and back on track, which is great.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

I mean, with the four different delays that we had on Monday and Tuesday, the fact that we were able to get all the races for those days still in, you know, and still able to get out, you know. There were none where we were, you know, holding the lantern out the window to try and see who'd won. Um it's gonna be difficult to try and get it back now with the wind coming up today. There's a lot of racing that'll need to be done. But again, they're working through that one. There's a meeting that's going on at the moment, and again, a big shout out to the officials. Like they will have, and having worked in regatta admin before, they will have a lot of people that will be in their ear going, oh, you should do that, oh, you should do that, oh, you should do this.

SPEAKER_07 34:12

They've worked through it. Well, yeah, they've called a whole meeting, so there's going to be about a hundred coaches trying to tell them you should do this. I I don't know, I don't know if the meeting is gonna be as collaborative as as some think. I think they've probably got an idea of what they're gonna do, but anyway.

SPEAKER_00 34:24

No, but I think it's you know, the fact that they've been able to get it out, you know, they've kept the volunteers here. Let's not forget that a lot of people are volunteers here, our boat race officials are volunteers.

SPEAKER_07 34:34

Our commentators are volunteers.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Yeah, that that too. But you know, so they they've really put in the hard work and to see, you know, when we had that um, you know, that fourth delay, and this was just on Tuesday, and you could see like every staff member that is here wants this regatta to work, and they are putting heart and soul into it, and you cannot fault the effort of the guys that are running this regatta.

SPEAKER_07 35:06

I think rowing uh we'll end this on a uh maybe a slightly ponderous note unless Ann's got anything else to add. Rowing is an extremely boring sport to watch. Bitch bridge not particularly I don't think uh there's a whole nother conversation, Stu. I don't think Bridge Bridge is the answer. Um look, rowing's a boring sport. Rowing's a boring sport. You know, it's not particularly enjoyable the 99% of the time you're doing it, um, training, anything like that. No one really makes money doing it. Um, but the people who are here at this regatta absolutely love it. And they want with all their hearts to make this rap thing work, and we have, you know, notwithstanding all of these out of control out of out of our control things that have gone on, I think this could shape up to be one of the best nationals we've ever had in terms of the way the event is running and the net entries and everything. And this is coming from someone who's quite negative a few weeks ago about coming to Tasmania again. A few hour hours, you know, I today's been a great day of racing. I've loved, you know, I've been inspired of buddy, I've literally laughed, cried, and everything in between just in the last six hours. It has been it's reminded me why I love this sport. And I think similar from you guys, and I mean Ant definitely Ant's had a roller coaster of emotions this week as well on the water end off it. So uh I think we've all realized why we love this sport. There are so many so dedicated people who do such a good job of making it um of making it happen. And uh I think as long as those people around, the sport is in an extremely healthy place, regardless of any of the ancillaries going on around the edges. Thoughts?

SPEAKER_00 36:46

No, that's exactly it.

SPEAKER_07 36:48

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