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
Aussies in Henley 2026 Part Two - Kand, Sydney, Mercantile
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The world's greatest rowing event - Henley Royal Regatta - is almost upon us, and a strong contingent of Aussie crews are making the journey. In the second episode of this two-part series, Rowing Down Under is joined by Charlie Betts from Kand Rowing Club to discuss their Princess Elizabeth Eight, Franz Imfeld from Sydney Rowing Club to go through all their club and junior entries, and Jordan Roberts from Mercantile to get the run down on their Wyfold, Thames, and Wargrave crews.
Make sure to have a listen to episode one to hear from Sydney and Melbourne University Boat Club's about their junior, student, and intermediate entries.
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
Welcome to Rowing Down Under, a podcast by JRN with Chris McCarthy and Stuart John.
Intro
SPEAKER_03G'day rowing fans and welcome back to part two of a very special series here on Rowing Down Under. Henley Royal Regatta is just days away, and there's a good showing of Aussie clubs who are making the journey over to the hallowed waters of the Thames. In the last episode, we spoke with Sydney University and Melbourne University Boat Clubs on their entries across the junior, student, and intermediate events. If you haven't listened to that one yet, go save that episode for later and make sure you give us a follow and a five-star rating wherever you're listening while you're there. Today, we're tackling the clubs. Sydney Rowing Club are no strangers to Henley will be out in force between the booms this year. They're bringing a Diamond Jubilee quad for their junior women, two Wi-Fold 4s and a Thames 8 for the club men, and a Wargrave 8 for the Club Women. Canned Rowing Club will be entering a Princess Elizabeth 8 for junior men in what is an exciting development for Queensland and the future of Australian junior rowing. And finally, we'll have Mercantile Rowing Club, who'll be bringing a Wi Fold 4 and a Thames 8 for their club men and a Wargrave 8 for their club women. To kick things off, I caught up with Canned Rowing Club's Charlie Betts to chat all things Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup.
Kand Rowing Club
SPEAKER_03Alright, Charlie Betts, welcome to the podcast. Firstly, how's things up in Brisbane on the Brown Snake?
SPEAKER_04Uh it's pretty good at the moment. Um it's been a little bit wet and rainy for this time of year, which has been slightly annoying, but um, yeah, a lot of good stuff going on. There's been a lot of rowing that's not usually up here. Randall's got his under 23 boys up here that are all training, so that's been pretty cool for everyone to see. And then we've been getting this Henley boat together, which has also been a bit exciting. So yeah, a few good little projects on the go.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, sounds like an exciting time up in Brisbane. So the these things take a lot of planning, and it's it's no small endeavor to fly halfway around the world to uh get a crew together to race at Henley. How did it sort of all come together? How how long has it has it taken to uh to get these these nine gents in a boat together?
SPEAKER_04Um not long at all, to be honest. And I have to give a massive thank you to club captain Tom Coates and um and all the parents and everyone involved in this because it was not on the radar at all. Back in December, we had thoughts of maybe taking a women's crew to go and do the war grave, and then that fell through um just with people being in America and stuff like that. Um, but this boys' one, it wasn't on the radar, and then we we had a few guys that went down to trials and unfortunately didn't go as well as we'd hoped down there, and then there was a couple of other boys that were still training, and um the idea was floated and it kind of spiraled, and within a couple of weeks, um we've probably only had this since the start of May, and we're kind of locked and loaded, ready to go. And also big thank you to John Boltley and Sarah Cook for helping us navigate the entry process and get that all sorted on very short notice as well. Um, but yeah, not enough planning, I don't think.
SPEAKER_03Well, it's uh we'll get onto it in a bit, and it sounds like it's uh even more of an expensive endeavor than if uh we were getting getting things together um fairly last minute. Um run us through the crew. You mentioned the four guys there, it's the the national champion four and the national champion under 19 pair. Um where have all these boys come from? A variety of different schools from from around the southeast?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, there's a few different schools. They all kind of um some have been with us for probably two years, some kind of came to us last winter, and um, yeah, they've been like we do a lot of small boats, and they were all just doing those kinds of things and then involved with each of their schools, and then yeah, kind of came back to us at nationals and stuff. And yeah, we're very fortunate to have four of them go really well in a four, and then a couple of them do really well in the pair, obviously doing trials, and then some of the others who are the younger bit um who went and did Queensland Pathways and stuff like that, and then they've united once their school season's ended and off to go and see how we go on the world stage.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, obviously things are a little bit different here. If uh anyone's listening from the UK, it's sort of the the season ends in April, and then uh a lot of these schools can't make it over to Henley, and and they have been rowing at Cannes for a while, right? As you mentioned, a few of them been there for a little bit, and that kind of gives you the opportunity.
SPEAKER_04Well, and that's the thing. That was um that was what John and Sarah said was this is like the way obviously it's very difficult for a a school or anyone to go over and do, or for anyone from Australia to go and race at Henley, and it's such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and cool experience to go and travel the world and come up against everyone's everyone's best athletes. And so um, yeah, when the school season ends so early over here um to try and give those boys the opportunity to be able to compete. Um, it's a really cool thing that the stewards have opened it up to club um entries in the last couple of years. And so, yeah, very fortunate that they've allowed us the opportunity.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and you'll be the first or maybe second, depending on how the draw goes, uh, Australian club to to do it. Um only what it opened up to clubs two years ago.
SPEAKER_04I think 2024 or 2025, yeah, 2025. Yeah, very recent. Um, and so yeah, I think there's a couple of um Australian clubs who've been keen to try and do it. I don't know who's locked in and doing it this year, but yeah, pretty cool opportunity.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, very exciting. Um, so you're right. Uh we mentioned just before off air that um a couple of them from Southport, which if anyone's not familiar with Southeast Queensland is not where Candorowan Club is. Um how's that taught me through that kind of juggle uh during the week? You know, they're at school on the Gold Coast and an hour and a half away from Brisbane.
SPEAKER_04Well, anyone familiar with the Brisbane GPS, um, like the the premier school for the past couple of years has very much been Southport, they've been very dominant up here, and um, and we've been very fortunate that a lot of the the Southport boys kind of reached out and wanted to come and be a part of what we were doing at Cannes, and that started a couple of years ago. We had a few guys that would do the hour drive every morning to come up and train in Brisbane, and then through last winter and over this summer, we've actually started to um open a location down on the gold coast. So thank you to the the boys and the parents that have really driven that process. And um, yeah, we've had to juggle that. Um, we've got some throughout the week we'll train on the gold coast now, and some of our boys will train in Brisbane, and then we come together on weekends. Um, it's been pretty much predominantly in Brisbane, and then we try and get down to the Gold Coast as well to share that load. Um, so yeah, a little bit of logistics to juggle to get all of them together, which is fine when we're doing the small boats, but uh doing an eight project like this has been a bit of fun to juggle. Uh but yeah, they they don't even turn their nose off at the drive, which is great.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, good. I'm sure then things will come together really well in the last couple of weeks as once you've got a little bit more time together and once you're overseas together as well. Yeah, exactly right. Yeah. Um mentioned as well, so Southport, you're Leonardo Hughes. He's been to Henley before as well. Is that kind of leadership in the crew? Um, like is he kind of briefing the boys on on what's what's what's going on? So he was there in 2024 with Southport, wasn't he?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he was. So there's um very handy to have some good experience coming from him and kind of letting the boys know what to expect and what the standards like and yeah, where we need to be, um, which is really good. So him being in there, we've also got um Charlie L, who's another Southport boy whose older brother was there and he travelled and watched them when they went. So um, yeah, some some parents and siblings and that who've been there, and Leo who's raced, and um, yeah, that's been super handy to have that kind of knowledge, and probably why we were able to um to pull it together on such short notice. A lot of those parents rallied and um and just we we very much replicated what Southport did last time, which was great. So we kind of had a bit of a blueprint there of what we needed to do and what had to be done.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that makes such even if it's you've just gone over there to spectate, having seen the regatta and seeing how busy it is and how just absolute uh sensory overload uh Henley on Thames can be. Um, even just having having been there and seen how it all kind of happens, um, is uh so valuable, um, even if you haven't sort of been been on the water. Um back to sort of Brisbane. You mentioned uh before Randall's got the the 23 boys. Um has that kind of helped to make things feel a little bit lonely, a little bit less lonely uh out on the water if you sparring partners for them.
SPEAKER_04Um we haven't really lined up too much just um because that yeah, they they've been out of out at Wahara Long during the weekends or out at his place at Wyvenhoe. Um but yeah, we got we got to spar on Saturday. Unfortunately, we didn't have our full crew in town and they they set a very quick time down at Wahara Long. But um, yeah, it's it's just cool. Like Queensland rowing's in a pretty good place. Obviously, King's Cup did awesome, and um Queens Cup did a great job as well. So there's been some pretty cool results, and it's cool to see different people doing cool things in rowing in Queensland. So that's that's the fun of it at the moment.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, we've chatted about it a few times on the podcast. That how just every year there just seems to be a few more sort of names popping up and just a few more I don't want to say glimmers of hope because that makes it sound like things were in a desperate situation beforehand, but like things have been trending that way, and then oh god, that King's Cup victory was uh gorgeous to watch. What a moment bolted on New South Welshmen like myself. Um so uh once you get over there, when are you when are you going? How early are you sort of getting there? And um uh what what's it what's the kind of run-in look like? You mentioned obviously um school holidays didn't start till not long before the regatta, and that can uh throw up a few a few challenges with how early you want to get over over to the UK.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so we're probably we're probably going a little bit later than would be uh ideal, but that that's it we're still getting more than a week over there, which is good. The school holidays line up reasonably well. But pretty much as soon as the boys finish exams, we um we'll head over the 21st of June is our departure, so we won't really do much racing beforehand over there, but we'll get a good amount of training and some good time on the course, which will be great. Um, but yeah, we just had to navigate the school exams. The boys that are trying to head to the US, obviously their grades and marks are very important at the moment, so they're trying to boost those up. Um, and yeah, we just didn't want to sacrifice those exams to um to go and do it, but I think it'll be fine. We've got plenty of time still.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and you mentioned a few of the boys interested in in heading over to the US uh at the end of the year or starting next year.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they're super excited about that pathway, and like I've spoken to Bosey a lot about the success of that pathway. Um, when we've had a couple of canned guys who are a bit older who've kind of been there, done that, and graduated and yeah, found a lot of success. And these boys want to follow in those footsteps, fortunately, because they laid down some good results through nationals, and the rest of the season there's a fair bit of interest, which is exciting. So we're looking forward to um meeting with a lot of the um the recruiters and stuff who've reached out um to chat to them when we go over to Henley. So yeah, pretty cool. Um, the opportunities in front of them, and yeah, it's a great, great system.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and certainly just a um just a great way to get your name out on this on the stage and also just convenient that everyone's there and um hopefully we'll see uh another good show and a few good US crews over last year. I think we're probably expecting a few more over this year. Um, which should be really, really excuse me, really, really exciting. Um in terms of the racing, last year kind of really showed us how uh how competitive the Princess Elizabeth is and and the level that the British schools are on. And um when we're recording this just over the weekend, uh National Schools was quite fast um over on Eaton Dawny. What are the do you have any sort of expectations going into it? I mean, it's obviously it's not a regatta you say, hey, I want to get to this round, whatever, but um, how are you sort of managing that and working through that with the boys?
SPEAKER_04Um, to be honest, we're like at this yeah, it's so cliche, but we're just trying to stay very internal. Like obviously there was some quick times laid down, but who knows what conditions were like and what was going on over there. Um, so yeah, we're just at the moment, just the boys are doing their best, getting a little bit better every session we do. Um, we know there's some good ability in the boats, but we don't really know what the ceiling or the level of um them as an ace is, and we probably won't get to fully test that until we go over there. So it's just um yeah, get a little bit better every session and then put your best foot forward when we go over and see where that lands us. Um yeah, we don't really want to peg it too much, which is yeah, it's exciting, but they don't we don't really know where they're at. We we see some really good glimpses in training of some great speeds and some really solid paddling and some very quick race pace, but um it'll be fun to find out where the limit is when we come up against some of that pretty rapid opposition.
SPEAKER_03Well, I think all the Australian crews that have gone over there recently, none and done well. I don't think any of them have had really big expectations. Um thinking Sydney's wife last year, the Sydney wife that won a few years ago, um you know, the St. Katz crew that went over and won, like all of those crews. I don't think any of them went over there and thought, hey, we're gonna we're gonna go over there and we are a red hot favorite to win this sort of thing. Um stuck to their gun better every race.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, those UK clubs and schools and stuff, it's so they're they're so in their systems and their processes to perform at Henley, which obviously the Australian systems aren't like some like Sydney Run Club, obviously, it's it's a big target and they go every year, and there's a few others mercantile pretty similar. Um, but like for us, it wasn't so much on the radar and then now has, which is still exciting, and the boys are preparing really well. Um but yeah, obviously it um it's a it's a different experience. Um having to travel, obviously. We come into winter time, so managing a bit of illness um over the last sort of while makes preparation a bit tricky. But um yeah, I think it's just it's it's exciting, the unknown, and it's just they are the best in the world that you get to verse. So put your best foot forward and see what you can do.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's a good attitude. Um once you sort of well, we mentioned um earlier how kind of last minute, I guess, uh preparations and stuff would be, and uh it's not the cheapest thing to get over the other side of the world uh with everything going on at the moment. Um, what's the sort of fundraising and support side of it look like for Cannes?
SPEAKER_04Um we're very fortunate to have a couple of pretty handy sponsors, like the support of Kelly and and Kelly Armitage is the KA of Canned. Um, and yeah, their support has been huge. Leader Holdings, which has um yeah, been very supportive of what we're doing, and then um Tandem Co. Which is a bike chef up here also, um, helping sponsor the tour. And then um, yeah, the boys have been doing a bit of um fundraising themselves as an ASF link, I believe, on our socials, and they've got their own little Instagram page, which I think on their socials, um, that stuff's out there as well. So any support is helpful, but yeah, we're we're pretty fortunate to have a few um kind of big supporters in the background who've been very useful um in helping get this up off the ground, which has been awesome.
SPEAKER_03Have you have you sorted out a boat once you're over there yet as well? I know you guys have got a good relationship with fortunately.
SPEAKER_04Um the yeah, we've been training in a Philippe, but we will um the plans to use an empacker over there. It's the um the same boat that um Riverview used last year, and Southport used that same boat the year before. So with the Southport connection, we were able to get our hands on that one pretty quickly, which was very handy. Um, so yeah, we'll be using that one when we get over.
SPEAKER_03That's good. That's a good connection because there's a lot of things to organise and uh getting stuff.
SPEAKER_04So big Southport thing and the people who'd been before, they were massively handy with accommodation and all that on late notice. That was very helpful. Thank you. Bridget L huge help in doing that. Thank you to her.
SPEAKER_03How close to the to the town are you uh have you managed to secure?
SPEAKER_04Uh I don't know off the top of my head, but I know it is very convenient. I I'm not 100% sure if it's the exact same place that Southport stayed in 2024, but I think it's quite nearby. And um, yeah, I've got a feeling it's like a five-minute drive or something. Um the local knowledge from them was apparently you want to stay on a certain side of the bridge in town, and so they said that we're on the correct side for that, and it's all very convenient. Um, but yeah, those those logistics. Uh that's a Tom Coates and Brigadel question, and I just worry about making sure the boys are moving fast and then go where we go.
SPEAKER_03Brilliant. Um, that's everything that I've sort of got for you. Um, is there anything else that we should know uh about about the crew or a message to the Brits uh to watch watch out?
SPEAKER_04Um I'll certainly watch out to all the Brits, any of them. I think yeah, Radley, who won the national schools, we're coming for them. Um, but nah, we're it's very exciting, and we'll just keep getting the heads down and preparing and see what we can do over there. Um so yeah, thank you for your time.
SPEAKER_03It'll it'll look great if you guys come up against Radley because it's almost the same Zooty.
SPEAKER_04Um exactly right. There's not enough room for two boats with red and white, so we'll have to knock them out early.
SPEAKER_03Exactly, exactly. All right, thank you very much, Charlie, and uh all the best uh once you get over to Henley.
SPEAKER_04Awesome, thank you very much.
SPEAKER_03Rowing 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 improve performance at all levels. Now, this is the part of the spiel 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. A big thank you to Charlie and to Cand, a club crew in the PE, is sure to pique some interest, so I can't wait to see how they stack up. Sydney Rowan Club are no strangers to Henley and have competed with Regatta continuously for decades. Their last win came in the Wi Fold in 2019, and last year they reached the final of that event. This year they've got an even bigger squad with two wifes, a Thames 8, a Wargrave 8, and a pretty handy Diamond Jubilee quad with the Juju Girls. So, what better person to take us through the group than the club's high performance director and multiple-time Henley winning coach Franz Infeld.
Sydney Rowing Club
SPEAKER_03Alright, Franz, thank you for joining us on Rowing Down Under. How has uh winter training been in not so sunny Sydney?
SPEAKER_00It's been bloody good actually. Um you say it's not been that sunny, but it actually has. Like until okay, the last fortnight has been a bit of a bit of a difference, rained almost every day. But prior to that, I don't think we had a drop of rain since uh since National has finished, and um most unusually the wind. We've had no wind. There's been days where we've been looking out on the um on the Parramatta River at lunchtime, and it's glass all the way up to um the Scots boat shed. It's been quite uh unbelievable. Like autumn is normally so variable. So, in terms of uh how that's helped us, yeah, preparation's been pretty bloody good up until this point. Having said that, it's now completely turned uh the other way around, and this this morning was an absolute whitewash with the wind and the waves.
SPEAKER_03And probably by the time this goes out, it'll change again, and that'll be something completely different.
SPEAKER_00Um winter is coming.
SPEAKER_03Yes. Um, so run us through uh, you know, you always Sydney always sends such a big cohort over to Henley every single pretty much every single year. Run us through who you've got going over this year. It's another quite a big group.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it is a big group. Um, it's definitely become a bit of a um a constant theme for us. Um that we we find it such a useful development tool and good way of keeping our athletes training all the way through the uh cold winter months in in Australia. So it's um yeah, it's always it's it's something that we're gonna keep doing. Um this year it's a bit of a different um vibe from the group. Um we don't have a let's say an outstanding crew that we've thought, yeah, we're gonna go and try and get the win here. Obviously, we are going to wit try and win. That's the kind of the point of going. But there's a little bit more of an emphasis on the younger athletes um keeping that continuity of training for the 19, 20 year olds coming out of school. Um, so more or less every crew uh other than our Y Fold 4 is mainly composed of under 21s this year. Um, yeah, as I said. It's it's it's for us it's a real tool to keep athletes training off to the nationals, keep them going through the the winter, give them a real focus um before they have a bit of a break into the next season, otherwise, it's pretty easy to get lost. So this year we've got a uh yeah, Wi Fold is kind of, I guess, our top crew per se on the men's side, um, built around our under 23-4 that medaled at um at nationals um with the venerable Angus Aitken filling in for um uh Nick Whalen in that in that boat. So yeah, uh Angus at three, um Mac at two, Will Club at bow, and um Q Harold in the bow seat. Um we've then got a Thames Cup eight, and again, as I said, this is this is very much a uh a development crew. Kind of most of the athletes have been in our under-21. That have won for the last two years. So six six of the um eight athletes were in either an under-21-8 this year or an under 21. That won. Um, and then we've got the uh experienced Harry Crouch uh leading the charge in the middle of the boat, keeping them um on top of their game, which is uh a good a good change of direction for him. He he's stepping into that post as a bit of a leader, um, taking the younger athletes for for their trip overseas, which is quite quite nice to see how he's uh changing and maturing as a as a person. The wise old soul Harry Crouch is yeah, exactly right. I'm gonna start seeing some greys in his curly locks, I'm sure, soon. Um and then we've actually got a uh we've got a second wife old this year. So um every year we have a group of gappier athletes that come over from uh the States or from Germany or from the UK. Um, and this year three of those boys have had to head back to get their visas sorted to go to university in the US. So they're really keen to keep racing for Sydney, represent the club um and race at Henley. So we've actually sent one of our uh other esteemed long-standing athletes over with them, James Frederickson, to uh to keep them on the straight and narrow. So they're gonna they're gonna race um at Marlowe before trying to qualify and see how far they get at Henley. Um women's sides, uh a little bit different again. So same kind of strategy with our Wargrave. Um a lot of our under-21s in that in that crew, um five five of the crew were in our under-21.8 this year that um took the silver medal um to uh Mercantile at Nationals um with um three senior athletes, Lila Anderton, Nicole Vance, and Alice Balding, kind of the same kind of role as um Harry Crouch in the uh in the men's crew, sort of giving them their wisdom, their experience to to help them in their first time down the course at Henley. And then um our last crew is the Diamond Jubilee. So we've um we've got a pretty um exciting uh physical crew this year with with that with that bunch. They're not raced as a quad um yet, um, but three of them racing the under-19-4 at um at Nationals, um, and then Lucy Yabsey, who's the fourth member. She actually won the under 21 single this year, so she's going to be stroking that quad. And she's um eligible because uh her birthday is lovely and late in the year. So that's a really good bit of experience from a sculling, um, a real um sculling guru um in the stroke seat there, uh, with some of the sweepers behind her learning a thing or two at the moment.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that one's I think particularly exciting, uh, not least because I used to coach Lucy a few years ago, and it's always nice to see her doing well. Um on the sort of mostly on the on the guy side, obviously, because that's sort of who went last year, um obviously things switched around between the Wi-Fi and the Thames. Um, what kind of lessons has have those that's a very different group, but there's a lot of Henley sort of experience in there. What kind of lessons have they taken out of out of uh previous tours that uh that they're gonna really use to try and make a bit of a step on this year?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so um the Thames crew this year has got uh two of our WIFO finalists from last year, so Charlie Hine and um uh Jackson Gersoy um are in that crew. Um and look, I think the biggest lesson that they learnt last year is having a good time and getting on with your mates is 90% of the uh the reason why we do this sport and and and keeping that keeping that going all the way through the campaign um is absolutely vital. And that's probably the majority of the reason why that crew ended up uh that and a little bit of luck with the steering and the booms, but um I think that was the majority of the reason why that crew ended up doing so well last year. So that's been a real theme this year is how how do we bring that excitement, that enjoyment, that youthful exuberance that uh some of these um some of these boys are able to um uh display pretty professionally. How do we bring that into the whole group? So yeah, we put them in the Thames Cup this year, and that there's a real nice atmosphere within that group where they're there for each other. It's all about the mateship, it's all about um getting in the boat and pulling as hard as you can for the person in front of you and the person behind you, um, which is a little bit different from previous years where it's been a a bit more serious, it's been a bit more right we're in it. All we care about is winning, and it's all about getting the boat across the line. And obviously that's that's why we do it, but um, how you do that is uh is really, really important. So I think that was a big lesson from last year, which um we've we've hopefully both of our or all of our crews have learned from.
SPEAKER_03And on the on the girls' front, firstly the the Wargrave, it's a uh it's a very diverse crew, like as you said, with the younger sort of girls and then the sort of more experienced ones as well. And would I be right in saying there's almost no Henley experience in that boat? Um so not that important to what I'll say. I was just gonna ask how they're sort of how they've sort of come together and um out of coming out of different boats and all the rest of it. But um, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean Ella did it a couple of years back. Um, I think uh maybe Izzy Yardley did it for St. Catharines, so they go and race. So there's a there's a little bit of experience in there, but you're right. It's um look, I th I think it's uh it's harnessing that uh naivety in a way, like that excitement about it the first time, you know, like you never forget your first time racing at somewhere like Henley. And I think um using that um as the kind of springboard to success is is really good. Like even now, as the uh days are drawing in, it's getting colder, it's getting darker, it's getting wetter, they're still so bloody excited to get over there and race because they've never done it before. So that that that's definitely a bit of a um linchpin that's brought that crew together, um, and kind of vice versa with the older athletes. So Ella, so Ella's gone into that crew and she has done it before, so she's kind of using her little bit of experience, a little bit of wisdom to um to guide them in the right way, which is which is really nice. And it's it's like that that for me has been a really big change with the group this year. There's a lot more support, everyone is there to kind of help each other and and and get the most out of it, which um hasn't necessarily always been the case. I think that that that's what I've seen a lot. The I've been sort of jumping around um sitting in a tinny with all the coaches who are going, casting my eye over each crew rather than necessarily leading one crew, and that's been a bit of a um a common theme. It's that excitement about going there to race and then helping each other get the most out of it, um, which definitely brought that crew together.
SPEAKER_03And we mentioned the the Diamond Jubilee quad, um, which is quite an exciting little combination in what's going to be a pretty hot field at the especially at the top end that we've seen with all those junior events, very quick times at national schools. Um firstly, is that the change in the the age rules? That's what's allowed that crew to come together, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so Lucy, I believe, is um her her birthday is quite well, it would be yeah, late in the year, I guess. And that's allowed her to do it. So even though she's an under-21, that change of age group is uh sorry, a change of the age rules has allowed her to race, which we um hadn't really thought about. Um initially we were gonna do a club quad just to try and uh target some of those new new events, but we had um a few athletes go into the team and this, that, and the other, so it made a lot more sense for us to go for the DJ. Um and yeah, those those rules have just made it definitely much easier for us. Like a like the advantage to us is that we ended up getting someone like Lucy who's able to train um essentially full-time all year now that she's at university and um and left school, um, which is definitely helpful.
SPEAKER_03And three out of the four of that boat has rode for Australia, correct? It's not there's not a whole lot of no Henley experience in there, but they've all most of them have rode overseas, haven't they?
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, exactly right, yeah. Um, so um Mika and Floss were both in the Girls Eight last year, is that right? I think and then uh and then Lucy was in the double. Yeah. So yeah, look, I think that's definitely uh gonna come, that's gonna pay dividends in terms of their experience and being able to deal with the the pressure. Um I'm very excited about that group. I I think they're a bit of a um a dark horse. Um they haven't really got haven't got any results of their name, but I don't necessarily think that's gonna be uh a bad thing for them. I think coming into the radar will be exciting. Can't deny the uh the competition at the top is definitely gonna be pretty bloody hot looking at some of the results from um the regattas that have been happening over the last couple of weeks. Um uh national schools obviously last weekend. That was quite exciting to see what the what those athletes were were putting down the track. Very fast conditions, I would have thought, but uh even so that gives us a good yardstick. Um just gotta teach some of these sweepers out of school properly in the next couple of weeks.
SPEAKER_03Sounds like a plan. Um so the tour a bit more broadly. Um uh you mentioned that Marlowe crew, uh that crew that's gonna go race at Marlowe. But other than that, it's just gonna be rock up, rock up to Henley, correct?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, look, it's it's it's always nice. It would always be nice to go there a week earlier and and and get another race under our belts. Um, but look, costs are pretty astronomical. It's uh it's uh well over $100,000 for us to send the crews over and the athletes do a fantastic job of fundraising, but there's still the um there's still a big financial burden on it. And I guess uh the challenge that we have is that we have we go there every year, so we know how to make it efficient, we know how to make it as economical as possible because we've we've got the practice, but equally because we go there every year, it it people don't want to have to spend three or four thousand dollars year on year on year to do it. So um, yeah, we've got to be a little bit careful with that. Um, so yeah, it's it's it's it begs the question about the qualifiers. Like it's an interesting one for our from our side is having had that wife for last year go through the qualifiers and then get um selected from the qualifiers and then going all the way through to the final. Was that advantageous to us with actually getting that run down the track when we haven't really done anything competitive since nationals? Was that was that useful? Possibly. Um, I'm not gonna necessarily ask the stewards to put a ballot put all of our athletes through qualifiers, but if they do end up going through qualifiers, I don't think it's a bad thing at all. And um, I think again for this with the younger athletes, that that Diamond Jubilee quad, I think it could end up um being pretty helpful.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Well, I think there's uh some other coaches, other Australian coaches who are possibly thinking the same thing, uh, who aren't going to be able to do any racing beforehand and uh thinking, oh, you know, it actually isn't uh I mean that's kind of the ideal, right? Get the rundown, the course and the qualifiers, and then get selected and get the good draw.
SPEAKER_00If we could do that every year, that would be uh pretty pretty good. Yeah, the only challenge is that some of these crew uh events are so oversubscribed that the um the numbers aren't necessarily in your favour unless you are a hot favourite.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I wouldn't want to risk going qualifiers through the wife or the diamond jubilee or you know, you don't have one this year but a forley or something like that. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_00When you've got sort of 50 or 60 boats all trying to go for four spots, you're like, oh, okay, that's a bit tight.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Um, and so you mentioned how the club goes every year. You're actually not going to be joining us in the lovely town of Henley on Thames this year. When's the last year that you didn't go to Henley?
SPEAKER_00Well, good question. Um where are we now? 2017, I reckon. Um, so almost almost 10 years ago. Um and prior to that it would have been uh 2005. So 21 years, and I've only missed it once uh until this year. So yeah, it's gonna be quite a long time. Um look, I think uh abstinence can often make the heart go fonder. Um I think uh sometimes you get a little bit too stuck in the the routine and the rhythm of doing it, and um you lose track of what you're what you're aiming for and how how to do it. So I think a little bit of time away is not a bad thing for me professionally. Um I am gonna be watching, don't you worry. I'll be actually I'll be in um Italy at the time with the under 23 team. Um so when we're off the water, I'll be watching the racing very carefully, don't you worry.
SPEAKER_03Um, and on the coaching front as well, uh Brooke uh leaving after after Henley, he's sort of taken that under-21 men's group, most of those guys, for the last couple of years. Is there a real sense with those guys of like one last sort of hurrah with him and kind of doing it for him as sort of one, you know, they'll move on to 23 sort of stuff and the rowing their rowing kind of changes next year. Is this kind of is there a real sense of that uh kind of one last hurrah for the squad going on?
SPEAKER_00Definitely, absolutely. The uh the the gaggle, as they've affectionately called themselves, is definitely going to be uh doing it for Brooke. Um, I'm sure there's gonna be um many, many whispers of that in the in their crew briefings and that last word before they get out on the water. Um, like he's been a real asset to the programme, and the energy that he's brought and the excitement that he's brought has definitely kept a lot of these athletes in the sport, which is one of the hardest parts. That that transition from school to club, university rowing. If you if you don't have that inspirational figure making you want to do it, you often won't take another stroke. And I think what he's done over the last two years has been um pretty impressive. Um, yeah, we we very deliberately had the conversation about making sure that we were able to make it work, keeping him all the way through to Henley, so he has that um kind of sign off. Um, and I'm really hoping it's gonna be a good mic drop from him.
SPEAKER_03Brilliant. Um, one last one for you. You are obviously so uh tapped into what's going on in the UK, having spent so much time over there and all the rest of it. Even though you're not there, any outlandish predictions or crews to watch outside of Sydney Rowan Club? Oh, look, I don't want to uh And keeping in mind that we're recording this before Met Regatta, before Marlowe, before everything like that. Yeah, exactly. I mean that's everyone listening.
SPEAKER_00That's the hard thing. Um there's there's been um so far, there's been no kind of real standout um club cruise that I've seen from a club perspective. I do think the uh the Marlowe Diamond Jubilee quad at the weekend was uh was pretty exceptional. Um but on the on the club men's and women's side so far, I haven't seen anything um that's really stood out. Um I think over this next couple of weeks it'll all become a little bit more obvious, especially with yeah, as you say, Matt Regatta and Marlowe and Henley Women's um coming up. But as a rule of thumb on the men's side, uh if you've I I've always kind of worked on the basis, if you're able to get two eights in the top ten at the head of the river um on the tide way of club athletes, then you've probably got an eight in there that's going to be able to win um the Thames Cup. Um and I correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that was the case this year. Um normally Thames or London or Molsey or someone is able to do that, and then that's a pretty good predictor. Um, so yeah, I haven't seen that just yet unless I've uh completely missed that one.
SPEAKER_03I can't say I can tell you off the top of my head. So but that'd be interesting if uh if the Thames would go outside the UK for the first time in bloody ages. I think that's yeah, it would be a little while. Yeah. Cool. Any other final thoughts ahead of the tour that you want to share with us?
SPEAKER_00Um no, I'm just I'm excited to watch it from uh from from the comfort of my armchair. It's uh it's gonna be a different experience, and I'm sure it's gonna be just as nerve-wracking for me. Um, but uh yeah, no, I'm excited to see it. And uh as everyone is every year, it's it is that that event that everybody looks forward to. So yeah, can't wait.
SPEAKER_03Awesome. Thank you, Franz, and uh best of luck with the 23s in uh in Germany.
SPEAKER_00No problem. Thank you very much, Chris.
SPEAKER_03It does seem a bit odd, Franz not being in Henley this year, but I'm sure his uh sky blue athletes will be keen to put on a good show regardless.
Mercantile Rowing Club
SPEAKER_03The final interview for these two special episodes is with Mercantile Rowing Club, a club which has been rebuilding the last few years, culminating with almost taking out the medal tally at this year's national championships. Many of those athletes who contributed to that performance now forming the basis for three solid entries in Henley Royal Regatta: a Wifold and a Thames for the club men, and a Wargrave 8 for the club women. And to take us through their squad, I caught up with accomplished lightweight and member of the club's Wi-Fold 4, Jordan Roberts. Jordan Roberts, welcome to Rowing Down Under. You're heading over as a part of uh Mercantile's Wi-Fold 4. Mercantile No Stranger to Henley. You've been a bit of a constant force there the last couple of years and and over the club's history, sending a Thames, a Wargrave, and a Wi-Fold. And I'd love to know uh how you kind of settled on on those three boats. So, as I said, you're part of this Wi Fold. Tell me how this uh this Lydie project came together to start with.
SPEAKER_02Uh thanks, Chris. Um, very, very nice of you to mention that it's a uh Lighty project. Um obviously Henley no lightweight events, but the club has decided sort of after our success throughout the season, um, you know, especially with you know, Oscar Tyrrell, Alex Domanovitz, Fletcher, Douglas, and myself um, you know, culminating a few medals at nationals, they decide to give us some opportunity to go and race overseas as a lighter contingent. And the thought was sort of that, you know, despite it being a heavyweight event, we probably bet's to keep four sort of smaller guys who work well together rather than throwing a heavyweight or two in there, and you know, it's proven to have some good speed, so you know, we've given it a crack. Um the Tenzang and the Walgrave are probably you know built up of a fair few youth and under 23 uh roles, and so you know, they're good developing athletes that are really stepped up this season. Um and you know, they've really put their hand up to actually have a go at those highly contested events.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so you guys have had the opportunity to eat up a bit and bulk up a bit the last couple of months then?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a little bit. Like we're racing Hollenbecker beforehand, um, and there was talk that we might race the lightweight events then. So there was a brief moment where I was like, oh, I've uh actually got to start cutting again. But uh because they're using the Saturday of Hollenbecker as our sort of opportunity to get uh pre-qualified for Henley, we've decided just to race the open four and just only that one to have our our best go. But yeah, we did bulk up a little bit, but you know, most of us are still around that 73-74 kilo mark anyway, so not too much bigger.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, when you keep on training, like it it uh it's fairly it's not that easy in the in a big training block to to to stack on the kilos, so that's probably uh probably the way to go, and as well not put any extra pressure on yourself to put down a good time on the Boz Barn. Um yeah, and it worked before the I think the last Australian Lighty crew to go over ended up in the semi-finals, I think, the UTS crew a couple of years ago, um, who are not allowed back in the club events, but we won't mention that. Um tell me about the uh sticky with the guys, tell me about the the Thames 8. So you mentioned sort of a bit of a mix of of youth and and and 23 guys, how'd that sort of sort of come together and and how are they tracking?
SPEAKER_02Uh so the base building block was from the bronze medal uh open eight that raced at Nationals. Um so losing three stroke siders from that boat, but we've brought up um Harry Pollack, who was the stroke seed of the Vicky Uth eight. Um so he's jumped in on Bow side, and James Simpson's switched to stroke side, and he got uh Joe Lee Conway has jumped in on stroke side as well, and Sam Chin to fill those three seeds. Um so you got two 21s, the rest 23s and seniors. So you know, you got Jake Pelkenhorns returning to Henley after making it to the semi-final in the Brit in 2024. And you know, they've been putting down some pretty good training runs, good times. Like it's interesting training with them because a lot of the stuff we do is handicapped, so it's always working those margins, and for us, how much can we hold them off for? And for them, how much can they catch us over those margins over those sort of our standard four by two K um sessions that we do?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, right, cool. And and the Wargrave 8, um, a lot of the girls were sort of back from the or a few of the girls were back from the the Prince Philip last year, and then some more experience sort of injected in there as well. Um, yeah, run me through those girls.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I think it's there's one or two girl two girls, I think. Lucy and Mackenzie uh back from the Prince Philip last year. Um Eloise um sorry, not Eloise. Um we've got Anna Morrison is jumping in, so she was in the under-23 women's eight last year. Um Georgia Campbell's moved down to Merck's this season, so she's stepping on as well in that in that boat after being at under-23 trials, unfortunately missing out. Um so you know, there's a pretty good depth to the crew, sort of built on last year's crew, mixing that Prince Philip uh experience as well as some of the girls who, you know, were ready to step up this year into that Wargrave position after being in the youth eights and Queen's Cups. Um so I think again a lot of people have put their hand up to be in that boat, and it was a pretty extensive uh trial process where uh I think one session we had like four or five fours seat racing against each other for the girls eight. So, you know, there's a lot of people who put their hand up, and yeah, I guess that's how we've ended up with the the crew we've got. And yeah, that again also been doing really well in training. Um we've done a lot of training against them and hopefully stepping that up a little bit more in the next two weeks before we go. Uh because they sort of say the Wargrave and the Wi-Fold are similar sort of speeds, and same as the you know, the visitors and the I don't know what the intermediate women's aid is called, but um the bridge. The bridge, that's right, yeah. So the bridge and the visitors also the same. So, you know, we've been using that sort of theory with a bit of our training as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. That's really good to hear that it's so much sort of depth to choose from because I feel like often clubs kind of get to the point in the season where they're thinking about going overseas and uh they kind of after trials and some people want to take some time off, or whatever happens, you know, people first year out of school, then head off to the US, or you know, all the rest of it, you kind of dwindle down and then you're left with putting an eight together rather than chopping down to find to find who's going to be in the eight. So that that's sort of really good to hear, and off the back of uh a pretty good season for Merckx. Um that kind of leads me on to the next thing. We kind of mentioned the Prince Philip briefly there. How like um Henley's kind of been a little bit of a recruitment tool and helped really sort of bolster some numbers in the club this year, hasn't it? You know, sort of run me through how kind of valuable these trips have been.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it's been a really good recruitment tool for the club. And the goal this year was to send another junior boat, but unfortunately didn't quite line up well with the uh sort of rule change where you have to race for your club during the season to qualify. Um so we just didn't quite have the depth and numbers to put together a Prince Elizabeth or a Prince Philip or a or a quad. So like in Melbourne, obviously a lot more sweeping going on than sculling, so that sort of limits it limits us a little bit as well. But a lot of the girls from the Prince Philip last year, you know, I don't think any of them went to our rival club. Um and you know, so if they have continued rowing, they have come to Merck's and you know they've ended up in the youth eight, uh in the winning winning youth um club youth eight as well. So, you know, it's been a really good recruitment tool, and I think a lot of the youthies on the boys' side, after seeing the girls go to Henley, thought, yeah, like you know, we can come down, we can go to Henley as well, and you know, fair few of them are this year. So I think it's been really important, and Merckx is in a sort of unique position where you know, we're the only high performance club on Boathouse Drive that can actually, you know, enter in all the events as low as the club events. So I know Melbourne Uni are in a bit of position this year where they want to where they're taking their Coxed 4, and you know, I think I believe they're racing the student Coxed 4. So, you know, unfortunately they can't race the Brit, but whereas we we've got the unique ability to race the wife of Brit and Thames without having to step up to that university level.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, it's uh I mean it's very similar to and Sydney Run Club's done it for ages, and it's been a great recruitment tool and and very uh very attractive for them, and it's it's drawn people from overseas and all the rest of it as well. And um, so it's great to see another Australian club sort of following suit, and you know, maybe we see Canned following on doing that in in sort of subsequent years as they sort of continue to grow. Um in saying that, sending a big squad over there every year is uh a big commitment, and especially with uh the way the world looks at the moment, everything's pretty expensive. I'm pretty lucky I booked my flights right before the war uh broke out. So I'm all good back to Singapore. Um yeah, I've spoken to clubs who have said that the you know the the tour's costing them well over a hundred thousand dollars. Um how's the kind of support and fundraising process and that sort of side of things been for you guys?
SPEAKER_02Um so yeah, we're we're the same. I sort of I had a look at our our total bill the other day got sent to me as a uh committee member, and yeah, ours is over a hundred thousand as well for the 22 of us to go. Um so you know, obviously fundraising, we do an annual cocktail party every year, and that is you know, has a silent auction, live auction, um, which is the major contributor to our fundraising. Um so we had that just on Saturday, and you know, it was a really, really good event, really good turnout, and you know, really appreciative of everyone who came because it has actually really made a big difference to our fundraising. Um, especially in the last with two weeks till we leave, it was looking a little bit dire that we were going to be forking out a fair amount each. But um, you know, we put put together a good event and you know we we've knocked a fair amount off our total expense there. Um but otherwise we're fundraising through an Australian Sports Foundation page where people can make tax-deductible donations. Um so the club's helped us out there with their page there. Um otherwise, we're just trying to do anything that will bring in a little bit of cash here and there because every small amount makes a difference, especially with most of us being university students or you know, not quite finished our degrees or having full-time jobs just yet whilst we're training uh in you know such big weeks of training at the moment.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's it's a very different proposition, I think, for a lot of these Australian crews. Not only the travel and everything, obviously that makes it a whole lot more expensive, but I think most of the club events are in in terms of the UK sort of people, it's it's populated by people who are working, who have finished uni and are and are working full-time and kind of support themselves. So not only is it cheaper, they're kind of set up a little bit more better to support themselves when you're at uni and you're trying to train as much as possible and study. It's uh a little bit more difficult, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, absolutely. And I suppose for us the it's a little bit fortunate the way the national season lines up, where you know you sort of and then week three or four when nationals is on, but that is also uh a downside because th week three and four is sort of when the assignments and assessments start coming in, and it you lose a week there, and you're then you're catching it up, and then you know, I think a few people have got exams like within the week that we leave or the week after we leave, so they're all sorting those out, and yeah, it just adds a little bit of stress that isn't required, but um, you know, we we're making it work, and yeah, it it that couple weeks after nationals is hard to get back to in the uh rhythm of it all.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it certainly is. And at least you don't have school kids doing school exams right before you leave, because I know that's limited some uh racing opportunities for for some of the other clubs who are heading over. Um speaking of which, you're all all three crews heading over to Hollandbecker. Um, how how'd that decision sort of come about versus say go to Marlowe regatta against all the British clubs or or Henley Women's Regatta for the Girls Eight?
SPEAKER_02Uh I think it the decision came from discussions between uh Tom Courtney, our high performance director, and uh Scott Rowe, who's our head coach. Um they really wanted to put us in a high performance environment with that six-lane racing on the Bozban. Um, you know, Scott's coaching the Australia A team this year, so you know they're going to Holenbecker, and so that sort of lines up well. But that the decision was made before then, anyway. Um, but just the standard of the regatta gives us a really good opportunity to race some really good uh competition, and you know, they've called that the high performance leg of the tour. Um, so really taking our training and results through the year to that really high, almost under-23 level, where we can really challenge ourselves and you know set those people up who are looking for under 23 selection over the next couple of years and even senior A selection. Um, you know, really give them that opportunity to see what the standard is like. Uh so that's sort of the main decision there. With there was plans to race small boats as well, but we unfortunately didn't get our hands on any boats, um, any pairs. So we uh we're just doing the four on both days, and the eights will do the eight on Saturday and the four on the Sunday.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and hopefully it uh it means that uh you can set some ridiculously fast times and scare all the Brits with the uh lovely wind, and it's it's got like a weird swirly current, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_02On the Boz Barn, whatever it is, the magic there that uh Yeah, yeah, something magical about it during some some fast times. So yeah, uh looking forward to uh taking what we've done in Australia and implementing over there because yeah, from as far as I'm aware, it yeah, spits you spits you down the course pretty quickly. So hopefully we uh don't get any uh headwinds because it would be nice to do some flying times there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, you know, Australian crews haven't really had the chance to do any quick times uh at any point really this year.
SPEAKER_02So no, it's been a bit windy, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We don't need to dwell on Lake Barrington. That's okay. No, no, no. Yeah. But um uh I will as well just ask quickly, we kind of mentioned it off air there. Uh are you guys taking any reserves over or anything like that? Because I know um at my experience ages ago being with Sydney, they never used to send a reserve over, and then I think the first year they did, someone got covert, so it ended up being uh a pretty stunned decision.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, um we're not officially uh taking any reserves. There are people who I suppose have been unofficially named as reserves um that will be in Henley during the week, um on their own own decision as well. Um but yeah, no no official reserves travelling with us that they're more going to spectate than be there, but they can they can't jump in if if required, I suppose.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, hopefully it's just not something that happens late in the week because they probably won't be fit for it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, especially like especially with the boys, I guess we can sort of field our own reserves between the two boats. So that that kind of works out alright as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, and then so we kind of mentioned times and things there, and and and you guys have been um you know training on out at Carom and on cold, flowy water and all the rest of it, and we haven't really had a chance to do any any quick times at any point throughout the season. Um it's pretty tough heading over there kind of straight into the the peak of racing season and into the unknown. What are the kind of are there any kind of goals or expectations or anything you setting about how far you want to get through the regatta for for each of those crews? And how how are you guys sort of sort of managing that side of things?
SPEAKER_02Um I think the the club sort of sets a standard that they'll send a crew if they think it can make the weekend, so through to semi-finals on the on the Saturday. Uh that's the sort of the minimum benchmark. You know, our four is you know, we've been we know we're gonna be up against it as some of those smaller bodies um in that sort of headstream and possibly windy conditions, but you know, we're setting our sights quite deep into the week, and we really want to have a good crack at you know, pushing some of those bigger, stronger crews. And you know, the training has all been aimed towards that. We sort of know the benchmark speed and it's chasing that speed every every time we get out on the water, and especially you know, the last couple weeks we've done a lot of open rate flat out 2Ks as a part of our you know, as I mentioned earlier, our generic 4x2k session down at Caram or or as we like to call it God's country. Um but yeah, it's it's definitely something we'd really like to go a long way, and you know, a lot of us uh all of us have put in a lot of work to try and make it as far as we can.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, certainly uh don't travel halfway around the world uh to uh w without uh lofty expectations and and with the goal of at least getting a few races under your belt. So I'm hoping uh we can see as many crews, many Australian crews as possible through to the pointy end of racing. I think that just about does us uh for today, Jordan. Thank you for joining us, and uh I'll uh see you on the deck of Leander Club for a PIMS at the end of the week, hopefully.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, we can lock that one in for uh a Sunday, hopefully.
SPEAKER_03Well that wraps up our two very special episodes ahead of Henley Royal Regatta. If you've made it all the way through to the end and listened the whole way through, thank you so much for listening. We won't be posting regular updates in this podcast feed throughout the event, but if you do want to hear more from me and let's face it, my much more knowledgeable British counterparts throughout Henley, make sure you check out the End of the Island podcast wherever you listen, or JRN.news online and on Instagram for all the latest throughout the event. Make sure to give us a follow wherever you listen and leave a five star rating if you can, and we'll see you next time on Rowing Down Under.
