March 2009

Ryde Rowing Club

Newsletter

www.ryderowingclub.co.uk

The Clubhouse, Appley Park, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 1ND Telephone: 01983 562127

News for Members and Friends of Ryde Rowing Club

The General Committee has agreed, for the fourth consecutive year, that there will be no increase in subscriptions for 2009. Current rates of subscription, if paid before 1st May, 2009 when the prompt payment discount ends are as follows (full rate after 1^st May in brackets):- Rowing - �70 (�100); Social Rowing - �40 (�50); Country - �40 (�50); Cadet (under 18) - �40 (�50); Cadet (under 16) - �15 (�25); Associate - �12; Non-rowing cadet - �5. Payment can be made to the Duty Bar person at the Clubhouse, or sent to the Membership Secretary, Don Hickman, 145, Great Preston Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight. PO33 1AZ. Cheques should be made payable to "Ryde Rowing Club". It will be of great assistance to the Club if your subscriptions can be paid promptly - after 1st May the prompt payment discount ends and the increased rate of subscription will apply.

55th Scullers Head of the River Race - Four of Ryde's Senior Scullers competed in the 55th Scullers Head of the River race on Saturday, 6th December, which is a processional race for single sculls over the 4.25 mile championship course from Mortlake to Putney. First sculled in 1954, this year's race involved over 400 Scullers and attracted entries from all over the United Kingdom and the world, with standards ranging from internationals to novices.

Three of Ryde's Scullers competed in the Veteran C Category, the best result coming from Mike Jenner, who finished 7th in this category, 161st overall, in a time of 22 minutes, 23 seconds. Nick Pike finished a further 5 places down in 12th place, 179th overall with a time of 22 minutes 56, seconds and Russell Page, returning to competitive sculling for the first time for a number of years, finished in 17th place in this category, 302nd overall - of four hundred and thirty-three starters. Ian Hayden, competing in the Veteran B category, finished in a time of 22 minutes, 50 seconds - 12th in his category and 179th overall.

The Club started its preparations for the 2009 Season competing, with some success, at the Thames Valley Trial Head on, 25th January, held at the 2012 Olympic Regatta venue at Dorney Lake, Eton. The Ryde crews and scullers competed in the 2nd and 3rd divisions and although only a trial event the Club was very encouraged by the results achieved � with wins in the Men�s Senior C Single sculls, the Men�s Coastal double, the Men�s Open Coastal Single Sculls, the Men�s Veteran C Single sculls and a Veteran C Coxless Quad - along with some good performance from a new Men�s Novice Four and their J15 Girls and J13 Boys Coxed Quads.

The Club had planned to compete at the Burway Head of the River on 10th February - but the event was cancelled because the Thames was unsafe however they are planning to compete in a number of head races in March and April which will be reported on in the next issue.

As reported in the last News Bulletin a crew from the Club, have now completed a Charity Cross Channel Row - believed to be the first time a crew from Ryde has achieved this feat.

The Club have a strong tradition of charitable fund raising and every year they have a nominated charity that they raise funds for. This year, because of the support they provided for a members child, the Club has selected the Naomi House Children's Hospice - who provide care and support through good days, difficult days and last days to children, young people and their families from the counties of Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Club had had already raised several hundred pounds for the Hospice at the Clubs Annual Dinner and their Regatta but for their main fund raising project they decided that a group Clubs Senior Oarsmen would attempt to row across the Channel from Dover to Calais - twenty miles of the busiest shipping route in the world. Obviously any attempt was going to be weather dependant and so the crew of - Chris Walker, Matt Bull, Lee Bennett and Ashley Maitland and Cox Penny Glazzard from Southampton Coalporters A. R. C - a very experienced Coxswain and senior oarswomen who would have been capable of taking over from one of the crew if the need had arisen - made their plans around a week long window of opportunity from Saturday, 27th September to Sunday, 5th October. The crew traveled to Dover on Friday, 26th October in preparation for the attempt along with support staff Sarah Morris and Coach Steve Bull who transported the Coastal Four the Club was going to use - and with thanks to Club sponsors Wightlink who provided free transport to get the boat off the Isle the Wight. Further support was provided by Dover Rowing Club who have a wealth of experience in cross channel rowing and the crew was accompanied by a qualified pilot which also acted as the safety boat.

The crew was unable to attempt the crossing on the first available day as although the north-easterly wind that had been blowing for the previous few days had begun to drop the pilot felt that it needed a further day for the swell to settle. So the Team met at Dover Rowing Club, in the harbour, at 6.30am on the Sunday (28th September) when the Pilot declared that he thought it was safe to make an attempt on the crossing.

Following safety checks and briefings the crew finally took to the water and started the crossing at 8.22am and duly completed the row in a very respectable three hours and 26 minutes arriving in Sangatte, just south of Calais at 11.48.

They Club have raised nearly �3,000 for the Naomi House Children's Hospice which was presented to them at an informal function at their Clubhouse on Friday, 7th November.

Ryde Rowing Club Regatta

The Clubs Annual Regatta, the first event on the Hants & Dorset ARA Championship calendar, takes place on Saturday 9th May 2009 starting subject to entry at approximately 10am. There will be racing over a 1900m course, with turn, for Coxed Fours, Coxless Pairs, Double Sculls and Single Sculls for Men and Women in the full range of statuses. Help is always needed - we need - People for all or part of the day on the Friday (8th May) to help set-up. The Sandwich bash will be early evening on the Friday. On Saturday (Regatta Day) we need help on the Bar and with serving of Refreshments, during the day and into the evening at the Regatta Disco. Help with Breakfasts is needed on Saturday and Sunday morning and on Sunday and Monday - help to clear up the mess & get the Clubhouse straight. Contacts are - Regatta Set Up/Clear Up - Steve Bull. on 566481. Breakfasts, Refreshments & the Sandwich bash - Josie Bull on 566481. Bar - Steph Hickman - on 613077 - or just turn up!

Sunday, 16th August. Hants & Dorset Championship and South Coast Selection row-offs if required. Dockhead, Southampton. 11.00am.**

Saturday, 5th September. South Coast Junior Regatta and South Coast South Coast Championships Regatta, Folkestone.

Ryde Rowing Club's, Wightlink sponsored, Junior Squad recently celebrated another successful season with a Christmas party at the Clubs's Appley Park Clubhouse. Guest of honour was the Clubs Henley Steward Charitable Trust Coach, Ann Richardson, appointed by the Sports National Governing Body - the Amateur Rowing Association to help the Club expand its Junior section and in recognition of the Clubs achievements. Anne helped the Clubs Rowing Captain, Graham Reeve present the Junior section awards as follows -

Ten of the Clubs Juniors attended the Wessex Region Junior Trials in Southampton at the beginning of March with Bryony Reeve gaining selection for the Junior Inter-regional team � and others going close even through most were competing above their age group and only attended to gain experience. Bryony will now attend the Wessex Region Training Camp at Bryanston School in Dorset at Easter where hopefully her place in the team for the National Junior Inter-Regional competition at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham at the end of April will be confirmed.

Ryde Rowing Clubs GB International Oarsman, Simon Jones, has announced his retirement from International Rowing after one of the most successful careers of any Island rower. Born on the Island in 1978 Simon began his rowing career at Ryde Rowing Club in 1994 winning his Novice Race that season and going on be a part of the crew that won the South Coast Coastal Junior Fours Championship title and were runners-up for Hants & Dorset ARA Coastal Junior Fours Championship in 1995. Moving on to University at Imperial College, London, he joined the rowing squad coached by the highly respected rowing coach - Bill Mason. In his second year at Imperial Simon moved into the senior squad and won the Temple Cup at Henley. In his final year, Simon was part of the GB U23 lightweight men's four which were placed 7th at the World Championships. That four went on in the same year to win the World Student Title in Poznan. In 2002 Simon was part of the GB lightweight men's eight which was 5th in Seville at the World Championships and he finished 4th in lightweight men's pair at the Eton World Cup in May 2005 and 5th in lightweight men's pair at the Munich World Cup in June 2005 before going onto the World Championships in Japan where the four were second in the B Finals. After a season plagued by injury in 2006 Simon reclaimed his place in the GB Lightweight Squad in 2007 going on to win a bronze medal in the lightweight quadruple scull at the 2007 World Rowing Championships. Simon raced in the lightweight quadruple scull at the 2008 Poznan World Cup finishing 3rd and his final international appearance came in the Senior World Rowing Championships in Linz, Austria in one of non-Olympic Boats - the men's Lightweight Quadruple sculls - but finished 3rd in their heat failing to gain a place in the final, a disappointing finish to an impressive international career. Simon now intends to travel for a year - before, in his words, "finally having to get a real job". Who knows, he may even be able to find the time to compete in Ryde colours once again.

The three Island Rowing Clubs - Newport, Ryde and Shanklin - recently staged the first ever Island based Return to Sport Course for Rowing. Sponsored by the IW Council Sports Unit it was the first time the three Clubs had worked together to stage a training course. The ten successful applicants were able to visit all three Island Clubs over the six week course and experience what each club had to offer. The final session, held at Ryde Rowing Club, involved some fun racing on the Canoe Lake, followed by the presentation of certificates to those who had completed the course.

A second course is being staged by the three Clubs this Spring - details of this and future courses are available from the IW Council Sports Unit.

The Club held their own Presentation Dinner on Saturday (22nd November) at Yelfs Hotel, Ryde, where the Club was founded in 1877 the Guest speaker, Olympic Gold Medal winning oarsman Kieran West congratulating the Club on its success, while proposing the toast to the Club, before helping the Rowing Captain Graham Reeve present the Club awards for 2008. Club Captain Pete Hewision, in proposing the toast to their guest, had thanked those that had supported the Club during the year including Kerry Jackson the Commercial Manager of Wightlink I.W. Ferries the Clubs main sponsors and Mike Ward of Ward House Financial Service, the main sponsors of the Club Regatta who attended as a guests of the Club

Seventeen members of Ryde Rowing Club attended for Hants & Dorset Amateur Rowing Association Presentation in Southampton on Saturday (15th November, 2008) where the Club was presented with the Associations Championship Trophies for the Men's Coastal Junior Fours and Men's Senior Coxless Pairs following a successful Coastal season.

The date for the 2009 Dinner is Saturday, 28th November - with Yelf�s Hotel as the provisional venue once again. Tickets are expected to sell quickly again this year and we hope to have another exciting speaker to join us.

There are still a few numbers available for just �12 per year. That�s only 25 pence a week and every month you will have two chances of winning plus again at Christmas. Proceeds have been used to sponsor rowers, assist with boat expenses, equipment and general refurbishments in the Club. Fish & Chip suppers with varied and interesting guest speakers are held at The Clubhouse throughout the winter. For membership details please contact Ian Lennie on 01983 612877

If you can spare a few hours every week or even every month, then Steph Hickman would love to hear from you to help cover the Bar at the Clubhouse. All functions are covered by volunteers of the Club and with Spring looming your help is needed!

Just a quick reminder to everyone � if you have an email address then please email myself at spannabee@hotmail.com or Steve Bull at stephencbull@googlemail.com . We spend lots of money every year on printing and postage costs and we are attempting to shrink this amount as much as possible. Thank you in advance for your help and don�t forget to email us to receive the next newsletter by email!

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