College rowers in April and May
It’s worth noting that whilst some crews are ex-school rowers with plenty of experience many have never rowed before and will be getting a crash course in sweep rowing before competing in that first regatta in two weeks.
This year RRC has leased the Schouten Family and the Jennifer Campbell out to the college crews exclusively along with the timber veneer Croker oars. These boats have now been blocked out for booking until after the 6th of May. We will also loan the Ambush on an ad-hoc basis until that crew’s boat is available at MUBC next week.
The college crews predominantly train weekday mornings but I suspect they’ll be trying to get a few extra sessions in over the weekend and through to ANZAC day now the enforced Easter break is over. Those using RRC boats have been reminded to use the log book but even RRC’s experienced members forget sometimes so check the boats are all on the racks before you lock the RRC shed up.
More information on the intercollegiate various sports including rowing can be found here:
http://www.sport.unimelb.edu.
The girls from the Victorian Pathway Team eight have also been boating out of the MLC shed over the last week and will be attending Time trials over the next few days in Penrith. RRC wish them luck.
http://www.rowingvictoria.asn.
Quiz Night Fundraising Success
For those of you not on Facebook you may have missed this comprehensive write up of Saturdays great fundraising quiz night success and I didn’t want anyone to miss out, so find it copied below. Along with this chronical came the daily trivia teasers leading up to the event and all the behind the scenes efforts to make the night a triumph and I wanted to offer my personal thanks to everyone who contributed to keeping the annual RRC fundraiser a fun night not to be missed. Look out for news here on how the funds will be spent to directly benefit the members of the club.
“I lost my virginity again on Saturday night, hosting my first ever trivia night. And even before I got to the first question, we lost the answer sheets and the table round questions (quotable quotes). I swore, as I do in these situations, walked around the room a few times until Dave appeared with a ream of paper. Crisis averted.
It was a nervous start: rules were read and rehearsed jokes fell flat. The warm up served it purpose, pin pointing the location of the drinkers, and those not on facebook. It was a bit long winded and the punters were starting to get restless, they just wanted the trivia.
Round one, Arts and Entertainment. I was told the night before the questions were too easy. After only a few questions, it was obvious this may not be the case. However, by the middle of the round, most teams looked to be answering questions. I relaxed, and we started to hit the groove. That was until I read out the answers at the end of the round.
Question eight, the hecklers started; the team not on facebook (known herein as the minority) . Yes, I stuffed up, most first timers do. They questioned, I defended, they questioned back (with interest), I conceded, they offered to Google, I conceded again, they muttered words and shook heads. Question retracted. They were hear to play.
The highlight was the round was the karaoke. Three great renditions of Valarie, Throw your arms around me and Life on Mars. I was impressed, and so were the punters. Bonus points awarded to the brave.
We broke for the Auction. Derek kicked off the first round superbly, raising over $1K with the five items on offer. Things were looking up.
Round two, Melbourne. After a fairly even first round, teams would falter on their knowledge of Melbourne. If only they were tourists, trawling for background on the city they would soon visit, they would have nailed every question.
The minority skipped away with a solid round. Despite their lead, they continued to heckle and question. Yes, Archer did win the cup twice, but he won the first in 1861 not 1862. If I wanted the year the second Melbourne Cup was run, I would have asked for it.
I hand the keys over the Derek and head to the bar to buy a beer.
Derek took to the floor for round two of the auction. The prizes were bigger this round and so were the bids. The big one was the hall hire. It went for $950. The clubs jewel in the crown became the five bedroom weekender, and as the bids increased, the committee collectively smiled.
Round three, general ignorance. A not so flattering photo of Trump brought a chuckle among the crowd. Several drinks into the night, the crowd was starting to catch up with the lads at the back of the room.
The questions were bastards. The type that sit on the tip of the tongue but you can never spit them them out. What is Donald Trumps personal twitter handle? Where was the Titanic built? Right royal bastards.
The answers were read out, fists pumped and cries of anguish were heard as each way bets proved the difference between right and wrong. The elephant in the room arrived during this round on the back of the Grand Old Party. Two out of seven teams walked away with the bonus points.
The minority were at it again. Neptune is a gaseous planet not terrestrial, according to NASA, and I am guessing they know a bit about these sorts of things. And by the way, when the question asks for four planets, don’t list six to cover all options. Oh dear, the quiz master is having difficulty in adding up their scores correctly. I have always been bad with numbers.
Round three of the Auction and Derek is working the room raising more than he should on items lost on their owners. This is what the auction is all about. By the end of the round he will have raised over $4K for the club. A great nights work.
Round four, sporting glory. The final round starts with a slide of the Australian mens heavy weight four catching a massive crab mid race at Lucerne. We are all human after all.
It’s a fun round with most teams fairing well. However, some responses left me feeling that sporting knowledge is not on the agenda for some people. Perhaps they have given up, and their intention was to make me laugh. It certainly worked. There is no question that Gough Whitlem was a remarkable person, however, I am not sure he managed to kick the goal that put Australia into the 2006 World Cup.
The final answers are given, and for the first time of the night, the minority remain silent.
Dave runs the sit down game and we raise a bit more cash for the club. We complete the night by announcing the minority as the winners by a slender margin of two points. They come forth to claim their prize, winning the tiger and refusing to accept it’s birth certificate. It remains behind the bar.
It’s been a good night for the club. We have raised over $6K for new equipment which helps keep members in new boats and in the medals.
If the truth be told we were all virgins tonight. It’s was also Derek’s fist time as an auctioneer and Dave’s organising the event. Following on from the master Justin was going to be tough, but I think we did alright.
See you all next year.”
Simon Crunden
The time is near for new year…
Celebrate New Years Eve with great friends and unrivalled views of the city’s midnight fireworks from our very own clubhouse deck.
We will be opening the doors and the bar of the boathouse at 8pm on NYE to ring in 2017.
Tickets are just $40 for members and $50 for non members with all proceeds going directly to the clubs fundraising goal of new gym equipment. Tickets are on sale now so purchase them before you miss out!
Fundraising success = Brand New Boat
You may recall thanks to our super fundraising efforts of last season the club was able to purchase a brand new stern coxed racing 4+/4x+ and I am pleased to announce that it is finally on its way in a shipping container somewhere between China and Australia. This boat was specifically aimed for to help fill a gap in our fleet to assist coaching from the coxing seat particularly for our development squad. This item highlights the vital role of a cox to a crew and it is with this thought in mind that we could not think of a better person to honour when choosing the name of this boat than cox and coach extraordinaire at RRC, Derek Begg.
Derek Begg stepped down from the committee at the end of last season after serving 12 years in various roles including that of Secretary, Head of Rowing, Head of Club Development and general member. His time and effort during this period can not be underestimated and we all greatly appreciate all his hardwork, time and dedication to the club. His vital contributions have been critical to both on the water successes and behind the scenes in terms of coordinating lease negotiations and much more. Aside from his service to the club as a volunteer on the committee he has also probably coxed every member we have at some point and I personally have great memories of victories and achievements obtained in crews he has coxed and coached. For this reason the committee was unanimous in deciding that he was a very well deserved recipient of this honour.
The hope is that we can celebrate Derek’s great contributions to the club with the naming of this boat at our Christmas celebrations on Sunday 11th December (assuming delivery of the boat occurs as expected). Confirmation of the details of this day is to come so keep an eye out and make sure you reserve the day for some festive club races, bbq and fun. We would love to see as many people as possible old and new, friends and family at the club to celebrate this event and the upcoming Christmas holidays.
Toughest row in Australia – and we did it!
Mildura Airport has many wonderful features. An expansive, comfortable departure lounge offering stunning runway views, a wide range of fine dining establishments serving quality deep fried fare, and the finest set of boarding stairs to be offered by a North West Victorian regional airport. Sadly, I do have one slight criticism, and it is slight, but I found the lack of an aeroplane to be a little disappointing.
This blog post is a collective effort, compiled by bored and fatigued Richmond rowers (and one Argonaut) anxiously awaiting the arrival of their continuously delayed flight back to Melbourne. In truth the president had a captive pool of potential blog posters imprisoned for the next two hours and we were all too scared to refuse her ‘request’. Ho hum, it passes the time I suppose.
Anyway, in case you haven’t twigged by now, a contingent of RRC have been in Wentworth this weekend taking on the challenge of the Royal Flying Doctor’s 25th Rowathon, and what a challenge it was! Sadly, due to strong currents on the Murray river, this year’s event was constrained to the Darling, but the surrounding scenery was wonderful nonetheless, with almost perfect conditions allowing us to appreciate it. In total we fielded four boats <cough>and even brought a spare<cough>, all coxed quads. The full course comprised two return trips to the (now) famous Bob Hill’s farm, a 20km slog each way. As such rowers were able to nominate their target total distance, either 20km, 40km, 60km or the full 80km. RRC crews opted for a variety, with myself picking off the first and third stages for a total of 40km of rowing. The next bit I can only really describe from my own perspective….
The departure was early. Bacon and eggs were served in the dark, and with first light the boats of nervous rowers began to deploy onto the Darling. Once comfortably on water my crew spotted the cunning practical joke I had set for them. Whilst Alan did debate the possible consequences of rowing 20km with our seats on backwards, the crew eventually decided it would be wise to invest the time to refit them, for the sake of our posteriors. And with the onlookers thoroughly convinced of our professionalism we pulled away from the start, mind half drifting to the pain which lay ahead. Moments later, without anyone having spoken a word, Laurent our coxswain cheerfully declared we had just put 4km behind us. “Really?”, “Lies!’ sounded the crew, but Laurent protested his integrity, and apparently it was true! Things were going much faster than we had anticipated. Perhaps it was the lack of Yarra landmarks? Perhaps it was the current? Regardless, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all? With some “pushes for 10” the next 16km slipped under the hull pretty smoothly and we pulled across the line after a pleasing 1hr35mins on water. Greeting us were the worlds finest scones laced with jam and cream, a smiling Shern and Nic providing a dry change of clothes, and three burrowing chickens that nobody but myself seemed particularly interested in.
All change at this point, with crews swapping out rowers for the return run, whilst those of us not rowing hitched a lift back to Wentworth on the bus. Well I say all change. Some things today would remain impressively constant. Four of the intrepid Richmond women, Sophie, Michelle, Ainsley and Karen, had decided they were going the full distance. Seeing them climb back into the boat after a thoroughly inadequate recovery period I was both full of sympathy and admiration. They rowed off strong with smiles and determination, I settled into my soft, comfortable bus seat to contemplate the next leg. But first lunch.
As is now the tradition Wentworth laid out a wonderful spread for lunch, and whilst munching on our salad sandwiches we were able to give the returning crews some triumphant cheers as they pulled across the line.
By 12:30 it was all back on. I was back in the boat again, this time with Sarah F, Stef & Alan ahead of me, with Dennis H positioned in the coxswain seat. As we got underway Dennis allowed us a moment of relaxation, directing our attention towards a fluffy line of signets tailgating their mother. “Aww…now heads back in the boat, you’ve got 20kms ahead of you!”. And so we pushed on again, a little hotter and a lot more worn down. The distance seemingly took longer to cover this time, but as we entered the last 5km Dennis found his racing spirit. The battle-hardened girls had snuck up onto our tail and Dennis was determined to hold the racing line whilst we could. Successive pushes kept our heads firmly in the boat and the boat speed up. Eventually Kathy (coxing the womens quad) found an opportunity to push past and the chase lessened, but it was great fun whilst it lasted!
Soon we pulled back over the line again with, what I must say, felt like a tidy finish, thanks to some inspiring words from our cox. And that was my days rowing over. A quick bite of cake and we were once again seeing off the returning crews. The womens quad looked tired but never more determined.
On the way back to Wentworth I kindly declined the bus drivers offer to visit the River Lock and Fish Ladder (what?!), instead choosing to soak up a bit of late afternoon sunshine on the grass. There wasn’t much time to relax however, as weary crews soon began to appear. One by one we cheered the triumphant crews and, if we’re honest, adding a little more gusto for the Richmond boats. Everybody looked exhausted but proud to have achieved their lofty goals. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly seeing the Richmond Women’s quad pull across the line for the final time, home at last, having put an amazing 80km under their belts over the day. Well done ladies, outstanding effort!
During the evening’s frivolities (apparently a little too frivolous for some officials!) it was announced that the event had raised a whopping total estimating to be approx $40,000 for the great work of the Royal Flying Doctor’s, with $4480 of that coming from sponsorship of Richmond rowers and extra through the skillful bidding of some RRC members at the fundraising auction. Well done guys!
The whole event took an epic amount of organisation, with 34 RRC rowers competing and various extra support crew helping out. Thanks must go to everyone who contributed with organising boats (including a boat loan from Latrobe University Rowing club), co-ordinating trailering with Hawthorn and Melbourne Rowing clubs, finding us some accommodation and generally ensuring we were all where we needed to be when and with the right stuff – never an easy task. Good job all!
Matt Ebbatson
Season 2016-17
The AGM on Saturday 30th July saw the official completion of the 2015-16 season. I thank all those who attended the event and acknowledged the work of the committee over the past year. We were able to present very healthy financial statements for the association and a thorough report on the activities of the year (can be downloaded at the bottom of this blog).
I was very pleased to be able to announce due to the success of our fundraising efforts of the past year we have placed an order for a new stern coxed four/quad for the club which will be a great benefit to the club particularly to assist in our Development squad coaching where it is not always possible to have a coach on the bank as well as a cox in the boat. With a grand total of $23,500 from fundraising we also had some extra cash to invest in a new set of mens quad sculling oars and two new model ergos to replace our oldest ones. With our fundraising coordinator of this year, Cat Bower, stepping down from the committee as she begins to build her family we can thank her for her amazing work this year.
We also saw two further members of our committee step down and they will be both be sorely missed. Derek Begg has served on the committee for 12 years in the roles of Secretary, Head of Rowing, Head of Club Development and general member. His time and effort during this period should not be underestimated and we appreciate all his hardwork. Similarly, Vikki Brennan has fulfilled the role of general member and Treasurer whilst serving on the committee for the past four years and has invested much time in ensuring we are in the good financial position we are in today. I thank all our committee and members who have contributed to the club for the past year.
The new committee for the 2016-17 season was formed consisting of:
President – Karen Doggett
Vice-President – Geraldine Goss
Secretary – Shern Timmins
Treasurer – Kathy Macrow
Captain of Boats – Barry Campbell
Head of Rowing – Tim Evans
Facilities Coordinator – Lucy Crunden
Two ordinary members – Jon Roberts, Nic Forte
Fundraising Coordinator – vacant
Following the conclusion of the AGM we celebrated the newest addition to our fleet, the Remigando Fortis (Rowing Strong), our secondhand Sykes double/pair, with our National Masters winning single sculler, Michelle Joy, stepping up to the boat with a trusted hammer to perform the official naming. Thanks to everyone who then helped out with the bbq and bar as we celebrated the end of one season and the start of the next.
Living on the Edge….of our Fundraising Goal!
I know a number of you have been eager to know how much was raised by the quiz night a few weeks ago. Well the cash has been counted and debts are being called in and we’re pleased to announce that the quiz night has raised a whopping $8.9K for the club. Well done to everybody who was involved in making the night so successful and lots of fun by all accounts!
That brings us ever closer to our total for this year which we are looking to put toward the purchase of a new stern coxed racing 4+ / 4x+. So far our fundraising total sits around the $17.5K mark with some key events, bar openings and other donations still to be included – so we’re well on the way to achieving what was set out at the start of the year.
Don’t forget to buy your tickets and purchase lots of drinks / have a great time celebrating the successes of 2015/16 season at Presentation night on 28th May.
Also we still need volunteers for the Bunnings Sausage Sizzle being held on Sunday 5th June – Please contact Shern Timmins on [email protected] if you can help!
Lastly as we approach the end of financial year if anybody would like to make a donation to the club through our fundraising partnership with the Australian Sports Foundation, donations to our equipment fund are tax deductible and can be done simply via https://asf.org.au/project/rrc-fleet-renewal-appeal/
Thanks and look forward to telling you all the good news about how much we’ve raised this year at the AGM in July!
Cat B
A new tiger on an old stage
Preparation of the quiz this year took on a new twist, we needed a new trophy. To answer the multiple inquiries (some from overseas) Wiki the wombat had mistakenly been given to a toddler and only the most ruthless of rowers (who I won’t name) advocated snatching him back. So I toured various shops to be confronted by an array of soft toys that you would only give to children if you wanted to scare them or to girlfriends that you were secretly hoping they’d would break it off. But there he was, as white as the Siberian snow that white tigers aren’t actually found on (they come from India), Richie the Tiger.
While I was doing this Cat and Shern were doing the real work, Cat getting the auction items together, Shern organising the attendees. Four days prior to the event Shern came up with one of the most relevant questions ever asked in connection with an RRC quiz “Has anyone stocked the bar?” And no auction is complete without a brochure, Lindsey is to be thanked for that. The artistic talent of Ainsley not only produced our publicity poster but two excellent auction items
On the day of the quiz I was greeted at RRC by some of our male rowers (could a collective noun be a “Rip”?) ready to help with the set up. Melbourne RC generously agreed to lend us their tables but it takes a little muscle to move them. Katalin helped with the decorations before starting her duties at the bar, she had already had a moderating influence on the quiz questions. For those wondering why the quizzes have got a little easier in recent years…mystery solved.
And so it began, with 98 people attending, from a wide cross section of age groups and club longevity. The first round was well negotiated by all teams with some earning a bonus point for getting all questions right, while Stef and Kathy made sure the bar wasn’t overwhelmed by the early rush. This was followed by Simon taking the microphone (a technological leap for him) and taking us through the auction as he has done for many years now. The second round on “All things American” proved to be a good round for teams to play their joker, the “General Knowledge” less so, but this brought us to the “Sit down” game and several revelations. At least one rower admitted to admiring themselves in the mirror while wearing a zootie, several had used the internet to ‘check-the-ex’ and there was a small sympathy vote for a couple of our members for who I cruelly inserted the statement “Sit down if you think x is hot.”
Dissent was limited to one person who was infuriated by my non acceptance of “Kresh” instead of “Crash” for a collective of Rhinos, apparently something was lost in translation within that team. I have rarely seen such anger in someone I’m not related too, but I found it funny. In the final round Michael G performed two songs “Spicks and Specks” style using the American constitution for the words. His rendition of “Big Yellow Taxi” was guessed by most teams but his cover of “Titanium” won’t be going platinum. The “Pulp Fiction script” was read by Ally and Sarah R who did a good impression of two gangsters from south central…Dublin? JL and Sarah H read ‘Thelma and Louise, putting in a good southern drawl. When approached about the role Sarah stated “I’m not much of an actress!” she has since been followed by paparazzi and linked to Ryan Reynolds.
Carolyn took out the prize of best dressed American, coming as the walking juxtaposition that is heiress and former terrorist Patty Heart, but in the final analysis the big prize went to a crew that came home by at least a boat length. It was nice to see a team containing long standing supporters of the event such, Sally, Karen, Edith, Leonie and Michelle finally winning, perhaps they will defend their title under the name “The STEM femmes”? I am certainly glad that they didn’t allocate Richie to Edith’s children or Michelle’s dog.
Next year will be the tenth year I’ve been involved in this night and consequently the theme will be “Retro”. I continue to be involved in this event because I honestly think it shows the club at its best; I‘ve only been able to mention a small number of the people that attended, helped out and donated auction prizes. Whether I’ve mentioned you or not, please accept my thanks. I look forward to seeing you all (and Richie) next year.
Justin
Upcoming Fundraiser
Hi Tigers,
Well done to all those who competed at States on the weekend! Now it’s onto Masters season as well as the start of a number of upcoming social and fundraising events. Coming around quickly is our annual Quiz night being held on Saturday 2nd April, Tickets for this are available at $25 and are available via money transfer to the club (click “Quiz Night” link for details).
Thanks to all of you who have come forward with an Auction item for donation to date, however I’m on the hunt for a few more if possible. For those not familiar with the format we usually have a live auction in between quiz rounds and a silent auction running in the background. It’s our major fundraiser of the year and every little thing can help. I’m looking to lock down our auction items by Friday 18th March so we can prepare for the night. Continue reading “Upcoming Fundraiser”