This Saturday (28th April 2012) is our end of Season Rowing Presentation Dinner at the Adelaide Riviera, 31-34 North Terrace from 6.30pm. I hope to see all of you there. It’s a great night where we get to acknowledge all the hard work the rowers have put in this past year.
Winter Training Starts This Week
Years 9 and 11 rowers will train Monday and Thursday afternoons 3.30pm till 5.30pm at the Torrens.
- Mondays: Boys will row (with a mix of ages, coaches and boats) and girls will do fitness
- Thursdays: Girls will row (with a mix of ages, coaches and boats) and boys will do fitness.
Year 8 students are still asked to come down to row, either Mondays for boys or Thursdays for girls (if they wish to come down twice a week that is great!).
Students need to train with sneakers, appropriate training clothes, water bottles, hats, warm clothes for before and after training and of course the compulsory great attitude.
Fitness sessions will change each week and may include the following:
- Running
- Ergos (Rowing Machine)
- Stairs
- Games
- Relays
- Information sessions
- Groups/team work
- Riding
Younger students will get a chance to row with older students and older students will get a chance to help the younger students learn some of the finer details about rowing.
For older students, it’s important to get involved – it’s a great community service based activity for you! And for the Year 8s, you can learn a lot from the older students – you’ll get to see how much hard work is needed to be successful.
We also have two new young coaches for this coming season. Hayley Mannix and Gianluca Pompili, who are great young rowers themselves, will be helping us out teaching all that they know to the new rowers joining us this year.
If the weather is terrible (which can happen over winter) we will try to train indoors at the Torrens Shed
If the weather is even worse than terrible there will be a notice placed on the rowing board (opposite the staff room) at school, a text will be sent, as well as an email, notifying everyone that training has been cancelled.
Over winter we will be looking to increase our numbers, so students are strongly encouraged to bring a friend to training to ‘have a go’ and see if they like it. New students simply need to get a rowing consent form from Student Services at school and get mum or dad to fill it in prior to coming.
With more rowers our club will grow in strength and ability and be more sustainable for the future.
Melbourne / MacRob Exchange
The Melbourne / MacRob Exchange happens over winter and we want our rowing crews to be the victors of their races both in Adelaide and Melbourne. Alex Plisko will be coaching the Senior Boys Four and Christian Newland will be coaching the Senior Girls Four. Please let me know ASAP if you wish to be considered for these two boats.
Rowing Camp
Our rowing camp takes place in the last two weeks of Term 3 and we are heading off to Mannam for a fun-filled learning experience. We are looking for parents to help with cooking, boat driving and all-round support. Please let me know if you are able to assist
Friends of the Rowers Committee
Our Friends of the Rowers Committee (Parents Group) have done an amazing job last season; fundraising, putting events on, baking, setting up and putting away of tents, tables, boats, etc. I would personally like to thank every single person who helped not only myself out, but all the rowers, coaches and families. Adelaide High School has one of the strongest parent groups out of all the rowing schools – thank you.
Thank you to the Pompili family who have worked so hard for our program during the last 5 years, particularly with rowing camps and regattas. You will be sorely missed. Ian Mannix, the Chairman of the Friends of Rowers, has been a never-ending source of encouragement, determination and dedication for the club. Ian has been instrumental, during his four terms as Chairman, to the continuing growth and success of the club. He has endured the good and the bad and the program is better because of his involvement. Ian is inspirational in his passion, drive and hard work and Adelaide High School rowing program has been very lucky to have him involved. With his departure though, we give a warm welcome to Mike Canty who has bravely filled Ian’s role as Chairman of Friends of the Rowers. Thank you Ian, and welcome aboard Mike!
I look forward to seeing many new faces at the next Friends of the Rowers committee meeting, at the Torrens shed, 6.30pm, May 1st. If you can be involved in any capacity please come along or call Mike Canty on 0418 841 432. FoR would love to know your view and have your support; if you can drive boat trailers, fix bikes, offer your help on camp, at regattas or fundraisers, or assist in any way big or small, we can use your support . At the end of the day, it improves the experience for the students so get involved if you can!
Winter is a time for our rowers to increase both fitness and skills. During Term 2 the students are strongly encouraged to get involved in a winter sport and also do fitness at home. Running, riding, swimming, yoga, dance, whatever they enjoy. Please help encourage any behaviour that will result in fitter, happier, stronger rowers for next season (we all need encouragement sometimes, especially with the winter weather approaching).
Finally I would like to thank everyone for their great support over last season; I wish I could thank each of you in person, however rest assured that I appreciate your contribution, however big or small. Let’s get behind these hard working, dedicated, passionate, independently thinking, resilient and wonderful rowers and get a great winter training program happening so that we can blow everyone away next season.
Maja Fiddler
Head Rowing Coach and Coordinator
Maja.fiddler@adelaidehs.sa.edu.au