This edition:
• Tom Courtney provides a 6 month snapshot of the squads to date
• Ed Green outlines his ambitions for J16-18s
• Sporting Giants come to MBC!!
• Club Development Programme – update
• fOAR!!! MBC hits US headlines…..
• News & Events
SEE CLUB NOTICE BOARDS FOR MORE DETAILS
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
DO WE HAVE YOUR MOST RECENT EMAIL ADDRESS & CONTACT DETAILS?
LET US KNOW AT:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SQUAD ROWING UPDATE – Tom Courtney
Since the beginning of the season we have been steadily improving on numbers in the Men’s squad which is putting us in a good position for the early season head races. A second place at Peterborough Head for the Senior 1 men’s eight was a great indicator and we will be looking to field up to 8 men’s eights for the head of the River on 15th March. The Women’s head of the River took place on Saturday 2nd March and the 19th place achieved for the first 8 was an excellent result. The women's program needs more numbers to be regularly training, however those who are training are going well. The frustrations of not being able to train and race on the water over the winter months do not seem to have had a negative impact on the squads. So far we haven't been hit by the worst of winter so I've been able to handle it.....so far. There were a couple of cold February days, however it usually means fantastic days of blue sky which I dream of……………..
Those who are going for National selection are going well. The Caversham based squad - Hodge/ Solesbury/ James/ Fieldhouse are all going well as they lead up to Olympic Selection. We also have West/ Sbihi based at the club who are vying for the elusive Olympic Games spot. The next rung of athletes is slowly building up for U23 and University Games selection. It's also positive to see the amount of MBC members who are in the running for Blue Boat positions at both Cambridge and Oxford.
In the Junior ranks we are starting to see the benefits of good "winter" training and the focus on skill development which will be incorporated more and more into our development structure of our young athletes rather than purely results driven outcomes. The aim is to make the young kids enjoy the sport, learn new skills and be MBC members for their entire rowing career. Ed, Dickon and the band of volunteers have done a great job so far.
The focus of the squads at this time of year is to get as many people as possible competing in either the Junior/ Women's/ Men's or Veterans Heads. The key is to ensure that all members of the club have the opportunity to get out on the water as much as possible rather than being stuck indoor's. Continued improvement of accessibility of good equipment for all groups will be a major priority for the club over the next 3-4 months.
The main focus of the senior squads will be to row technically better rather than relying on purely horsepower to get them down the course.
I think the club atmosphere at the 4's head of the river was really great and the help which everyone gave to each other was first class. It's always really pleasing to see the guys who won the Elite Men's 4+ then helping out the juniors de-rigging their boat and loading etc. Not many clubs in the world can lay claims to having all bases covered, and the role models around, be it the National Squad guys, the Ex-International groups or senior club members. For beginners, juniors or any member to say that you row and race with these athletes on an equal footing is a great privilege that we often forget or take for granted. We need to continue to celebrate our success as use it for motivation for our next generation of athletes.
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
SAVE THE CLUB MONEY, SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT LET US KNOW YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AT:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
JUNIORS 16-18 ROWING UPDATE – Ed Green
Since taking on the Juniors at the beginning of the rowing year there are many challenges which as a group we need to overcome. The Junior's need to be taught how to row (and in many cases re-taught), the basics of land training and how this changes throughout the season, how to pull hard, how to look after themselves as the training load increases, how to deal with work and training, how to deal with the restrictions on their social life training creates, managing injury, understanding that hard work in January and February is a vital ingredient for boat speed in the Summer, coming to terms with seat racing, trialling and selection and many many more. Once this has all been overcome there is going out and facing the opposition, which if they have overcome all of the above I know will be very good at.
To date we have achieved a lot. Primarily a great deal of hard committed training to enable us to rise to all of our challenges. Chrissie Van Besouw and Sophie Drake came second in Junior doubles at the pairs head early in the season. Most of the achievement has been in handling the training. In the 5 months since the beginning of the season around 12 girls and 8 boys have stuck at 16-18 hours per week of training and put up with my sense of humour.
Looking forward my goals for the group are as follows:
Girls: Winning at National Schools, Winning at Women's Henley.
Boys: Medalling at National Schools, qualifying in the Fawley Cup at HRR
As a group we want to be integrating with the Club more. Molesey BC gives us a fantastic and unique opportunity to show young athletes what High Performance rowing requires and then preparing those athletes that wish to progress into High Performance rowing for what lies ahead!
The goals are very challenging, this was made very clear at the beginning of the season. Ultimately all I ask is that they do their best. If you can sit on the start line and know that you could be no more prepared for the race that is about to begin then the result doesn't matter, you will not need to tell anyone you deserve something or you can do it, you will be doing it.
Editor: Ed – what have been the key challenges for the Sporting Giants group so far this year?
Ed: Getting the group to undertake the training requirements for high performance rowing from day 1. Overcoming the difficulties of being large young adult males trying to row for the first time. i.e: flexibility, core strength, coordination. These guys have strength but strength is heavy and must be supported. Finding a cox willing to come on the journey with them, this challenge has not been met yet.
Editor: What are the key highlights of the group to date?
Ed: The group hasn't raced as yet so there are no results to talk of. I think it is significant that I have had no problem getting the squad training 4 weekday evenings, 3 weekday mornings, and of course weekend mornings. I would say the most satisfying thing so far is that the group is so motivated that I can set various challenges with confidence. There appears to be a superb spirit in the group, they all want to do well and this is demonstrated by their attention during technical sessions and their determination during ergs and other tests.
Editor: what goals have you got for the coming season?
Season goals are to qualify them for Henley however the more important long term objective is to ensure they are on the 'High Performance Pathway', BIRO speak for introducing the basics of sweep and land training (Oct 07-June 08) and introducing sculling (summer 08) so that as many as possible can be entered in preliminary GB trials in October 08 and train in the MBC HPP 08-09.
It is important to remember that these guys might not be that fast this season but they are here because they have been identified as having the correct physiological profile to succeed, if they are coached well and given the time and opportunities they need to learn all aspects of the sport then a good number of them will be a huge asset to the club in future seasons.
CLUB DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
January’s AGM covered the proposed club development programme. Richard Hopkirk provides an update as to where we are and next steps………..
The New Land Acquisition
As many of you will know, the club is in the process of negotiating with the council for the lease of some extra land for boat storage behind the club (the area which currently houses the playground and the neighbouring area up to the gateway). This has been a long process, which started 4 years ago with the closure of the Elmbridge Rowing Tank in Walton Leisure Centre. The Council have offered to lease this land to us if in return we build a replacement rowing tank, at Molesey Boat Club, for our and the community’s use.
I am pleased to report that the Council has now sent the club the first draft of the lease. There are some minor details which need further negotiation, but the overall situation is looking very promising, and this is a tribute to lots of hard work by a lot of club members, Ted Bates and Dickie Knight especially, and some strong support from our local councillors.
The Club Development Programme
In parallel to this land acquisition, since December 2007 the club planning group has been undertaking a process we’re calling the “Club Development Programme” (CDP). Through some detailed analysis of the clubs activities, and consultation with the membership this programme is aiming to:
1. Create a vision for what we want our club to be in the future.
2. And then suggest how we coordinate the various activities which go on at the club towards achieving this vision. Notably: financial strategy, fundraising efforts, rowing programmes, social activities, community activities, building developments, equipment purchases, etc.
The club development group is made up of the following people: Ted Bates (Secretary), Dick Knight, Ian McNuff (Fundraising group leader), Olly Keech (Captain), Richard Hopkirk (planning group leader), Mike Gardiner (Treasurer), Tom Bray, Andy Hodge, Andy Graham, Tom Courtney (Director of rowing), Jonny Searle (Deputy captain).
What’s the CDP’s Involvement in The Land Acquisition?
The hope is that the Club Development Programme’s findings can be used to ensure that we make the best use of any land acquisition for both ourselves as Molesey Boat Club, and also the council and local community who would use any new tank facility. This is why Dick Knight and Ted Bates, who have been leading the push for the new land, are both involved in the Club Development Programme.
Consultation
Key to the whole Club Development Programme is membership consultation – we are very keen that the membership of the club has every opportunity to influence (and ultimately approve) both:
• Our vision for the future of the club.
• Our plans for using the new land (assuming the negotiations continue to go as well as they have done – fingers crossed).
The first stage of this was the AGM on 24th January, where Richard Hopkirk presented the process that the group is going through. In response we received some very useful feedback from a number of members (some suggestions from members have already been added into the negotiations for the lease).
Our next meeting for consultation with the membership will be on Thursday 17th April in the evening (9pm, after club supper). All members are encouraged to come along and contribute. It would be good to get representation from the various sections of the club, notably elite rowing, club squad, juniors & parents, veterans, novices, coaches, and social members.
There will be subsequent meetings (roughly once every 4-6 weeks) for further consultation as we continue the process, which is presently targeting conclusion early in the summer so that we can get underway with implementing its findings.
Members should feel free to approach any of the Club Development Programme group listed above, or they can email the group at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We will also be attempting to get a section on the club website in due course.
fOAR Rowers Magazine is a weekly publication by the US Masters Rowing Association www.mastersrowing.org. Molesey Boat Club featured in Issue no 22 with an editorial on our ex-internationals group:
“It started three years ago with four ex-National team members in Great Britain, and now its turned into a group of nearly 50 athletes who have seen competition on the international stage. Last year they came within a length of beating Harvard University at the Royal Henley Regatta. And they're just getting started ………………
The article can be seen here: http://www.mastersrowing.org/associations/6239/files/fOARRowersIssue22.pdf
STOP PRESS! Molesey junior crews perform well in Schools Sculling Head at Henley and the Schools Head of the River on the tideway. Highlight on the tideway was a joint first place for the WJ15 eight as well as 3rd in the WJSch 4+ (provisional results).
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:
Tuesday 4 March Schools Head 13.30
Friday 7 March MBC Quiz Nite MBC 7.30pm Check notice boards for details
Friday 14th March Veteran Dinner & Dance MBC £27.50 Contact Jonty Steele for more info
Saturday 15th March Men’s HORR 09.45
Saturday 16th March Veteran Head 10.30
Saturday 29th March University Boat Race 17.15
Thursday 17th April MBC Members Consultation on Land Development MBC 9pm Contact
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
