Why do we row?
“Part of the attraction is a raw, deep-rooted competitive urge; part of it is the delight in doing something at which one knows one is good and successful; part of it is the sublimely satisfying feeling of overall high level fitness and strength derived from a supremely demanding sport and part of it is the sweet sensation of the movement of the boat across the water, the sweep of the sculls, the hiss of the shell, the surge of the bows.
Then there is the added dimension of a crew – an eight or a four or a double scull or pair – the comradeship of teamwork, the joint effort producing an almost mystical intimacy when everything is clicking together perfectly”
Daniel Topolski – Boat Race – Oxford’s Revival
Rowing is not as visible as rugby, water polo and cricket, but is a sport that has a very long and proud history.
St John’s College introduced rowing as a sport about 7 years ago. As a very new club, we achieved success very quickly and have developed into a strong and happy rowing club. We have very committed and determined rowers that challenge the more established boys’ rowing schools.
The rowing season
Like rowing, the rowing season is also backward! The season kicks off with a rowing camp in the last week of the August school holidays. This camp is great fun and not to be missed! It allows us the chance to improve our fitness and the coaches assess our potential and improve our rowing skills.
Thereafter the Saturday regattas begin, which are usually held at Roodeplaat dam, north of Pretoria. This is the best part of rowing; it gives us a chance to race and compete against the other school crews in Gauteng as well as improve our social skills with the girls. Gauteng championships is the second biggest regatta of the rowing season and is held on the first weekend of November. This concludes the first half of the season.
The second half of the season starts with a camp in the first week of January. Thereafter there are eight weeks of hard training and weekly regattas, leading up to the biggest regatta of the season, SA Schools’ Jnr Rowing Championships, which is held in the first week of March.
Training
Training takes place two afternoons a week at Germiston Lake. School buses transport the boys directly after school to the lake and return to the school by no later than 17h30. At these sessions the coaches will supervise the boys at all times and work on rowing technique and team work. Land training takes place once a week at the ergo room at the school.
Coaching
Most of our coaches are University students who are highly skilled and some have competed at national level. Above all, they have a great passion for rowing and are committed to the sport. All the coaches work closely with the head coach, Richard Gaddi.
Costs involved
Rowing is an expensive sport. The school contributes financially to the club, but this does not cover all the running costs and upgrading of the fleet. The boys’ school accounts are debited with an amount of R1300 for the season. The rest is achieved by fund raising, which involves the parents to a large extent. Most parents find the rewards greatly exceed the sacrifice of time, money and commitment!
How to join
Rowing is offered to all interested boys in LIII and UIII at the U14 level. The rowing club holds open days to give the boys a feel of what rowing is about. The senior boys and U14 coaches show the newcomers how to row.
Rowing Committee
| Chairman: |
Douglas Clarke |
| Head Coach: |
Richard Gaddi |
| Secretary: |
Debbie Horsley |
| Captain: |
Bradley Rautenbach |
| Vice-Captain: |
Kyle Hanck |
| Boatman: |
Roy Fisher |
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