Grafton Rowing Club News

St George Rowing Club Train at Grafton

FIVE international teams used the Clarence River and the great facilities at the Grafton Rowing Club to prepare for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games competition. Rowing crews, coaches and officials of the five nations, Russia, South Africa, Estonia, Ireland and Spain, were impressed with the river, the club shed and the hospitality of the people of Grafton.

Now members of one of the top rowing clubs in Australia, St George Rowing Club, is making use of the venue and facilities and they too are impressed. St George Rowing Club head coach, Greg Howell, who is also a satellite coach for the NSW Institute of Sport, has brought a team of 18, male and female, to Grafton for 16 days of intensive coaching.

The squad arrived in Grafton On December 27 and will be in camp here until January 12. Howell has arranged two levels of training, one for junior development and the other for the more experienced of his charges. "Each of the 18 has come from our rowing talent identification programs, Howell said. "Our aim with our junior development squad in Grafton is to teach them confidence on the water and to give them a sound foundation in technical rowing skills. There is a fair bit of experience in the senior ranks and members are pushing for positions in State and Australian teams. The intensive work they will be doing in Grafton, plus two regattas at Taree on January 13 and 14 on the way back to Sydney, are part of their preparation for the State and Australian championships." The state titles are scheduled on February 11 and 12 for the Sydney International Regatta Course at Penrith and the National titles in early April at Lake Wivenhoe, north of Brisbane. 

Howell said he and his team had found everybody in Grafton friendly and keen to help in any way. "Our accommodation at the Welcome Inn is just what we need. Greg Thompson and Ken Maughan and other members of the rowing club have been extremely helpful and rowing facilities are first class. "We are also grateful to the people at the Grafton Lifestyle Centre in South Grafton, where we are doing our gymnasium work, for their contribution to our training program.

"We are impressed and no doubt this won't be the last time the St George club will be coming to Grafton for training camps."

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