News & Press archive for November, 2009

Unfortunately due to predicted bad weather condition the GB Junior Early Identification Long Distance Trials (GB Junior EID Trials for short!) have been cancelled.  In light of this all of the athletes that had been entered plus a few more are being entered into the Hampton Head which is being run on the 28^th of November.

This race is on the Thames and is over a 3km distance with the stream.  The GB selectors will be attending this event and therefore it has suddenly become of high importance for not only those that are attempting to get their GB vest this season but also for those younger athletes to be noticed for future seasons.  We wish all competitors the very best of luck at this event.

Written by training club athlete, Liam Downs.

The London Youth Rowing training camp at Totnes was unforgettable. New friendships were forged, a sense of group morale was apparent and great fun was had. After an incredibly long, back-breaking journey we finally arrived at Dart Totnes rowing club. Unfortunately we had to wait for a couple of hours as the truck which was towing the trailer broke down somewhere along the M4. When eventually we had the trailer in our possession and had rigged all of the singles we made our way to the youth hostel where we were staying. On the way we got lost a few times due to the SatNav which seemed to be lying to us about where to go.

After about an hour we came to a massive house in the middle of nowhere which seemed to be the youth hostel. However, we did not know where Paddy was so we had to wait in the minibus. Suddenly, the call came that the truck had slid down a hill backwards and that the truck was now wedged in a mud bank. In the dark we made our way down the hill in order to try and help move the truck; all to no avail. At last after a collected team effort we managed to free the truck. 10 minutes later, dripping wet we finally came to the youth hostel and had a well-earned rest.

Our first day of training included a steady state outing which lasted about 2.5 hours. During this time we had the opportunity to absorb the beautiful scenery of Totnes and get used to the river. The following session we were boating to do a technical and Lottie fell in when trying to push off the landing stage! To be fair it was incredibly hard because we had to boat of stairs which were really steep and narrow so if you didn’t lean all of your weight into the bank you would easily fall in. In the technical we had to back the boat down for three strokes then come to the catch position and hold the position using our cores.

On the next day we did a distance session in singles which was tiring but useful as we had to ensure that we were working on the technical points the coaches had picked up on on the previous day. This was followed by another technical concentrating on getting the body lean in as early as possible and opening the back hard. For the evening session we went out in quads which was interesting, to say the least. I find that when you go out in a crew for the first time it takes a while for everyone to adjust.

Waking up the next day, we were faced with the thought of training with the marines. Fun Times! So we boarded the bus and just over an hour later we entered the Royal Marines base camp. It was very intimidating to see massive men walking around holding guns and posters with inscriptions similar to: “Hunger is when you’re looking for food under rocks.” We met the guy who issued the kit to us and headed down to the bottom field to attempt the assault course. The assault course consisted of jumping over water, climbing over walls, crawling through tunnels, balancing on narrow walls and more. It was absolutely exhausting and made all of us realise how easy our training is.

In the afternoon we had to play some problem solving games which helped us build up both our leadership skills and our teamwork skills. We then watched the Royal Marines perform a routine which they were rehearsing for a rugby match the following week. I can safely say on behalf of all of us that we slept well that night.

On the Friday we did a 20k outing in quads which seemed to last forever. This was followed by a session in fours which was really fun. It was great to try some more sweep oar, no matter how awful it was.

We found out on the Friday night that we were doing a 5k piece @r28 the next day, in preparation for trials which is in two weeks time from now. When Saturday arrived we were all very reluctant to do the time trial but we did it with other juniors from Dart Totnes Rowing Club and Exeter Rowing Club. We all did reasonably well.

That night to celebrate Halloween we watched some scary movies which we had bought earlier on in the week. It was hilarious to see everyone’s reactions.

Sunday and it was time to go home. We were going to do a session but it was too windy to go out so we just headed straight back to London after reviewing some targets we had made at the beginning of the week.

Everyone who went had an amazing time and we all miss each other greatly so it will be brilliant to see everyone again on the weekend of the Fours Head, after which we are going out for the day.

Two of the Lea RC Junior Performance Squad were invited to Nottingham in late October to join in with one hundred other athletes at the GB Junior Potential camp.

There were two, three day courses one for female and the other for the male athletes.  Lottie Hudson attended the former while Liam Downs attended the latter.

While at the camp the athletes were coached on the water and on the rowing machines by a number of different coaches that had attended from all over the country.  Both athletes got a lot of insight in the amount of training that is required to make the GB Junior squads at the end of the season but came away from the camp enthused and excited about the upcoming season.

Police in Barking and Dagenham have been jumping on board with London Youth rowing in a variety of ways.

The relationship began through working with Longbridge Youth Club when LYR instructed PC Graham Mann in becoming a dry rowing instructor and have invited youth club members to supervised activities at the Royal Docks.  PC Mann has since taken 15 young people from Barking and Dagenham to the Royal Docks some of whom had never been on the water.

By the end of the week the young people were competitively rowing against each other and other clubs before receiving prizes and goody bags.

Longbridge Youth Club has an affiliation with London Youth Rowing for a number of years. The organisation provides rowing throughout the London Boroughs in an attempt to improve fitness, self esteem and the well being of young people.

The cheque, provided by the Police Property Act Fund in the amount of £2650 will be used to continue youth rowing activities in schools and community spaces in Barking and Dagenham. This will include the use of dry rowing machines and water based activity.

PC Graham Mann said: “When setting up my youth clubs, I shall be encouraging the activities of London Youth Rowing and attempt to make young people more aware of the sport while also promoting fitness and self esteem.”

For more information on London Youth Rowing go to www.londonyouthrowing.com

Story and photo from the Met Police Website.

Come and have a go at 3 sports under one roof on 28^th November at Attlee Youth centre,5 Thrawl Street, E1 6RT from 11am  to 4pm

You can try Running Cycling and Rowing all in one room at The Big Screen Try athlon. Using computer software and indoor rowing & cycling equipment you can race with your friends and see if you are the quickest round the course. This is a fun event. Do not be put off by it’s extreme title. Prizes for every age category and gender. Check out the postersz and download the Entry form or contact  Penny on pcuthbert@londonyouthrowing.com or call 07736619601

On 24 October, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.

Below is how LYR got involved!