News as it happens ... the WRCJnr news service ...

29th December - Kit

I am expecting kit from Powerhouse in mid Janaury.  I now have stock of the long requested WRC socks and some WRC Beanie hats (lovely and warm) plus hoodies.  CC

25th December - Christmas Day row

Three boats went out for the WRC Christmas Day row - and adults VIII, a junior Quad and 'Fred' in his single'.  Greg served a very welcome warming rum punch upon their return.  CC

13th December - Christmas Party

A great evening - see the web page for details.  CC

13th December - Walton Small Boats

A cold, blustery and wet day (and that was just on the towpath) - Walton do pick 'em!  A qualifying win for Liz and Rachel - none unfortunately for WRCJnr.  Full details on the racing timetable accessed from the 'events' page.  CC

6th December - SGCBC Christmas Pudding invitational

11 WRC junior members joined in the annual St. Georges College Christmas Pudding races (where the prizes are - guess).  A lovely sunny day, great fun.  Poor old Breakawey got turned over but no damage to boat, blades or crew.  For some of our crews it was the first ever time they had rowed (as against sculled) and after considerable self doubt from some parties discovered they were brilliant at it...  Four WRC rowers took home SGCBC puds.  Many thanks to Mr Walters and Ms. Hulf at SGCBC for the invitation.  CC

6th December - Hampton Head

Four entries fom Weybridge went up to Hampton on a beautiful sunny day.  No wins but some solid performances.  CC

November - Burway Head

 No wins, but a couple of 'thirds'.  Well done to all who rowed up. CC

1st November 2008 - Teddington Head

Another Blowy day, but a win for Tom Oades and Seb Kirk in Jun 2x.  Elliot Tarrant and the WJ15 crew also competed well in what were very challenging conditions.  I saw a Molesey crew hit a 'wind wall' at one point - the boat all but stopped dead in the water.  CC

26th October, 2008 - BIRC

Callum Russell and Jack Shepherd went to the British Indoor Rowing Championships.  Callum was defending his title, but came a close second this year (although improved on his time).  Jack came up against some very strong competition in a big field, and came 6th.  Bravo to both.  CC

25th October 2008 - Breakfast Club

The breakfast club has got off to a good start.  Many thanks to Lyn Baldwin and her team of volunteers for keeping us fed (and to Ian Baldwin who got the whole thing moving).  Juniors - don't forget to bring money for the breakfasts - it must be awful having that lovely smell of bacon - without the funds to partake!  Agony ...  CC

18th October 2008 - Silver Sculls

Great weather (well, ok, a bit blowy at the end) good racing - a classic event, well supported by top class rowers, oversubscribed (WRCJnr nearly got pared down).  No wins in the Junior section but, as usual, some jolly good tries and experience gained.  Rob Oades has some great pictures.  Congrats to the senior ladies who did come through with some pots.  CC

16th October 2008 - new boat

Great excitement - the new lightweight double has arrived and will be set up for Rachel and Liz by them this weekend.  Winning Weys is back too, looking resplendent in gleaming white paint. CC

13th October 2008 - Splash tops

I am collating orders for splash tops.  I need to know what size you are and what name you want embroidered on it.  CC

13th October 2008 - breakfast service

Ian Baldwin is trying to instigate a breakfast service for all members of the Club.  Volunteer Chefs are needed, so please contact Ian or Clive to book your spot in the kitchen!  See the link here for the rota and what's on offer. CC

11th October - Pairs Head, Tideway

Weybridge had three teams; Rachel and Liz, Ellie Wells and Alison Holgate and WRCJnr's own dynamic duo, Fred and Jack.  No pots but good performances from all teams, flying the flag for Weybridge. CC

7th October 2008 - New boat

Confirmation received today that a new lightweight (65k) double has been ordered from Janousek.  This has been made possible by funds received from the sponsored row.  CC

3rd October 2008 - Dinner Dance

4th October 2008 - Great North Run - Matt and Lizzie

Matt Beagley and Lizzie Adlington are running the 'Great North Run', a half-marathon originating in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  Matt is running the 13 mile course for Cancer Research, a very worthy cause, and he would appreciate some sponsorship from members of WRC.  I know you will probably have been tapped for sponsorship for the WRC sponsored row, but if you can spare a bit more for Matt, who has been training hard for this event, it would be appreciated. CC

28th September 2008 - archiving

To reduce page loading time, all 2007 news has been removed from this page but is till available by following the link on the left.  CC

28th September 2008 - Squad talk

JB gave a talk about the successes of the Junior Squad in 2008 and some plans for the rest of 2008 and 2009 - Heads, Nat Champs etc.  Clive and Nick also had a few general words to say and Bacon-and-egg butties were provided by Lynda and Keith Bolding. CC

27th September 2008 - Sponsored Row

A day of great fun as WRC rowed in teams from Henley RC to Weybridge.  The Junior Squad put up 22 rowers, all of whom rowed at least one sector, with several rowing the whole 57 or so kilometres.  The last crew were in song through the gathering gloom between Chertsey and Shepperton locks, and back to the Club.  Well done all - now lets have those sponsorship forms to me at the Club and we'll tot up the takings... do we have a nice shiny new Janno - or not - it's up to you!  Click here for the report. CC

20th September 2008 - Boston Marathon

Jack Shepherd and James Coxhead WON their age category in the Boston Marathon event in 4h 13m.  They covered 31 miles (a course first rowed in 1946) - a real tour-de-force - very well done to them.  Thanks to Ian and Paul for providing support - apparently Ian was intending to cycle the whole route, so he probably needed some support after that!  CC

14th September 2008 - Sponsored Row

Unfortunately river conditions made this impossible, so it has been re-scheduled for 27th September.

7th September 2008 - Cambridge Regatta

The rain on the way there was so heavy that I thought there couldn't be any left in the clouds.  Most of the day was dry but a huge thunderstorm about 5pm put a stop to it and the event was abandonned, but to everyone's disappointment.  A confirmed pot for Alex and Elliot and an anticipated 2 or 3 others had they raced.  A disappointing end to the regatta season, but typical of the weather this year.  CC

31st August 2008 - Lea Regatta

A busy day had by all - and 5 pots to take home.  Well done. CC

24/08/08 - Ross Regatta

After a night of heavy rain we feared the worst, but the day was bright and sunny.  Another win for the WJ15 4x+ (but partly due to an administrative error by their opponents).  A great run down the course by Maddy Shanks, and our J14 girls did well in their doubles.  And we had a nice Chinese meal on the Saturday night! CC

23/8/08 - Gloucester Regatta

A win for the J15 4x+ of James Piercy, James Capel, Liam Maloney and Tom Oades on the still water of the Sharpness Canal.  Jack was swizzed out of one of his heats (we will be taking the matter up with the ARA).  Otherwise we had a good time, but no great results.  However, we did obtain 5 sets of nice new good quality trestles!  CC

10/8/08 - Group 'D'

The group 'D' coaching team have achieved their aim to teach these young pople to row, so group 'D'-ers are now officially promoted to group 'C' and should attend as directed on the website.  A new intake of group 'D' will start in September.  Congratulations to all. CC

3/8/08 - President's reception

Many thanks to the WRC juniors who helped to make the Preseident's Reception go with a swing.  CC

26 and 27 /7/08 - Staines and Burway

Successes at Staines and Burway Regattas; well done to all those who reached finals, and particularly the pot winners.  CC

20/7/08 - National Championships

Our crews had a good crack at the Nat Champs and the J15 boys made it through to the rep.  Jack and Fred went all the way to the final, and bought home bronze, so well done to them.  Many thanks to the coaching team that got them there, and to the parents who supported their and our efforts.  A lot of work was done by many people, so thanks.  CC

17/07/08 - Update from Mongolia: Wey to Row team

Hey all - just thought if there is anyone interested I'd write a bit of an update (below) on the journey so far out here in Mongolia:

We've just come back today from our 4 day project phase, just outside the capital of Ulaan Baatur which was great fun (camping on site). We got introduced to the kids and had loads of time doing face painting, games like frisbee, football etc etc in quite a cool camp and all of the kids there were really nice; was quite sad to leave today. It was quite rushed as well, as World Vision (the charity behind the summer camp) realised it wasn't supposed to be open until tomorrow because of the recent foot & mouth outbreak - so we left at 11am, earlier than planned. Good practice for the trek though, with the camping and cooking etc. - initially loosing weight because we weren't eating enough!

Last night, we went up to a mountain just above the summer camp,
around 1800m high (about 500m climb) and watched the sunset whilst listening to Elton John, which was fairly prime - amazing view, I'll never forget it. Got some great photos too.

Today we've been getting enough supplies for 14 days (obviously quite a lot to feed 17 people) and we take the overnight train tomorrow night (Thursday night) then another few long
bus journeys to get to the start of our trek - horse riding first (by
the way I have some really cool horse-riding boots that I'm bringing back).

Hotels have been quite interesting so far, Beijing is generally
horrible, very interesting, but so muggy, loads of smog and you can't see more than 200m in front of you, and the air quality is so bad! The hostel we stayed in was not cool - infact very hot, and hardly got any sleep there.  When we arrived in UB, the accommodation World Challenge had booked was in fact double booked, so we got upgraded to a luxury apartment :D which was really nice - even though we slept on the floor there was so much room, and even better it made all the other groups very jealous.
(We haven't seen them since that flight - almost no English people in fact).

Such an experience here, and all of the locals, especially at the
camp, are really nice. We got told we'd been the best group the camp had ever had because of how involved we got,  and all of us
are really happy at the moment; and surprisingly no major fall outs at all!

Really missing showers (don't smell too bad), bins, proper flush
toilets (we had a shed with a bit hole in...flies...pee on the floor
etc at the camp - not nice) and wine gums; and running water. Iodine water is getting slightly dull and disguising. Had a cheeseburger yesterday for lunch - some of us had to go into UB to get some more presents for the kids at the camp - chips have never tasted so good! CJ

13/07/08 - Nat Champs J15 4x+ crews

The crew has now been chosen for this event by Ian and Paul.  The line up is James Capel, Tom Oades, James Styles and James Piercy.  Many thanks to all those who took part in the selection process, and particuarly those who were not selected on this occasion. CC 

13/07/08 - Kingston Regattas

A beautiful Sunday saw the team at Kingston Borough Regatta.  Some close shaves, and one win for Elliot Tarrant with Alex Keenes, Kirsten Owens and Ellie Blow all getting to finals. CC

09/07/08 - England Vs France - Valenciennes

Jack Shepherd and James Coxhead represented the Club at this event, the trials for which are being held in Nottingham today.  Unfortunately they were not successful.  CC

02/07/08 - News from Henley Royal Regatta

WRCjnr members represented their (other) clubs at Henley.  George's lost out to a boat of huge Canadians who eventually went on to win the Princess Elizabeth Cup.  Walton (Oli), Molesey 'A'  (Mat T) and Loughborough (Alex T) alll competed but none took home a cup, unfortunately.  However, many congratualations to them all for having rowed at Henley.  CC

02/07/08 - Wey to Row team off to Mongolia

Almost one year on from the sucess of Wey to Row summer courses, held at WRC, the co-ordinators, Chris Jones & Jack Percival make their final preparations for their expedition to Mongolia. The duo, along with other WRCjnr coaches, leave on Monday for the one month expedition, to include a treck on horseback across the country, and more notably a project for charity, running a summer camp for orphans near the capital of the country.

Reports of the trip will follow. CJ

01/07/08 - Crew selection for National Championships

Paul Wilcox has selected the crew to represent Weybridge at the National championships in Nottingham.  We will be taking up a WJ15 2x (Gabby Brown and Kat Tviet), a J16 2x (Jack Shepherd and James Coxhead) and a J15 4x+ (a selection of James Capel, James Styles, James Piercy, Rob Littlewood and Tom Oades - the final lineup still to be decided).  CC

29/06/08 - Egham Regatta

The WJ14 4x+ crew of Anna Beagley, Olivia Harrison, Ali Miller, Emily Stewart and cox Alex Keenes bought home a win for Weybridge.  Other notable rows were the J13 4x+ of Jukka Hertzog, Toby Jeffries, Joe Kirk, Jack Spicer coxed by Ben Jeffries who had the crowd gasping as they lost by a bowball,  Will Bolding and Alex Keenes who led KGS all the way but lost by 3ft in the last 20m, and Will Bolding in a single.  Well done to all who competed.  CC

28/06/08 - Henley Qualifiers

Weybridge have 5 members racing at Henley Royal Regatta next week: Mat Tarrant (Molesey), Alex Tarrant (Loughborough), Danny Garrett (Maidenhead), Oli Tomalin (Walton) , Tom Oxton, Tom Capel and George Flowerday (St. George's College).  Check back here for details of their events.  CC

22/06/08 - at last, a regatta!

Whew, finally a regatta that ran, but boy was it windy.  Beautiful sunny skies saw a Weybridge contingent at Thames Valley Park, where Elliot Tarrant took home a pot.  All others did very well, with some exceptional performances from rowers who are still new to the sport.  Experience is the most valuable thing you can have, and it was noticeable that the quality of sculling from our novice teams improves every time they go out to represent us.  Well done, all. CC

4/6/08  - Two regattas cancelled in 2 weeks

Heavy rainfalls over the past weeks have caused fast stream conditions throughout the Thames Valley, causing the Environment Agency to change the status of the river to Red/Yellow, which means it is un-rowable for many.

Last weekend we saw the cancelling of Weybridge Ladies Regatta, and it was announced today the Weybridge & Walton Regatta, due to take place this Saturday 7th June, has also been cancelled due to the river conditions.

Clive Capel, a WRCjnr Coach & member of the W&W Regatta Committee said the following:

"The Committee took advice from the EA and their most experienced members, and bravely - and sadly - reached the decision during today, Wednesday 4th June.

"Various options were discussed, such as postponing until Sunday, holding an ergo-based competition instead or holding a 'large and experienced boats only' event, but none of these were deemed practical for a number of reasons.

"The Committee would like to thank those who volunteered their services for course laying, set-up and breakdown, and to the local press and media who have really supported the event this year."

30/5/08 - Weybridge Ladies Regatta Cancelled

Unfortunately, Weybridge Ladies Regatta (due to take place this Sunday) has been cancelled due to water conditions.  The EA have posted red boards which makes it impossible to hold the event.  WLARC are investigating the possibility of re-scheduling to Sunday 8th June.

29/05/08 - Weil's disease - warning

According to the Surrey Herald, Weil's disease has been detected in the water at nearby Coxes Lock on the Wey Navigation.  For this reason please do not go swimming off the pontoon.  Do not clamber over the moored boats and certainly do not jump off them. CC

28/05/08 - Publicity - Surrey Herald

Members of WRC might be interested to know that there is a fair amount of exposure for the Club in the current editions of the Surrey Herald (Walton and Weybridge edition) in respect of the upcoming Walton and Weybridge Regatta.  CC

18/5/08 - Maidenhead Junior Regatta

A lovely bright sunny day with great rowing from all concerned.  Only three Juniors had previous regatta experience and everyone aquitted themselves really well not only in terms of rowing, but also behaviour and 'looking the part'. 
It was so frustrating to lose by distances such as '3 feet', 'a canvas', 'a short length' and so on.  The repecharge system is complicated but it means that everyone had several races even if they lost the first one, with it's worth being proved when the Weybridge/Guildford WJ15 composite (Grace Lewis and Jennie O'Neill) beat the team in the final that had beaten them in their first race. 
That it was a strong home team made our win even more satisfying.
See the presentation from Gold medal winner Alan Campbell here.  We had two WJ14 boats entered with one being crewed by two WJ13's - this picture from a Molsey BC parent (note that they were rowing downhill at the time :-) ).  Seriously, well done to all.  CC

18/5/08 - Pip Bolding - Moonwalk

Pip and her dad Keith did the Moonwalk in 6h 55m (just beating their target of 7 hours).  Congratulations to both of you, and thank you to all those who supported them.  CC

13/5/08 - New date for Pre-Henley Ball

Due to a clash with the St. Georges College Summer Ball, it has been decided to make the popular Pre-Henley Ball at WRC into a Post-Henley Ball.  This will now happen on 12th July.

6/5/08 - Evesham Regatta

A great start to our traditional regatta season with 5 wins (3 x Junior and 2 x Vet).  Jack and Fred won the J16 2x on each day of racing, and Tom Oades came through with a hard-fought win over his old Staines BC doubles Partner, Andrew, in the J15 1x.  Notable performances from the newer and less experienced members of the racing team - Maddy and Pip, Alex and Will and Lloyd and Seb.  All did really well, with massive improvements from Lea last weekend, no one coming in more than a couple of lengths behind (in all cases) experienced opposition, and in Alex and Will's race they pushed their oppo right to the line.  The J16 4x- had a tough race against Bideford RC and lost by only half a length despite an equipment failure within the first 10 strokes.  A great weekend with Rachel and Liz winning their Vet races on both days too.  CC

28/04/08 - Lea Spring Regatta

Wins at Lea Regatta yesterday - Oli Tomalin and Lloyd Cheesman (and Vets Rachel Kornberg and Liz Flavell) all had wins at the Lea Regatta held on the Lea Navigation yesterday.  Very well done, too, to Will Bolding, Maddy Shanks, Olivia Harrison and Pip Bolding who all took part in their first regattas and put in great efforts.  Matt B and Pip very nearly won their 'Beauty and the Beast' race - and so scared the oppo that they capsized - unfortunately just after they passed the finish line just ahead of our intrepid duo.  Alex Keenes and Will got through to the final of their J15 2x but came up against a sturdy J15 double that train 5 times a week and have been rowing together for months - however a great effort.  CC

21/04/08 - Kit from Powerhouse

Clive has now ordered requested kit from Powerhouse.  This is estimated to take about 5 weeks - i.e. delivery about end May

15/4/08 - WRCjnr Member Moonwalks for Charity

Weybridge Rowing Club member Pip Bolding and her Dad are doing the Playtex Moon Walk to help raise money for Breast Cancer on Saturday 17th May 2008.