The Senior Men’s squad from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club couldn’t have picked a better week to head off to a weeklong training camp in the south of France in preparation for the forthcoming regatta season.
Whilst the rain poured steadily down in Warwickshire and their colleagues scurried around readying the boathouse for the Avon flood, the squad was able to get in three training sessions a day on the beautiful River Lot at Temple-Sur-Lot, seventy miles inland from Bordeaux.
The La Base centre at Temple-Sur-Lot plays host to a number of rowing and canoeing squads from around the world. Stratford rubbed shoulders with the German and Danish canoeing teams as well as some UK squads from Bristol University and Wallingford.
Bill Sullivan, the Senior Men’s Coach said, “With miles and miles of 
wide flowing river to row on, the twelve athletes and two coaches covered nearly two hundred kilometers over the week’s training, slowly but surely building a common technique and rowing style ready for the upcoming regatta season.”
Said Oliver Smith, Captain of Boats, “Although the athletes put in major
effort over the week, our coaches Bill Sullivan and Colin Bell did all the work arranging our training programme and schedule and spent weeks planning our stay.”
Dr Ben Twiney, Senior Men’s Vice Captain commented, “It is so good to be part a squad with so much dedication and determination. We’re also most grateful to Oli for towing our huge trailer to and back from our 
training camp. Our special thanks also go to our cox Amie Jones who put up with fourteen blokes for more than a week!”
For media coverage, please Stratford Observer online https://stratfordobserver.co.uk/sport/better-training-conditions-put-senior-men-in-great-place and Stratford Herald page 16 and online http://www.stratford-herald.com/84410-training-camp-leaves-rowing-squad-great-shape.html