Stratford upon Avon Boat Club had a terrific day at West Midlands Junior Championships on Sunday. Said coach Mark Holden, “It looks as though we might be heading for fourteen seats in the West Midlands squad. There were also wins for Esme Booth rowing for King Edward The Sixth Grammar School and there was also a win for KES 4+. Congratulations to all our athletes and coaches!”

Junior Co-ordinator Will Bird commented, “There were wins for KES J18 4+; KES WJ17 1x; Stratford WJ14 4x+; Stratford WJ15 4+ and Stratford J16 4x-. This was a great day for the club, the bigger story being that we are taking fourteen athletes to the Junior Inter-regional Regatta in Nottingham on April 23rd. This is the best showing at this event for Stratford Boat Club in a while. A very, very good day for the Club!”

The Rosconn Group, the Warwickshire based property developer and strategic land promoter, has stepped forward to sponsor the Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s fine boat regatta on Saturday 18 June

Said Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley, Stratford Boat Club’s Regatta Secretary. “We are really looking forward to working with The Rosconn Group to make this year’s regatta the best ever. Rosconn’s early involvement has secured the financial viability of the regatta which will contribute towards the costs of our major refurbishment and expansion of the Club so that we can bring sport to more people in the Stratford area.”

Daniel O’Donnell, Managing Director of The Rosconn Group commented, “With The Rosconn Group, I set out with a vision to do things differently, better: it was so refreshing to find that Stratford Boat Club’s vision and ethos was exactly the same. I believe that as a business, we have a responsibility to create value for everybody and leave a positive outcome with everything we do.”

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club President Paul Stanton on receiving the sponsorship cheque from Daniel O’Donnell said, “We have found a company that cares: as a local company, Rosconn are adamant that they have a responsibility to the local community, people and environment around them. This fits well with our mission and sport outreach into the area.”

For media coverage, see Stratford Observer online http://bit.ly/1U3jVvu

In Sunday’s Gloucester Spring Head on the Gloucester – Sharpness Canal, Stratford upon Avon Boat Club’s Women’s Novice coxed four in only their second race claimed a very commendable second place to Royal Grammar School Worcester by a mere eight seconds. Said coach Helen Smith, “This was an excellent performance by a relatively inexperienced crew who are continually improving.”

Stratford Masters rowers Richard Nelson, Gary Clay and Thomas Doherty continued their run of fine form in a Bridgnorth composite eight recording their third straight win in Masters’ C/D/E division beating into second place a quality Monmouth Masters C crew by twenty seconds. Commented Gary Clay, “Whilst this wasn’t our best row, we dealt reasonably well with the choppy conditions and look forward to an improved performance at the North of England Head next week as we continue to build up to the National Eights head in London.”

Stratford’s sister club King Edward The Sixth Grammar School won Novice 4+ and WJ18 1X. Their Novice 8 was third in their event and third in their Division.

Esme Booth who rows for both Stratford and KES was in fine form and was the fastest sculler in Division 2, male or female.

For more media cover, see Stratford Observer online http://bit.ly/1YvUbav and Stratford Herald p17

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club members Simon Beard, Richard Nelson and Thomas Doherty rowing in a Bridgnorth composite eight won Masters E eights beating in the process all Masters C and D eights in the event in a time of 13 minutes and 22.18 seconds to finish eighth fastest crew on the day out of seventy entries at the Worcester Head.

Said Tom Doherty, “This was a positive start to our Vesta Masters’ eights head campaign which we are taking forward to Runcorn next Saturday for a stiff test over 6km against expected high quality opposition.”

Last weekend, local rowers Esme Booth and Isaac Herring travelled to Boston in Lincolnshire to take part in the British Rowing Junior Trials. Both currently row as Juniors for Stratford upon Avon Boat Club. The club currently has a thriving junior section and has had many recent successes at Junior level as well as at Senior and Masters levels.

For Isaac, this was his first outdoor water-based trial at Boston whereas Esme has taken part in three indoor ergo-based assessments finishing 17th out of 103 contestants. Esme has also been to previous outdoor water-based trial so far this school year.

EGM voted for a sound financial future for the Club so that we can finish the refurbishment

Congratulations to Gary C on being elected Hon Sec: thanks for stepping forward!

Rowers from Stratford upon Avon Boat Club led by Chris Straw visited Helen Ley Care Centre in Royal Leamington Spa last week as part of a club instigated outreach programme. The aims of the programme are to take rowing into the community to present the beneficial effects of rowing as a means of helping to alleviate the symptoms of neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. At the same time, the programme provides an enjoyable means of exercise which is suited to the condition.

Chris who is himself a suffer from Parkinson’s is keenly interested in research studies into the effects that regular repetitive exercise may have in improving a patient’s balance, gait, tremor, flexibility and motor co-ordination.

As part of the visit, people of all levels of ability and condition were able to try rowing on state of the art indoor rowing machines and experience an enjoyable means of exercise tailored to their own level of condition. All the participants really enjoyed the experience and are keen to continue with the programme in the future.

Said Chris, “The clear star of the show was Thomas Harland (pictured) who, despite being quite immobile, was determined to try rowing: we discovered that notwithstanding his condition, he was able to row with an excellent technique as a result of having been an Eton schoolboy rower but having never rowed since school over half a century ago! The look on Thomas’s face as his rowing memories came flooding back was absolutely priceless!”

Stratford upon Avon Boat Club found itself in the limelight last Wednesday with a visit from Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, NRK.

A production team from the broadcaster saw Stratford rowers provide film extras for a documentary on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Norway’s famous actor Christian Greger Strøm took to the water with Stratford Boat Club to explain to Norwegian viewers the significance of Holy Trinity Church and its famous grave.

Fortunately the weather stayed fair for filming enabling Norwegian Television to complete a wrap! The episode will be a part of a programme broadcasted in all the Scandinavian countries in April, showing the link between Shakespeare’s plays and Scandinavia.

Said Kjersti Rogneflaten Woolley, Regatta Secretary, said, “It was most interesting to be on the other side of the television camera for a change and to see their genuine interest in all things Shakespeare, Stratford upon Avon and the Boat Club: who knows, perhaps we’ll get regatta entries from Norway on Saturday 18 June!”

Division 1

J16A.1x   Conrad Bird   3^rd of 5   8.15

J16A.1x   Max Beishon   4^th of 5   8.38

W.J16A.1x   Issy Finch   5^th of 5   9.52

W.J15A.2x   SUA-Davies   1^st of 10   8.19    WIN

W.J14A.4x+   Gracie Mitchell, Autumn Keil, Jessica Wiesheu, Katie Wellstead, cox Mimi Hill   1^st of 11   8.10    WIN

W.J16A.4x-   Izzy Rosso, Liv Hansen, Claire Teakle, Sofia Ward   2^nd of 5   8.05

Division 2

W.J18A.4+   Lamorna Jarvis, Jessican Cann, Laura Tiller, Niamh Mackey, cox Jasmine Key   4^th of 4   8.45

J18A.4+   Conrad Bird, Isaac Herring, Khalid Ahmad, Ben Evans, cox Mimi Hill   4^th of 5   8.00

J18A.4+   Ben Clark, Harry Forty, Ed Beighton,  Joe Taylor, cox Josh North   2^nd of 5   7.23

J18A.4+   SUA-Savage   5^th of 5   8.25

J18A.4+   Pieter Skuse, Sam Casement, Kit Gallagher, Hamish DeNett, cox Izzy Underwood   3^rd of 5   7.52

Division 3

J16A.2x   Isaac Herring & Max Beishon   1^st of 3   7.16    WIN + New Course Record

W.J18A.1x   Rachel Stratton (KES)   6^th of 6   9.42

W.J18A.1x   Esme Booth   1^st of 6   8.41    WIN

W.J18A.4x-   Imogen North, Lucy Weston, Cassie Bird, Phoebe Winter   1^st of 5   7.40    WIN + New Course Record

W.J16A.2x   Jasmine Key & Katie Evans   12^th of 15   9.28

W.J16A.2x   Lois Battersby & Issy Finch   15^th of 15   9.41

W.J16A.2x   Liv Hansen & Sofia Ward   7^th of 15   8.45

J14A.2x   Geoffrey Flambert & Joe Hodson   1^st of 4   8.41   WIN

W.J14A.2x   Emily Browne & Katie Phillips   1^st of 8   8.30    WIN + New Course Record

J15A.1x   Nathan Wiesheu   8^th= of 12   9.26

W.J15A.4x+   SUA-Marsden   3^rd of 5   8.23

W.J15A.4x+   SUA-Willis/Dwyer   5^th of 5   8.33

No wins over the full course in Divisions 1 and 3 but our W.J14.4x+ crew were the fastest crew of the day over the short course with a win in Division 2.

Division 1

W.J15A.4x+   SUA-Willis, 3rd of 11, 19.17.9

J16A.4x-   SUA-Evans, 2 of 5, 16.53.7

W.J16A.2x   SUA-Cherry, 6th of 14, 20.59.3

W.J16A.2x   SUA-Finch, 13th of 14, 22.54.5

W.J14.4x+   Katie Wellstead, Gracie Mitchell, Katie Philips, Emily Browne, cox Mimi Hill    WIN – fastest crew of the day over the short course

W.J14.2x   Jessica Wiesheu & Autumn Keil

J14.2x   Jeffrey Flambert & Joe Hodson