St Catherine’s School Continues Melbourne Head Success

On Saturday 18 November, St Catherine’s School Senior rowers raced at the Melbourne Head Regatta on the Yarra River. Senior rowers competed in Women’s School Eight Open Division 1 and 2, as well as the Club Women’s VIII+.

The St Catherine’s 120, enjoyed a great day. Their first race in the Women’s School Eight Open Division 1, was a performance which reached the vast majority of our performance objectives. The rhythm was the right combination of power and relaxation. The crew raced with consistent speeds coming extremely close to completely achieving their aim of consistent concentration, power and speed through the middle of the race.

Cox, Lily Arnoul was steely in delivering her race plan and steered an elite racing line which meant we had the most efficient race possible. The crew in the last 250 metres were held up – having to stop due to catching the Masters Men’s Quad event which had started prior to the Schoolgirl VIIIs, and having to stop rowing during the sprint to the line. Students kept their composure and under the guidance of their cox successfully built their speed up to the finish line.

Coming off the water, students assessed the row as very positive and are keen to achieve consistency throughout the entire middle of the race through concentration in their next event. It was not till later that we learnt of the result; a win for the third straight year! The crew finished ahead of Wesley in second place and Geelong Grammar in third.

After completing a quick post-race review they were back on the water for the Club Women’s VIII+. Students again battled delays from traffic in the transit up to the start line, but were cool, calm and collected. Their second race was now into the tide and once again, they put together a very consistent rhythm and performance. The result of this effort was another win, finishing ahead of Melbourne and Banks Rowing Clubs.

Improvement will be focused on over the coming period, in developing their length through the finish and sequence/rhythm to quarter slide.

The students representing the St Catherine’s 120 were:
COX: Lily Arnoul
Stroke – Stephanie Ferrali
7 – Eleanor Millear
6 – Emily Sutherland
5 – Sarah Wilson
4 – Lulu Murrell
3 – Harriette Dryden
2 – Alexandra McBain
Bow – Juliet Grant

The Geraldine Ilott had a very challenging day. While on their way to the start line their coxswain was performing perfect steering and management of her crew. The transit lane was very close to the bank, and time penalties were the result of anyone who crossed out of their lane. Despite Heidi steering perfectly, fortune was not in the crew’s favour as after approximately 1500m an unknown object underneath the surface of the water (suspected O-Bike or shopping trolley), caused extensive damage down the length of the underside of the hull and removed the fin from the boat.

Despite having no fin, Heidi remained cool and remarkably managed to negotiate the crew through the remaining two kilometres to the start line where they were able to pull the boat off the water, then back to Mercantile during a break in racing. It cannot be understated how difficult a task this is for a cox, as without a fin the boat slides to left and right, like a hockey puck on fresh ice.

The crew was then able to swap boats, with the Regatta organisers allowing them to post a time in the Schoolgirl VIII+ event commencing around the same time as the Club VIII+ Crews. By this time, the tide had changed but despite the various challenges the girls of the Geraldine Ilott posted a successful row in the slower conditions. Their rhythm was consistent for the majority of the race, and the spirit of the crew was strong. The result of this effort was third place in the Schoolgirl VIII+ Division 2, finishing behind Melbourne Girls Grammar and Geelong College. Due to the time lost, the Geraldine Ilott unfortunately had to scratch from the Club Women’s VIII+.

Students representing the Geraldine Ilott were:

Geraldine Ilott
COX – Heidi Tokatlidis
Stroke – Celia Cody
7 – Annabel Joubert
6 – Henrietta Paterson
5 – Mardi Bray
4 – Sophie Turnbull
3 – Clementine Aston
2 – Alice Richards
Bow – Téa-Rose Passon

Post event, the character of our squad was the biggest indicator as all supported each other completely through the day and demonstrated great effort in their crews no matter the circumstances. Both of our coxes were highlights of the day, as they professionally lead their crews regardless of the circumstances.

Go St Catherine’s!

Mr David Fraumano
Head Rowing Coach

Junior and Intermediate Rowing Squad Update

Our Junior and Intermediate Rowing squads have both been working extremely hard this Term to perfect their rowing technique, and improve their fitness.

For the Juniors, this has meant stepping on to a steep learning curve of all things Rowing. The girls have approached this with overwhelming enthusiasm, and practised their new found Rowing skills in a mini regatta at Docklands on Saturday morning. All the crews raced approximately one kilometre in preparation for the Sacred Heart Regatta on December 2, and we look forward to seeing the girls in action then.

The Intermediates participated in a ‘friendly’ regatta against crews from Melbourne Girls’ Grammar on Saturday November 11, to prepare for the upcoming regatta season. It was a great morning, with crews from both schools embracing the opportunity to race on the familiar territory of the Yarra.

The Intermediates then raced in the Melbourne Head Regatta held on Saturday November 18. A 3.5km race is a challenge at any point in the season, let alone as the first regatta! Having practised negotiating the Island in the two training sessions prior to the Regatta, the girls were confident of their race plans and executed these well on the day.

Well done to all coxswains for ensuring their crew’s safety at all times during what can be a very hectic Regatta. Well done also to the rowers, who demonstrated focus and determination in their racing. While the regatta was a great experience for the girls, I am sure they are looking forward to racing over a conventional one kilometre course at the Sacred Heart Regatta!

Miss Katelyn Johnson
Junior Rowing Coordinator