Mr Wells (Director of Rowing)
On Sunday morning, 60 BGS rowers from Years 9 to Upper Sixth rowers were greeted by thick fog on the River Trent, Nottingham, which delayed the start of racing by an hour and a half. However, once the fog had gone, it felt like spring had come.
With 10 crews, over three divisions, there were always BGS boats on the water to cheer, for Year 9 rowers this was their first event away from home, bringing the daunting but exciting prospect of rowing on a river other than the Great Ouse. The Sixth Form girls, as always, truly embodied BGS principles and were a credit to the school, supporting the younger girls on and off the water.
The racing was held in a processional time trial format. The Sixth Form coxed Four was first down the course in Division One racing over 5700m in the open women’s event against club and university rowers. After a tricky start, they rowed well finishing in second place, a mere five seconds adrift of the winning time.
Division Two was the short course (3700m) with Year 11 Coxed Fours, Year 10 Eights and Coxed Four, and three Year 9 Quads representing BGS. The Year 9 girls enjoyed their races and learnt lots for the experience. The Year 10 Eights rowed well but were outclassed by a Durham ARC. The Year 10 Coxed Four really enjoyed the race but due to lack of competition ended up racing again a BGS Year 11 crew.
The Year 11 Fours boats both won their races. The Year 11 2nd Four had a brilliant race winning the beginner fours category, demonstrating the impact of the hard work they have put in over the past few weeks. The Year 11 1st Four were overall winners of the WJ16 category.
Only the Year 11 Eight raced in Division three, which meant there was a lot of support from the bank. They too raced well keeping the strokes long and strong, holding their form well through the whole race.
The Senior Girl of the Match was Bella Trobe (Lower Sixth) who stepped up and coxed not one but all three divisions, a fantastic achievement. In the final race, the batteries on the cox box ran out so Bella projected her voice without the help of the amplifier. The Junior Girl of the Match goes to Ellie Ewen (Year 10) who rowed a long, powerful and consistent stroke, which helped the crew keep their rhythm. She showed a focus that helped lift her rowing to previously unseen standards.
