Rowing at Scots College

Chairman’s Welcome

Dear Rowing Community

Scots has had a long history in rowing punctuated by some tragic events. Since the relatively recent re-establishment of rowing at the College the rowing club has gone from strength to strength. I am delighted with the increasing interest in rowing and the corresponding increase in the numbers of students rowing.

Rowing is a fantastic sport building not only fitness but also teamwork and requires commitment. It provides a wonderful platform for young people to acquire the skills they will need to be successful in life.

Our Club is supported by an active committee and dedicated Staff who work hard to ensure students receive the best possible opportunities. Given the nature of the rowing programme the College could not offer the opportunities we do without Parental support.

Welcome to this rowing season which I am sure will be full of highlights.

Graeme Yule Chair of Rowing Club Headmaster

Graeme Yule Headmaster

David rowed for Scots College back in the 90’s and won several national titles for Scots and raced for the Wellington and Canterbury Regional teams. He competed internationally for NZ in junior trans Tasman events three times earning a spot at the junior world champs where he placed 22nd in the double scull. He was selected for U23 and international competitions.

David was selected for the NZ Olympic team but injury forced him to retire and take up coaching. His four seasons as the Senior Coach at Christchurch Girls’ High School led to many medals and a position at Melbourne Girls’ College as Director of Rowing for four seasons. He relocated back to NZ to have Kiwi kids. After four seasons as Head Coach at Samuel Marsden he took the opportunity to coach at his old school and is now in his fourth season there. When not at rowing – he’ll get back to you on that one!

Nikki’s rowing career started in 2009 as a coxswain at Wellington Girls’ College. Now, ten years on she has been lucky enough to cox crews right from novice girls and boys through to senior men and has had the chance to coach high school and university crews of various categories. Nikki’s biggest achievement so far has been two Maadi medals as a coach, and various placings at North Island Club Champs as a cox. Her favourite part of coaching is breaking through the “impossible” boundaries and setting new and challenging targets. When not coaching rowing you can find her coaching lacrosse or going for a swim.

Coach Profiles

Nikki Cryer Assistant Coach

David Car-Smith Head Coach and Director of Rowing

Team Wellbeing

Physical wellbeing

Rowers train and race within safe environments mentored by trained professionals. This provides rowers the opportunity to excel both physically and mentally. Training programmes are tailored to the rowing age level or level of rowers’ progression. This ensures excellence relative to rowers’ ability and place of development. Strength conditioning includes on and off water sessions both indoors and outdoors. Nutrition is the key to inner helath to promote strength, conditioning and optimum performance in both training and racing scenarios. Refer to our nutrition guide for more detailed information.

Ethics and School Values

Scots College’s ethos of personal discipline, hard work and high expectations makes it an ideal home for an elite rowing programme, which has exactly the same virtues. We aim to create local heroes that have the ambition and strength of character to succeed at the top level.

Principles and goals:

• The achievement of excellence

• The creation of an elite rowing programme to rival the best schools in the country

• To be an inspiration to Scots College students

• To establish rowing as a recognised sport

• To identify and prepare rowers who- in time –will be capable of international competition.

Social wellbeing

Rowers are encouraged to cycle or car share with caregivers of local team mates to training. Camps and regattas will have organised team transport where we ride together, though additional vehicle support from parents is always appreciated where possible. We love our whanau support and welcome friends and family to visit us train and race. View our Supporters Guide online with everything you’ll need to know about typical regatta race days.

The coaching team brings knowledge and expertise gained from their own experiences and journeys including competing at national level.

Our coaches’ knowledge best prepares rowers from beginner to senior competitive levels. The key areas of development our coaches focus on are:

Coaches Overview

• Pre-season strength and conditioning training to enable full participation at the start of the rowing season

• Nutrition information to help cope with the high intensity nature of rowing - both for training and competition

• Individual rowing training programmes tailored to suit

• Technical expertise for on the water analysis and feedback

• Video and Biomechanical data tracking to help athletes achieve their full potential

• Instruction in proper use of equipment both rowing and general gym weights

• Strength and conditioning sessions during season to develop and maintain integral core muscles to avoid injury and enhance performance

• Clear developmental pathways from novice to national level trialist

• Mid-week Yoga session to stretch

Structure

Learn2Row (LTR)

Designed to introduce Year 8 and 9 students to rowing over a short block with three sessions a week. Provides basic techniques on the erg then moving to boats to develop form and technique. LTR is currently run twice a year in Terms 2 and 3 and the second block would finish with a weekend camp.

Novice Programme

Consisting of rowers in their first seasons likely following the LTR programme, training roughly four times a week with a gym session for strength and conditioning, an erg session and two sessions at the Star Boating Club. Designed to give a basic understanding of the stroke and crew dynamics. Rowers compete at all the local regattas; regional regattas and the top crew would have the opportunity to qualify for national level regattas.

Junior Programme

Second year rowers initially train five times a week, increasing mid-season to six sessions. A gym session with novices for strength and conditioning, an erg session and three sessions at Star Boating Club, developing more complex aspects of training. Rowers compete at all local and regional regattas with one national level regatta. The top crews having the opportunity to qualify for National Championships.

Senior Programme

Third and fourth year rowers train together in larger squads to encourage competition and increase the depth of the talent pool for top-level crews. Preseason training is expected including a kick-start camp to enable maximum season potential. Training six times a week, then up to nine sessions from mid-season camp. Includes strength and conditioning sessions, base fitness sessions varying through the season including Yoga, specific fitness, speed work and sprint work. Star Boating club meets make up the rest of the season on the water, weather dependant. Rowers compete at pre-season regattas, all local and regional regattas with three national level regattas to enable selection of elite crews to compete at the National Championship regatta.

“Successful rowers create winning crews.”

Learn2Row

The Learn2Row programme is designed to enable students to experience some of what’s involved typically in rowing. Several places are available every year in order to continue developing the sport at Scots College.

After the Learn2Rowing Programme has concluded the opportunity then exists to participate in the trials to join the rowing team.

Sessions will cover:

• Equipment vocabulary and purpose

• Launching and Docking a Rowing Boat

• The Base Technical Knowledge of the rowing stroke

• Turning the boat around safely

• Fitness testing (similar to that involved during the season)

15 years and younger Venue Time

Monday Rowing Sheds 4.30-6pm

Wednesday Rowing Sheds 6am-8am

Thursday Rowing Sheds 4.30-6pm

Sunday Rowing Sheds 7-10am

16 - 17 years Venue Time

Monday Rowing Sheds 4.30-6pm

Tuesday Rowing Sheds 4.30-6pm

Thursday Rowing Sheds 6am-8am

Sunday Rowing Sheds 7-10am

Starting on Sunday 14th August finishing on 4th September with a BBQ and Discussion of the future

Training Schedule

It is crucial for rowers on Tuesday mornings to get to school on time. Coaches have allocated enough time to quickly shower and walk to the bus out-side New World in order to be at the College for first period. Prepare yourself early, arrive on time.

Weekly Training Times

Scheduled Training and Testing Events

15 years and younger Venue Time

Tuesday Rowing Sheds 10am-12pm

Thursday Rowing Sheds 6am-8am

Sunday Rowing Sheds 4am-6pm

Date Event Where Who

August 4th LTR starts Star ALL

August 4th Pre-season rowing starts Star RR

August 25th Fitness testing Star RR

September 28-30th LTR Camp Whanganui Whanganui ALL

November 22nd Nutrition Talk -TBC Scots Parents

December 18th Last Session +2km test Star ALL

February 17th NISS/MAADI Crews Named Scots

March 6th End of Season Dinner/Prize Giving

Wellington ALL+

April 11-12th Boat Cleaning and season closing BBQ

Star ALL

Calendar of Events

The table below highlights all camps and main regatta events. For the full calendar version including term dates, selection dates, school term dates and training, please visit the rowing pages of the College website.

Date Event Where Who

Sept 28-30th LTR Camp Whanganui Whanganui ALL

October 19th Queens Cup 1km Regatta Petone ALL

November 2nd Norton cup 2km regatta Petone ALL

November 9th Porirua Goodwill 1km regatta Porirua ALL

November 23rd Wellington Champs Wellington ALL

Nov 30th -Dec 1st Marlborough Champs-Blenheim Blenheim ALL

December 2-7th X-Mas Camp – St Arnauds/Blenheim South Island ALL

December 14-15 X-Mas Regatta –return home Karapiro ALL

January 12-17th January Camp Whanganui ALL

January 25-28th KRI2 /North Island Club Champs Karapiro ALL

Ferbruary 1st Wellington Secondary School Regatta Wellington ALL

February 15th Wanganui Club and School Champs Whanganui ALL

Feb 29th Mar 1st Mercury Junior Regatta Karapiro ALL

March 13th – 15th North Island Secondary School Champs Karipiro Selected crews

Mar 30-Apr 4th National Secondary School Champs (MAADI)

Twizel Selected Crews

Camps

A weeklong exercise designed to immerse athletes into an elite sporting environment.

Usually based in Karapiro these camps are both a welcome back and lead into the first major regatta of the year. With training on the international course at lake Karapiro and on the river for 20km beyond, rowers will be put through their paces alongside some of the best in the world.

The January Camp takes place in the same fantastic body of water and allows rowers to measure how ready they are for the challenging half of the season.

Parent help is essential for the success of a rowing camp.

The parents under the guidance of a camp manager ensure the smooth running of a camp. They arrange the food according to the menu, structured for us by a nutritionist and nominated food and menu coordinator. Driving students to and from the venue and to the water if necessary, as well as providing general off water support and encouragement.

Pre-Christmas and January Camps

Parent Camp Support

The Director of Rowing will administer the Season Qualifying Standard Tests for all rowers on the 30th of September. These qualifying tests are a baseline gauge of fitness and capability of all rowers. Athletes must pass the base level of these tests in order to be eligible to row for Scots in the upcoming season. If an athlete is unable to attend the testing date (due to illness, injury or other reason given prior notice) OR if an athlete does not meet the standard on that day, then there will be a second chance on 11th of October with the new Novices. The criteria for passing the test will be communicated to rowers by the Director of Rowing prior to the testing date. Crew selections are not a subject for debate.

Scots College Rowing squad/crew selection is based on the following:

• 2k/5k erg times

• Rowing technique/boat moving ability

• Previous racing history

• Attitude to training and racing

• Team compatibility

Listed in the table below are the times that crews in contention for national titles will be achieving. It is never too late to change intensity of training but the further off the target time and the closer to the end of the season – the harder it will become to change.

August September October November December January February March

Desired U18

06:45.0 06:40.0 06:30.0 06:20.0 06:15.0 06:15.0 06:09.0 06:05.0

Desired U17

07:05.0 06:59.0 06:45.0 06:35.0 06:30.0 06:33.0 06:25.0 06:20.0

Desired U16

07:15.0 07:10.0 07:05.0 06:59.0 06:50.0 06:53.0 06:45.0 06:40.0

Desired U15

08:28.0 08:05.0 07:50.0 07:35.0 07:30.0 07:15.0 07:05.0

PerformanceCriteria and Selection

Nutrition

Recovery nutrition has an immediate and significant impact on performance especially when training or competing again the following day. A high carbohydrate snack should be taken immediately after training. E.g. low fibre cereal or high GI, jam or honey on toast/bread, a banana, or a cereal bar. Within 1-2 hours of training, taking protein and

Day before regatta

Meals and snacks need to be low in fats and oils.

Keep well hydrated. Would need approx. 2.5 – 3.0L of water = 3 – 4 water bottles – taken over the day.

During Training

During Competition Days

Day of the regatta

On the regatta day have a water bottle with you at all times. You need 300 – 600mls of water 2 or 3 hours before an event plus 400mls in the hour before racing.

Check out the detailed nutrition guide back at the main Sport Centre for rowing menu. This covers nutrition during training and during competition.

carbohydrate improves recovery beyond simple rest. As the training season moves along, the kilojoule intake will need to increase to provide sufficient energy.

Minimise chips, lollies, high sugar biscuits, cakes or drinks which are not beneficial.

Crew Success Stories

Rowan Farrell

At the end of the season, Year 11 student Rowan Farrell received an overseas scholarship to attend Brentwood College during 2019. Located on a pristine waterfront estate on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Brentwood College is an esteemed co-educational boarding school known for their all-round sporting excellence.

Josh Mallett

“I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to go on this exchange, the three months I spent in Canada was the best three months of my life. Over the duration of my trip, I learned one really important lesson that I am going to take with me for the rest of my life... Take responsible risks! Going on the exchange was the best risk I’ve ever taken I got to meet some of the best people, people that I’ll still contact 20 years down the line. I wouldn’t have been able to have such a fantastic experience if it wasn’t for rowing, rowing has become a very important part of my life that has opened many doorways for me. It’s your choice whether you step through them or not.”

“To finish on the podium at North Island Secondary Schools Rowing Champs was a feeling I’ll never forget. For the entirety of the 2017/18 season I battled with various injuries which meant that I couldn’t achieve the results I knew I was capable of. These injuries persisted for the first couple of months of this season (2018/19) and I thought ‘here we go again’. Eventually I managed to get my injuries under control, but I knew I still had a lot to do to get my fitness up to scratch if I wanted to be competitive.

Brentwood CollegeRowan Farrell Podium finish at NISS Rowing Champs

Josh Mallet

My battle with injury the season before left me determined to succeed this season and to my surprise I ended up with a bronze medal at North Islands. I’ve learnt many important life lessons during my college rowing career but from this particular experience I learned the importance of persistence. It was so great to be able to prove to myself what I am capable of and what can be achieved when you don’t give up, even when it’s the easiest option.”

Uniform

Travel Uniform

It is the strict expectation from the College that all sports teams will travel in Scots College branded uniform. Students must travel in trackpants or black shorts in the case of warm weather. This is accompanied with the training tee and hoodie or jacket option in cooler weather.

Personally Supplied Gear

Supplied Branded Uniform

TheScots row suit and rowing long sleeve items are supplied to new rowers and are a included in your rowing fees once as a novice. All items are replaced if necessary at your own cost thereafter. Please ensure you are fitted with both. Both male and female fits are available for each.

From 2020 all the following sports uniform will be compulsory for all Scots students and rowers will be expected to wear it for travel to and from Regattas.

Compulsory Items Quantity

White Scots College row suit 1

White Scots College rowing long sleeve with collar 1

Item

Rowing Shorts

Plain black thermal or skins training only (option)

Plain white thermal or skins Regatta race days

Trainers

Subscriptions

Estimated Costs

Costs included in Scots Rowing Club subscriptions are:

• Star Boating Club season membership fees

• The use of, and maintenance of, boats, coaching boats, erg and other equipment.

• Fees for regattas

• Star Uniform + Scots Rowing long-sleeve suit

• Training camp accommodation and food

• Regatta accommodation and travel

• NZRA affiliation fees (which includes copies of NZ Rowing Magazine)

Estimate of Club fees are broken down as follows:

Star Season Membership $800 per rower

Camps and Regattas $3000 (this includes approx. 30 days out of town, all food and transport. Maintenance of fleet, professional coaching developement and race entry fees)

Costs of accommodation, food and transport for the annual NZ Secondary School Championships (Maadi Cup) and National Club Championships are additional and only charged to those who are selected to participate.

Total charged to rower: $4000

*If an Athlete withdraws from the programme for any reason before the 1st December than half the season fees are expected and if withdrawn after 1st December than full fees are expected as all transport and accommodation are pre paid.

College Policy and Strategic Plan

The College has a range of policies which cover all events in regard to student welfare, outdoor education events, care and travel. Please see the relevant links below for more information. A copy of our strategic plan can be obtained from contacting the Team Manger.

Black Scots College warm up tee (long or short sleeve) 1

Black Scots College softshell hooded jacket (new item replacing the old tracksuit jacket)

1

Black Scots College trackpants (from 2020 onwards) 1

Black Scots College official hoodie 1

Black Scots College cap 1

Please note that you may purchase either the hoodie or the jacket option. All items are suitable across all sports codes. Exisiting College hoodies are acceptable, it is preferred these are the official hoodie not a centenary hoodie.

Responsibilites

Parental Responsibilities

To be able to run a school rowing club smoothly and efficiently, there are many avenues for parents to become involved, from holding Committee positions, to assisting with fundraising, food, transport, accommodation and regatta volunteering. Parents also have the responsibility of providing positive encouragement to the rowers helping them maintain fitness, good nutrition, adequate rest, academic balance, and mental wellbeing.

Rowers are required to be in the boat area one hour prior to their race for preparation and should remain in the area immediately after their race for a post-race talk. Parents are asked to not interact with the rowers during this time to allow full focus to be maintained.

Rowers Responsibilities

Rowing is a demanding sport requiring discipline, commitment, integrity and standards of behaviour of the highest level. Once you have committed to a boat or a regatta, it is expected you will honour that commitment. Rowers will strive for long-term excellence, to achieve their personal best, and to assist in the success of their fellow rowers.

The intense nature of rowing requires a standard beyond other school sports and the difference between winning and losing is now found in the crew that understands that rest and recovery are vital for maximum performance.

General guidelines for rowers

• School rowers are not allowed on the water without a safety boat (or personal flotation device for senior crews).

• All rowers are required to be able to swim at least 100 metres in clothes and tread water for 5 minutes. Every novice rower is required to complete a swim test in the Harbour.

• Coxswains must always wear a life jacket on the water.

• All rowers are required to sign an acknowledgement form agreeing to comply with the Star Boating Club Safety Policy on registration.

Coach and Managers responsibilities

Coaching styles and decisions should be regarded as professional judgments made in the best interest of the rowers overall athletic development. Teacher Management reflects the best interests of all student’s general health and safety on behalf of the College, that is its character, values and policy. Both parties strive for clear communication and consistency of procedures and approaches. Any feedback should be directed to the Director of Sport.

Boat usage and allocation

Scots College Rowing own a small fleet of boats and oars. We also have access to the Star Boating Club’s equipment, including ergs, weights and safety boats. Once all schools training sessions have been confirmed, Star Boating Club allocates rowing plant for use during training sessions. Every season we/they replace or renovate boats and it is essential all rowers treat the equipment carefully and respectfully.

Water safety and risk management

Safety and risk management is an important component of administering rowing. We perform in an environment where significant hazards exist. The weather plays a big part in rowing: cold, wet, windy conditions expose rowers to physical and psychological dangers, just as sun and heat do. We need to be prepared for all conditions by having appropriate clothing and equipment and react to the dangers with sensible decision-making.

The water obviously poses a threat: dangerous sea, current, wave conditions, tipping out of boats and avoiding other water users are constant concerns. Safety boats and personnel will always be at hand. All rowers are encouraged to maintain first aid competency and to take special care looking after themselves and their crews.

Code of Conduct

An official Code Of Conduct for Scots College rowing, is available on our website. All must agree to its terms in regard to behavior for all parties involved including sporting and travel expectations.

Star Boating

The Committee

Scots College Rowing Club is affiliated with the ‘The Star Boating Club’ and are able to benefit from the club coaches, facilities and administration. Scots is also directly affiliated to the Wellington Secondary Schools Rowing Association and the NZ Secondary School Rowing Association.

The Committee shall conduct the affairs of the Scots College Rowing Club as a whole and shall consist of a Chairman, Director Of Rowing (DoR), Teacher in Charge (TIC), Secretary, Treasurer and other Officers as deemed necessary.

Role Name Email

Chairman Graeme Yule yuleg@scotscollege.school.nz

Director of Rowing David Carr-Smith carsmithd@scotscollege.school.nz

Teacher in Charge Marie Swanson swnaonsm@scotscollege.school.nz

Secretary Kath Tate

Treasurer Sam Stubbs

Fundraising Vivian Young

Grants Karen Raitt

Administration Matt Mallett

Food and Menu Coordinator

Taman Farrell

Acquisitions and Maintenance

Tim Campbell