CLUB UPDATE - January 2016

Dear Rowing Parents

Welcome back to the second half of the 2015-16 season. We had a very successful January campincluding a strong influx of U14’s, which bodes very well for the future of the club. The Club has a record number of 7080 rowers this year!

Please take note of the events planned for term 1 and some other Club information.

Dates to diarise

January
Sat 23 / Novice Regatta (Elgin) U14 & U15
Sat 30 & Sun 31 / VLC Regatta (Johannesburg) U15 & U16
February
Wed 3 / Summer Social – Hockey Pavilion (all boys & parents)
Sat 6 / Harvest Regatta at Elgin
Wed 10 / Opens depart for Buffalo Regatta
Thurs 11 – Sun 14 / Buffalo Regatta (East London) Opens
11th – Buffalo heats
12th –Selborne Sprints heats & finals
13th – Buffalo finals
14th – travel to CT
Friday 12, Sat 13 & Sun 14 / Training camp – Doornfontein (U15/U16)????
Fri 19 / Blessing of the Boats: Memorial Chapel (parents welcome)
Friday 19, Sat 20, Sun 21
Sat 20 / Training camp – Doornfontein(U15/U16)
Alfreds Sprints – Waterfront (Opens only)
Fri 26 / 1st VIII depart for acclimatization camp
Sat 27 / Western Cape Champs (Elgin)
March
Thurs 3 / SA Schools Champs selected singles & pairs crews depart
Fri 4 / Remainder of selected crews depart for SA Champs
Fri 4 – Sun 6 / SA Champs (Roodeplaat)
Mon 7Sun 6 / SA Champs crews return to CT
Wed 9 / WC indoor erg regatta at UCT (just after school)
Thurs 17 / End of season dinner & awards (all boys & parents) – The Grand

Rowing, as with all sports at Bishops, does not allow boys to drop a sport mid-season. Any boy signed up for a crew is committed to the club until the end of that season. The season ends at the start of term 2. To this end, letters of commitment are sent out towards the end of each yearOctober or in January.

Athletics & rowing

The athletics programme has been adapted to include our rowers as follows:

  • There will be no rowing training on 28 January - Relay Sports. All boys are expected to represent their houses at this event.
  • All rowers are encouraged to participate on the Tuesday of Heats Week (2 February). Mr Maree (MIC Athletics) is willing to accommodate any event on that day to help rowers gain points for their house.
  • All rowers who are selected to row at the Harvest Regatta on 6 February will be required to attend the regatta. This does clash with Sports Day and the House Directors as well as Mr Maree are aware of this.
  • Any rower who achieves very good results for any athletics event may request a chance to challenge for a place in the Relay Sports team. This needs to be done through Mr Maree. Any rowers who are selected will then represent Bishops at the Triangular event on 24 February.

Blades for Bishops

For many years, the Club has had a dream to build a High Performance Centre for land-based training. As you know, erg sessions are currently held on the grass! In 2016 this will all change.

Plans have been drawn up for a new building to be built adjacent to the cricket pavilion at the Oaks. We are in the final stages of getting Council approval and expect to complete the building for the start of the 2016/17 season.

We have already secured funds ofR500 000and look forward to telling you more about our fundraising campaign at our Summer Social on 3 February.

End of season dinner

For the second time ever, the Bishops Rowing Dinner will be held at the recently upgraded Grand Beach restaurant on 17 March 2016. Senior and junior open parent Nerine Pienaar is chairing this very special event, assisted by Junior Open parent India Baird. Save the date now, as there will be some spectacular items in the auction, including stunning trips to the bush, the mountains and the beach. All proceeds will go towards the Bishops land-based training centre and to building our fleet of boats for the boys. If you would like to help with the evening in any way, or have items to add to the auction, please contact India Baird on .

BRC supports Sunglasses at School initiative

Sunglasses at School is a non-profit health & fundraising initiative that promotes education and awareness of the effects that UV exposure has on young eyes, especially when reflected off water. Their range of virtually unbreakable sunglasses are being offered to Bishops rowers at a discount of R100 per pair. To order go to ovoptics.co.za/shop/ and use this coupon code: BISHOPS2902 (valid until 29 February 2016).

We will be giving away 3 pairs of sunglasses in a lucky draw at the Summer Social.

Join our online community

The BRC has an active Facebook page. The page is called Bishops Rowing Club. It is a closed page so please request to be added. Here is the link:

Smug Mug ( is an online photo library of Bishops rowers taken at regattas, rowing days, etc. Anyone can upload photos and it makes for a great repository of your son’s rowing days at Bishops. Please contribute to this page or go and check out the great pics.

Lost property

All lost property is handed over to Sebastian Stemmett at Bishops. If your son loses any of his rowing kit, please contact Sebastian on 083 951 4248.

Committee update

We welcome René Stegmannas the Parent rep for the U14’s! As always huge thanks to our other reps, Christina McAdam (U15), Helen Varney (U16), Di Boynton (Junior Opens) and Meg Faure (Senior Opens).

In closing, thank you for your support, especially providing the back-up for your son to help him participate in this fantastic sport and to balance and manage his other priorities.

Yours in rowing

Peter BairdLeon GlanvillSamuel Wells

ChairmanTeacher in ChargeDirector of Rowing

Parents’ Committee