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Cygnet Weekly Update
Author: Neil Pickford |
31st May 2017
All,
It was a lovely if breezy day for Twickenham Regatta, few more picturesque places to race and spectate. Well done to Cris, Vasil, Niall and Bjarne for beating a much bigger Twickenham crew in their heat, after racing side by side for the first two thirds of the course pulled clear in the home stretch to win by a couple of length showing that superior technique and fitness beats brawn. They put in a very creditable row in the semi but eventually losing out to a strong AK crew who went on the win the final. It was Bjarne and Niall's first regatta and just shows how much they have developed as a result of the time spent on the water in the past months.
Cris, Robin and I all had a crack in our singles but came up against stronger opposition on the day. Robin had the most adventurous race, with a collision 10 strokes or so into the race after Robin had got a flying start and taken back the stagger from his Upper Thames oppo. The race has to be restarted the umpire very generously not penalising the Upper Thames rower for taking Robin out. No clash on the re-run but no win either for Robin. Novice 1x is soooo tough when you come against big senior rowers turning their hand to sculling.
Next up is Barnes and Mortlake "International" Regatta on the 10th June, the last of our local Tideway regattas. We've entered two Novice 4+ crews - provisionally Cris, Vasil, Niall, Bjarne and Robin, Ian S, Scott and Sam. If anyone wants to double up in another event or anyone else wants to race in another category please let me know so I can get the entries in this week. The more water time these two lineups get between now and race day the better. Both crews are clearly competitive and there is a great opportunity to de-novice one of them on the 10th.
The Learn to Row course ended on Sunday with their final outing followed by a BBQ organised by Cris. They have been a really enthusiastic and positive group who've got plenty of water time to get to grips with the basics. We've asked them all to join the club as full members and it would be great to see them join to become our new novice squad and continue their development. There is no reason why they can't aim at a regatta later in the summer to cut their racing teeth. We plan to continue the outings for this group on Thursday evenings and Saturdays, but we do ask that you sign up as members and complete the membership form as the next step. I will add you names to the month by month availability pages along with the rest of the squad for you to fill in your availability for the Thursday and Saturday sessions. This is a simple but important piece of admin to be done weekly so we can plan outings and put crews together so everyone gets out on the water. We are looking forward to having you as part of the club and seeing you race in Cygnet colours.
So, this week....
Tuesday 7pm Weights session (unsupervised)
Wednesday Outings for Barnes and Mortlake crews. Can you liaise amongst yourselves about availability. I am happy to cox one on the crews, let me know if you need me.
Thursday 7pm Squad Ergo 750m + 500m at 2k pace, 5 min rest
Thursday 7pm Ex LTR Outing - please complete your availability here by Wednesday 6 pm.
Saturday Main squad meet at 7:05, OTW by 7:30
Focus on preparation for Barnes and Mortlake Regatta so please make sure your availability is up to date and race crews maximise their water time!!!!
Novice squad, meet at 9:00, OTW at 9:30
Sunday Main squad meet at 7:05, OTW by 7:30
Sculling ladder and race preparation.
That's all for now, see you at the club soon,
Jez
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Cygnet Weekly Update
Author: Neil Pickford |
23rd May 2017
This week we have Twickenham Regatta and the final sessions of the Learn to Row course.
Our entries in Twickenham are:
Nov 4+
Cox either Jez, Charle or Anna, Bjarne, Vasil, Cris , Niall
Nov 1x
Robin & Cris
Mas E 1x
Jez
The draw is not yet out, I'll let you know the race times as soon as I can. Twickenham Regatta is on the stretch of the river above Richmond, from Eel Pie Island down to Buccleuch Gardens where there is always a band playing, food and drink being served. The sun will be shining, it will be 30C, what not to like, come along and cheer on our crews.
It's the last of the learn to row sessions on Thursday and Sunday. As usual we will be after a few subs to make up the boats for the outings. On Sunday, if conditions allow we will see how far our students have progressed by having a race like piece between two eights over a short course. Following that we will have a BBQ in the sunshine and talk about what happens next and how you can become full members of the club.
So this week...
Tuesday: 7:00pm Weights (unsupervised)
Wednesday: 7pm Nov 4+ outing (plus scullers and any approved steers and crew)
Thursday: 7:00 pm Ergo 3 x 750m @ 2k pace with 3 min rest
Learn to Row water outing - please update your availability so we can plan crews...
Saturday
Twickenham Regatta
I'll see who is left behind and put together crews from them.
Sunday
Main Squad meet at club at 7:05, OTW at 7:30
Learn to row, meet at 9:30, 10:00 on the water. - Final Session
We want to get two eights doing some side by side training at race pace to give you the excitement of racing and whet you appetite for future races. So please make every effort to attend. We hope you've enjoyed the course, got the rowing bug and want to carry on rowing at Cygnet. We will talk about our plans for you beyond the course over a beer and a burger. Please let us know on the spreadsheet if you join us for the BBQ by just writing "BBQ" in the appropriate cell on the sheet.
Further Ahead
Barnes and Mortlake "International" regatta is on the 10th June, we need to get entries in soon. This is the last of the Tideway regattas so let's get a good turn out. We also usually pair up for some mixed 4+ races with Barnes Bridge, which is a good opportunity for everyone to get a race.
More to follow....
See you at the club soon,
Jez
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Dame Di Ellis
Author: Neil Pickford |
19th May 2017
Dame Di Ellis, who died on 18th May 2017, was a giant in our sport. Instantly recognisable to all in British Rowing, Cygnet always felt that it could claim a special bond with her by virtue of her marriage to John Ellis, who has been a life-long member of Cygnet since the 1950s.

Di and John met at the Civil Service Boathouse when she was rowing for St George's and he for Cygnet. Di subsequently went to on to represent Great Britain before becoming an umpire, an official, team manager and Chairman of British Rowing (then the ARA) in 1989.

Deservedly described as 'The First Lady of British Rowing', Di served on unnumerable committees and organising bodies in her time, finishing her career in 2012 as Executive Chairman of British Rowing after 52 years in the sport.

Di's huge contributioin to the sport was recognised in 2013 when she was named a 'Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire' in the 2013 Birthday Honours List.

The last Cygnet function she attended was in October 2013 when she was proud to pose with her medal and Cygnet was able to bask in some of her reflected glory.
Paul Rawkins
19th May

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