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On Oct 27 2002, once again Active Australia Day, Rowperfect Australia held the world’s second indoor
multiple-boat regatta at St Ignatius’ College, Riverview. A record 74 entries were received. Unfortunately we also set a record for late withdrawals when almost the entire squad from Riverview withdrew at 8.15am! Despite this
unfortunate hitch we enjoyed a great regatta with excellent competition and some very impressive results.
Weigh-in started at 8.30 (the Rowperfect interface calibrates scores for bodyweight, resulting in far more
relevant scores) and we commenced racing just after 9am. Junior and school rowers competed over 2000m on coxed 8 setting, Masters rowed 1000m on single scull setting and the sole Open competitor also raced 2000m on coxed eight
setting, in order to ensure a fair competition with the junior men.
Results
In the women’s section, Carina Newman from Capital Lakes, ACT, set a prognostic record (Women)
of 94% (6min:28secs on 8+ setting), during her first ever session on a Rowperfect. Carina proved a major star, backing up one hour later for a second 2000m for good measure, still managing 92% (6:38 on 8+), and 105% in her
sprint. We’ll be watching her career with interest! Angela Turner and Brooke Spokes of Pymble finished second and third respectively.
Pymble 3 (Yasmin L’Estrange, Emily Hosking, Brooke Spokes and Alex Handley) won the
Schoolgirl Four at crew average of 6:45, a good effort this early in their season. The fours races were a real hit — the crews
included (chosen at random) two from the First VIII, and one each from the First IV and First Quad, thus racing was very close and only 9 seconds eventually separated the entire field when individual scores were averaged. For
the record Pymble 1 finished second, with Pymble 2 third.
We were pleased to welcome back Judy Brown, a keen competitor who travelled from Woy Woy and took out the W>45 again this year with a prognostic of 68%, (which
she tells us will put her in the front running locally).
In the Mens events withdrawals unfortunately decimated the Junior men’s numbers, however the two future champions who did have the courage to race deserve a
special mention - how many schoolboys would have the courage to complete a voluntary 2000 metre trial? Damien Patterson from the Riverview First VIII won in 6:09 (89% JM8+) from Will Marsh (6:18), a super-fit first season rower
currently (but not for long?) rowing in the Fourth IV.
The Open Men’s event was won by Mark Campbell in 5:56 (90% M8+) which was just enough to beat Damien for the Overall Men’s title — and pretty chuffed at 43yo to beat 17yo athletes in their prime after training for 1000m Masters events over the past year. He is certainly
putting the Rowperfect to good use! A sure case of experience beating talent!
The Masters over 45 saw a keen contest between Steve Gordon and John Dollisson, both members of Mosman’s D8 from the World Masters Games (the
crew which beat the eventual winners in their heat, then suffered a broken rudder in the semi-final!) These guys went stroke-for-stoke, “bowball-to-bowball” for 800 metres before Gordon drew away to an excellent victory in 3:35.
500 Metre ”Fly & Die”
The Cox’s 500 proved a surprise with Jenny Monaghan of Pymble Ladies College conclusively beating the St Ignatius entrant in both time and
prognostic score. In fact the mighty Pymble coxes showed no regard for gender, both beating their male counterpart! Jenny’s prognostic of 89% was a great effort.
The women’s races resulted in a world record-equaling 1:22
by Angela Turner of Pymble Ladies College who equaled Prue Warden’s prognostic of 111% from the 2001 RP Classic. Competition was close, with several girls achieving times in the sub 1:27 zone. The men’s event saw some excellent
times by the veteran men — none quite able to match Rob Giblin’s superb record of 1:10 (114%) from last year. Mark Campbell at
1:17 (104%) just beat Steve Gordon at 1:18 to take out the sprint race.
Wrap up
Withdrawals meant that racing was completed by 12 noon, allowing everyone to enjoy the
rest of a beautiful Sydney Spring Sunday, but the four Rowperfect simulators and 2 warm up simulators had been constantly busy during this second RP Classic. The accuracy of racing on weight-corrected settings was tremendously
encouraging and innovative for many rowers, who’d probably been ‘carpet rowing’ on handicapped terms previously. Additionally, the range of data in the Rowperfect software was a great incentive to train and improve — for next year’s RP Classic.
Our special thanks go to NSW Rowing Assoc for their support and advice and loan of weighing-in scales,
John Dollisson of Eyecorp for the generous loan of a Data Projector and of course to St Ignatius for providing such a wonderful facility again this year.
Mark & Gillian Campbell
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