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2003 RP CLASSIC – THE BEST YET
The 3rd RP Classic was held on Sunday, November 2 in the magnificent
Jeanette Buckham Centre at Pymble Ladies College.
The NSWRA and Rowperfect Australia are indebted to the Headmistress, Mrs Gillian Moore, and the College Council for their generosity in sharing this beautiful sports
centre. The combination of natural light and fresh air (courtesy of the lifting glass “walls”), plus plenty of spectator seating (not that the spectators did much sitting due to the great racing on view) made for a truly
memorable day.
Among many highlights:
- Over 70 individual races were held in just over 4 hours — a record and a tribute to the timekeepers and recorders — thanks Jenny, Deb, Gill, Row and Sascha in particular,
- Record prognostics were achieved in both the Men’s and Women’s Championships,
- Some sensational races,
including the Women’s U18 trio from Mosman (Carruthers, Fisher and Thompson) who finished within 0.3 seconds after racing side-by-side for 2000 metres — it doesn’t come any closer than that!
- In the School categories, a new format whereby crews raced one member at a time. In both the Boys’ and Girls’
Fours, this resulted in tremendous racing, with the final result unclear until the last rower finished. In both categories minor placings were determined by fractions of a second,
- Real spectator involvement
and support. Plenty of parents and supporters left with far greater understanding and appreciation of the real pain involved in rowing, as well as the great satisfaction that comes with a top effort,
- A new World Record in the Women’s 500 metre Fly-and–Die
to Emily Creighton of Pymble (Record outright time 1.21.7, average Power 472 W, weight 72 kg, as well as a record prognostic of 112% WJ8+),
- Our first on line entries, we received 2 from The Netherlands (Justus & Marjolein Janssen) and
1 from Rick McLennan who rows with Grafton Rowing Club. It was great to welcome these competitors and record their session files within the results. They are the pioneers in a section of the event we hope will continue to
grow over the years, making the RP Classic a truly global regatta!
Mark & Gillian Campbell
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