Welcome
to the National Championships website, which provides you with all the
information you need to be part of this year’s National
Rowing Championships of Great Britain.
If
you’re a potential competitor or coach, please read the
racing and safety information carefully, and in particular make sure
you’re aware of the deadlines for making entries or
registering on arrival at the Regatta. And I encourage you to
make your entries in good time: we do not accept late entries. At
all. Ever.
We
continue to develop the event to make it better for competitors and
supporters,
and so we’re making a few more changes for this year’s
Championships. We’re introducing single sculling events for
the
ARA’s new Junior 17 category: we’re not sure how this new category
will evolve, and would welcome comments from clubs and coaches on what
J17
events to offer in future years (contact us).
In direct response to feedback from coaches and parents, we’re moving
the Junior 16 finals into Saturday, along with the Junior 14 and 15
events. It’s a pity to separate these youngsters from all the
other finalists, but we have to be realistic: it doesn’t get any easier
or cheaper to organise a group of teenagers to attend the National
Championships, and we hope this move will ease the burden a bit
more. This means those competitors only need to attend and be
supervised and accommodated for two days. But one
thing we haven’t changed are the entry fees, which are the same as last
year.
Away from the racing, we’re retaining the new format of the RowShow,
offering a more flexible approach to exhibitors, and a wider range of
goods to visitors.
And we’ve now been able to put the entire Winners’ Record Book
on-line. This is a magnificent leather-bound volume that
records the names of every winner since the Championships began in
1972, and until now it’s only been accessible on a limited basis during
the Championships. But now every page can be viewed from our
website, so go and see if you can spot your name, or the names of many
a rowing star hidden in the records.
I know some people find it difficult to believe, but the Organising
Committee and officials really do set out to provide a top-quality
event, and like most coaches we’re all unpaid volunteers
doing our best for the athletes. We’re always open
to constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement, so do get in
touch via the link on the front page of the website.
And finally, a bit of an advert. One of the strengths of the
National Championships has always been the dedication of its volunteer
organisers and officials: over 100 people who work – in all
weathers! – to provide safe and fair racing for
competitors, spectators and supporters. I’m
tremendously grateful for all the hard work our volunteers put in, but
we’re constantly seeking new people to join the
team. Whatever your experience of rowing and racing there are
jobs that need to be done, as part of a team that never forgets that
this is a leisure activity that we should enjoy doing. If
you’d like to know more, get in touch through the website, or
talk to any member of the organising committee as we appear at many
regattas throughout the season.
