Latest Indoor Rowing News
Lincolnshire Wins East Midlands School IRC
96 rowers from Lincolnshire helped the county win the first East Midlands School Indoor Rowing Championships at Grantham Meres Athletics Arena on Friday.With over 30 rowing machines running at one time, the competition included individual races, team races and 'frantic' relay events. Over 280 children from across the East Midlands battled it out to become the East Midlands Indoor Rowing Champions, but Lincolnshire came out on top in the overall county standing.
Pupils from Kings School, Kesteven and Grantham Girls (KGGS), Central School, Grantham Church School, Lincoln Christ Hospital School and Cherry Willingham Community College were all involved in Lincolnshire's victorious win.
The team events were based on the total number of meters rowed by the teams. The Kesteven Kestrals who were made up of rowers from Kings School and KGGS were victorious in both Key-Stage 3 and Key-Stage 4. (Results shown below)
Coordinated by the Competition Manager team and Concept2, the project was a pilot event to increase the number of schools taking up the offer of indoor rowing. The organisers want to appeal to youngsters who do not necessarily excel in the more traditional sports that schools offer.
Shane Ward is a Competition Manager based at the Lincolnshire Central and South West Lincolnshire School Sport Partnership. He says:
"This is a great schools sporting event that is a real spectacle. The fact that schools can race against each other on big screens will be a great experience for the children and something they won't forget."
Janet Inman is Head of Sport at the Lincolnshire Sports Partnership. She says:
"It's great that so many of our counties schools are getting involved in indoor rowing. Lincolnshire Sports Partnership support school initiatives like this to get more children involved in sport. The Competition Managers and School Sport Partnership network have done a great job in getting nearly 300 pupils involved."
Rob King PDM City of Lincoln School Sport Partnership:
"Indoor Rowing is a great sport to get children involved in physical activity. Events like these demonstrate can have a massive effect on children's perception of keeping fit, active and healthy".
The event was a result of a number of School Sport Partnership Qualification events from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Download the full results spreadsheet.Read the full story
Posted at 9:50 am
Leicester City SSP IRC
Last month (15th December) saw the first Leicester City SSP indoor rowing competition. Hosted at Aylestone Leisure Centre in partnership with Concept2, the festival saw eight teams comprising of four girls and four boys compete over a number of team and individual races.Both the Key Stage 3 and the Key Stage 4 competition were made up of three races: a 4 minute team race, an 8 minute team race and a minute individual time trial. The distance rowed for each race were then brought together to give the schools overall distance rowed.
The morning session saw the Key Stage 3 competition take place. Soar Valley Community College came out on top, rowing a total of 6,225m, closely followed in second place was English Martyrs with Moat Community College finishing in third.
The afternoon brought the Key Stage 4 competition where the combined team made of students from Lancaster Boys and Sir Jonathon North School were triumphant with English Martyrs finishing a close second and Moat Community College coming in third.
There were some outstanding individual performances as well as some great team efforts, with the competitors rowing a huge total of 86,592m. Unfortunately only two teams from each Key Stage were able to progress to the county final. [more]The teams that will go through and represent the city at the county final will be:
Key Stage 3
- English Martyrs (Lancaster)
- Soar Valley (Crown Hills)
- Lancaster/SJN (Lancaster)
- Moat Community College (Crown Hills)
The event itself was a great success and showed the diversity of physical activity available to young people in the city. With this continued effort and positive attitude I?m sure that this competition will be one that continues to grow in years to come.
James Roche
PE and Sport Project Officer Read the full story
Posted at 11:50 am
Youth Sport Trust BIRC Report
Young people from Nottingham City School Sport Partnership and Rushcliffe School Sport Partnership recently took part in the British Indoor Rowing Championships, organised and run by Youth Sport Trust Business Honours Club member, Concept 2.
To read the full report please go to the Youth Sport Trust website.Read the full story
Posted at 12:00 am
Nottingham School Holds X Factor Style Rowing Boot Camp
Nottingham youngsters are being put to the test this week to see if they have the 'rowing factor'. Pupils from Dayncourt School in Radcliffe-on-Trent are taking part in a series of timed rowing challenges to potentially battle it out for a place at the 2009 British Indoor Rowing Championship (BIRC), which is taking place on 22 November. In an 'X Factor style' boot camp, each of the pupils from the school will compete on a Concept2 rowing machine throughout the course of the week, with the top four male and female rowers in each year group being put forward for possible selection to represent the Rushcliffe School Sport Partnership at BIRC, where they will be racing against over 1000 children from across the UK. In addition, the school are giving prizes for the top rowers. Chris Ballard, Partnership Development Manager for the Rushcliffe School Sport Partnership is looking ahead to BIRC. He commented: "I'm so excited that we are once again taking a partnership team to the British Indoor Rowing Championship this year and hope that we have plenty of representation from Dayncourt given the great effort they have put in this week - both staff and pupils. The X Factor style rowing competition has created such a good buzz around the school, with everyone wanting to get involved and showing their fighting spirit. The children are all thrilled to get the chance to row their way to BIRC in November and I'm probably even more excited than they are." [more] BIRC will return to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham where the Nottingham youngsters will be taking part in what is expected to be the biggest event yet. The Championship has already made its name, not only as the UK's largest mass-participation indoor sporting event but also as the world's biggest indoor rowing event. This year, the Nottingham youngsters will get the chance to race against some top rowers, with everyone from amateur rowers to sporting legends expected to pass through BIRCs doors to race over the 2000m distance. Simon Starr, director of Sport Nottinghamshire said: "It's wonderful that Dayncourt School is taking such a proactive approach to exercise and making it fun for the children. Rowing is a superb form of cardiovascular exercise and ideal for keeping children in shape whilst having fun, which is key to continuity. Rowing Factor is a superb idea and the perfect way to get everyone from the school involved and I wish all the youngsters who make it through to BIRC the best of luck." Rowing Factor will be taking place all week at Dayncourt School, finishing on Friday 16 October, when the final BIRC team will be decided. BIRC will take place on Sunday 22 November this year and in general there is no qualifying, the event is open to everyone. To book your place, visit www.concept2.co.uk Read the full storyPosted at 11:45 am
Sports Leaders UK Partnership
Concept2 has closed a deal which sees it become the first Business4Sports Leaders partner of Sports Leaders UK. The partnership, which was confirmed at Leisure Industry Week, is the start of a programme to pilot a new and unique Concept2 Indoor Rowing Leaders award across the UK.
The partnership will give the indoor rowing machine specialists an opportunity to form an award accredited by Sports Leaders UK to produce qualified leaders in indoor rowing. The Concept2 award will focus specifically on young people to help develop Britain's sporting legacy across UK schools.
On September 23 at LIW, Katharine Merry - bronze medal winner for the 400m sprint at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, officially launched the partnership.
Katharine said: "I fully support Sports Leaders UK awards and I'm sure that their newly formed partnership with Concept2 will have a big impact on young people's participation in sport".
[more]
Tom Kay, Head of Education at Concept2 commented: "We are delighted to become the first Business4Sports Leaders partner. The partnership with Sports Leaders UK is exciting in that it has given us the opportunity to offer a unique course which will use indoor rowing as a medium to help people learn to lead. There are so many advantages to indoor rowing and we hope that through this award, we will develop leaders who are able to enthuse and motivate others to get involved in physical activity."
"Indoor rowing in schools is something that we already push through the Concept2 Schools League but this partnership will place an even bigger emphasis on the benefits of getting involved by providing young people with the confidence to lead, inspire and motivate others through indoor rowing."
The Business4Sports Leaders partnership offers a unique opportunity for Concept2 to be involved with the country's foremost sports leadership training programme, providing access to over 200,000 young people primarily aged 9 to 19 years and over 3,500 delivery centres across the UK. Roz Hopwood, Head of Awarding Body at Sports Leaders UK said: "The Concept2 Indoor Rowing Leaders Award equips young leaders with the skills they need to deliver exciting and worthwhile indoor rowing activities. Aspiring leaders will learn skills ranging from leading indoor rowing group training routines to holding mini-leagues or competitions. In addition to this, the award will help leaders to grow in confidence and self belief. The personal journeys that people undertake whilst learning to lead will stand them in good stead for their future careers and for life itself."
For further information on the Concept2 Indoor Rowing Leaders award or to become a Concept2 Sports Leader, contact Tom Kay at Concept2 on 0115 945 5522 or email tomk@concept2.co.uk.
Further information on the new partnership between Concept2 and Sports Leaders UK will be available at the School Sport Partnerships Conference 2009 which will take place at The International Centre in Telford on 14 and 15 October. For details go to www.youthsporttrust.org Read the full story
Posted at 8:23 pm
Beijing Olympic Champion Visits Schools
Two schools received a visit from an Olympic Gold medallist this month after their pupils rowed their way to the top in the 2008-09 Concept2 Schools League Bonus Round at the end of last term, beating off competition from teams across the UK.
Olympic canoeist, Tim Brabants visited pupils from Kenton School in Newcastle who won the Secondary School prize with a fantastic 255 teams entered (that's the majority of the school!), and Priory Junior School in St Neots with 73 teams entered.
Excited pupils at both schools got the chance to up close and personal with an Olympic Gold medal as well as talking to Tim about his achievements both on the water and in achieving his lifelong ambition to become a doctor.
Tim commented: 'I'm delighted to be involved with the Concept2 Indoor Rowing Schools League. It's important that young people are encouraged to participate in sport, both from a confidence point of view and a health perspective. Indoor rowing is a great way to get everyone involved, as each person taking part can do so at their own pace, in a safe environment. From past experience, it's definitely something that every young person gets excited about and wants to be involved in.'
[more]Deputy Head Teacher at Priory Junior School, Kevin Sadler commented: 'The enthusiasm generated has been incredible, with children practising their technique and change-over skills during the lunchtime breaks on machines kindly loaned to the school each month by both St Neots Rowing Club and Longsands College.
Many children, including those who haven't taken to any kind of sport previously, have discovered a love for rowing - it has had a huge impact on raising the self-esteem for many of them. The children were all excited about Tim's visit and very eager to get the opportunity to see an Olympic Gold medal.'
Grahame Wood, PE teacher at the school is thrilled with the win. He commented: 'Indoor Rowing at Kenton School has been infectious, with almost all of our pupils getting involved. It's a great way to increase their confidence and get them involved in sport where some of them may not have shown an interest in the past. The team spirit amongst the pupils has been incredible and taking part in the league has definitely helped to bring them closer together.
Winning the Concept2 bonus round was the icing on the cake for us. Everyone was really excited for Tim's visit - getting to meet an Olympic champion and see a Gold Medal isn't something that you get to do every day. Tim showed a real interest in all the staff and pupils and I'd like to thank Concept2 for organising such a fantastic day.'
The Concept2 bonus round coincides each year with National School Sports Week and takes the form of a relay challenge race where teams of four rowers complete 503m each, covering the distance as quickly as possible to reach a total of 2012m.
It forms part of Concept2's Indoor Rowing Schools League which is designed to encourage participation in exercise from a young age and aims to encourage pupils and staff to build healthier lifestyles for the future and to show youngsters that exercise is fun.
As an Olympic Gold medallist, Tim is a real inspiration to the youngsters and his visit will motivate pupils at both schools to maintain their activity levels.
The 2009/10 Concept2 Schools League has kicked off already. You can enter the league at any point by logging on to http://www.concept2.co.uk/league - don't miss out, get rowing!
Read the full storyPosted at 1:12 pm
Portchester School Fundraising Event
A major contributory factor in the levels of participation and success that Portchester School in Bournemouth have enjoyed this year has been the support the school have received from the Steve Bernard Foundation.
The foundation, formed following the tragic passing of Steve Bernard in November 2005, aims to mirror Steve's desire to bring sporting happiness to those around him. It has supported more than 40 projects across 16 different sports including the purchase of two brand new Concept 2 rowing machines for Portchester School. These machines, bringing the school's total to six, have enabled more students to be coached at a single class thereby widening accessibility to indoor rowing and as a consequence further improving the performance of the school teams.
As a gesture of thanks, Portchester organised a fundraising indoor rowing challenge on Saturday 4th July at the Sovereign Shopping Centre, Boscombe on behalf of the foundation.
An 8-man mixed staff and students team attempted to 'row the Channel - Dover to Calais' aiming to complete the 34 km distance in a series of 250m legs in under 2 hours. This meant an average pace of 1m 45s/500m so those slick changeovers at the end of each leg which have served Portchester so well in the schools competitions were paramount!
The team consisted of 5 students, Year 11s Kian Hargan and Jason Everitt, Year 10s Leigh Craig and Tom Hall, Year 9 Ashley Williamson and 3 members of staff, Richard Finney, Richard Harrison-Poole and Paul Sawyer. Their support team of coxes and fundraisers, namely Ben Barnett, Ross Marsh, Ben Smith, Rebecca Gumbs, Becky Hutchings, Natalie Morgan and Sophie Owen alongside the school?s Director of Sport John Greetham were on hand to ensure the challenge ran smoothly and to collect the donations from the shoppers.
Sensible pace judgment was paramount to the team's success as most of the team had never tackled an endurance event of this type before and to everyone's credit they got it spot on and actually managed an average pace of 1m 39.3s/500m to finish in a superb 1 hour 52 minutes 36.2 seconds.
Most importantly they raised over £220 for the Steve Bernard Foundation as a result of their efforts and the money raised from the previous evening's indoor rowing awards presentation.
For more information on the Steve Bernard Foundation then please take a look at their website at www.stevebernardfoundation.org
Read the full storyPosted at 11:35 am
Arnold Hill School - Race The Sun
On Friday 3rd July nearly 200 pupils from Years 7 - 9 at Arnold Hill School, Nottingham, participated in their Annual Race the Sun Triathlon (next year it'll be called Follow the Flood!)
In desperate circumstances and severe weather conditions, the teams of 4 successfully completed the three stages of Cycling, Rowing and Running, (because of the weather each discipline was shortened to 35 minutes).
The winning team of boys and girls from Year 7 managed to cover 38.83 Kilometres in the given time. The event also raised some £1400 to be donated to charity, mainly Action Medical Research (who organise the National event). This fixture in the school calendar continues to develop and interest in triathlon has grown.
Read the full storyPosted at 8:29 am
Redwood Rows Around The Word (Twice!!!!)
As part of the celebration day events at Redwood on Friday 3rd July students across all key stages were challenged to row around the world on our five Concept2 rowing machines. Students could pop in and out of the challenge as and when they liked and as many times as they wanted. It did not matter if they rowed 1 meter or 1000 meters as they were rowing to the same destinations collectively as one team.
Our route saw us pass through, with the help of Google Earth, 18 destinations: Manchester - Paris - Rome - Istanbul - Jerusalem - Dubai - Beijing - Tokyo - Singapore - Melbourne - Auckland - Cook Islands - Hawaii - San Francisco - Las Vegas - Chicago - New York - London.
The distance was set at 49000 meters, we converted every meter rowed into 1km. and left Manchester in search of Paris at 9.30am. The students were phenomenal, constantly aiming for their next destination being able to view on screen where they were in the world. The determination was incredible; there was not an empty rowing machine all day long!
[more]With the help of a programme called RowPro which connects the Concept2 rowing machines to a computer programme, students could see themselves rowing on screen as if they were rowing down rivers, over lakes and across oceans. This added to their desire to reach their goal.
By 11.00am the progress was outstanding; they had already reached Melbourne and were heading for Auckland. The school were well and truly up for the monstrous challenge that had been set for them.
By 12.20pm they reached their goal - they had arrived at London completing 49,000 meters equating to 49,000km. An unbelievable achievement for the school as a whole. But our students were not satisfied, they wanted to do the challenge again after a brief lunch break!
The second voyage commenced at 1pm and it was even more ambitious than the first attempt as we had less than 100 minutes to achieve our goal.
Again the students rose to the challenge as the first 5 rowers ploughed through Paris, Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem and were already on their way to Dubai with only 13 minutes gone. The pace did not slow down either as all 5 rowing machines headed for London via a number of exotic locations.
We did not see much of the destinations we passed through as we were travelling so fast. We arrived in London only 94 minutes after setting off from Manchester, visiting 16 different destinations on the way!
Throughout the day the students collectively rowed 98,000m - a staggering achievement.
A truly amazing day had by all and learning a vital message - never underestimate Redwood students!!!!!
David Butterworth
Sports Development Co-ordinator
Redwood Secondary School
Rochdale
Greater Manchester
Posted at 7:09 am
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield
Two sets of pupils from Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in Sutton Coldfield rowed their way into the record books last Saturday (27 June) in the Gracechurch Centre.
Four boys, aged 16 successfully smashed the record for Team 1-hour maximum distance Concept2 indoor rowing record by 213 metres, rowing an incredible 18192 metres.
Head of Rowing, Brian Davies said: "The boys success is down to their excellent communication and team-working skills as well as their determination to succeed. They worked incredibly hard and thoroughly deserve their records."
Masses of shoppers gathered to cheer the boys on who were attempting the feat as part of a big fundraising effort to send them on their way to Johannesburg, South Africa in the summer where they will take part in the inaugural Bishop Bavin Regatta.
A team made up of four students aged between 14 and 16 also broke the Concept2 1-hour maximum distance record for Under 18's by nearly a 1000m, achieving a distance of 17246 metres.
Jasroop Bhogal came within a tantilising 0.2 seconds of breaking the 13-14 year old shortcourse 100m world record. He is hoping to finally break the record that has stood for nine years on his next attempt in October.
Rowing captain, Tom Jackson said: "It was an extremely good performance from all members of the team, who have all trained hard over the last few months to achieve this feat. It also sets us up well to perform to our best when we compete in South Africa this summer."
The rowing team will also be taking part in a final fundraising car wash at the school on Saturday 18 July from 10-2.30 to fund the trip to South Africa.
Read the full storyPosted at 11:00 pm