Monkton impress at GB junior rowing trials

With a hard winter's training behind them our rowers were asked to take part in the Junior rowing trials for GB selection, George Shaw & Nic Pritchard in the J18 pairs boys and Victoria Brown in the J16 girls single.

To be able to take part, the team had to be tested on the ergo rowing machine recording their scores and submitting them to British rowing every few months. The ergo cut-off times are very hard to reach and each time there is testing, many students across the country fail to get through. It is a very harsh and competitive set up and is the reason GB rowing is so strong.

The trial itself is a 5km race against the clock. The trial is always in Boston as the long straight canal is the fairest stretch of water for the crews to be measured on. Crews are set off at intervals and have to row as hard as they can making sure that they pace themselves. Going off too hard may mean suffering towards the end, likewise playing it safe at the start runs the risk of being too slow. We practice this in our training most sessions and looking at the results it paid off.

Victoria Brown raced in a single in the J16 girls category. It was her first time trialing at this level so we were not entirely sure where we would be. It was a very stiff headwind during her race and it allowed Victoria's strength and fitness to place her 25th in the country. This was a result we were very pleased with as we have only just begun to develop her technique that will take her much higher up the rankings.

George and Nick have been training hard and it was pleasing their efforts were rewarded by the best rankings from Monkton rowers for years. They rowed on the ragged edge all weekend and finished 13th on Saturday, 15th on Sunday out of 50 crews. These rankings are for the whole country and to see the schools and names that they left in their wake was awesome. To have this engine room in the Monkton crews for the summer will give us a big confidence boost.

The results will be digested by the powers that be in British rowing and should lead to our rowers being selected for the next round of trials in Nottingham. 

Meanwhile we will continue to train and compete at our local races. March is a busy Month with races at Saltford , Reading , Gloucester and the Schools Head at London.