Gauteng Champs: Sunday 31st October

The 1st eight struggled to hold speed over the second 1000m on Sunday, stiffening up and shortening a bit. Saints and Bennies took full advantage, but remain wary of our crew. A few seconds closer to bennies that we were last week - 9 seconds - unfortunately Saints and St. Johns pushed their way between us and the leaders this week.
Needless to say, the boys were disappointed. The KES will have to make up for what they lack in raw horsepower with guts, determination and efficient rowing this year. I am confident that they will move forward as the technical execution of the stroke improves.
Our new sculler and bowman in the eight, U17: McDonough finished 11th overall in the 1st singles trophy. Matthew Kelly also placed a very credible 13th overall. This was a respectable result which he is focused on improving into the season. Unfortunately the pair could not race due to a clash with the fours event in the programme.
On a whole, it has been a pleasure working with such focused athletes - and we look forward to the second half of the season. We back you gents!

Besides the 1st squad, the 2nd eight has come on in leaps and bounds. Again, lacking a bit of raw grunt – they have made strides towards the medals, missing St Stithians in the bronze medal spot by less than a second. Not only the eight, but fours and quads have come on substantially.

We had some encouraging results from all other age groups as well. The U16 quad placed 4th, showing a lot of improvement from last week. The first medal of the day came in the form of the u14 quad (silver). Incidentally, an event which we fielded 3 boats in the “A” final! Well done juniors! Viadana and his partner also managed bronze in the U14 doubles. So overall for the regatta, our junior boys (u14’s) were outstanding.

In U15, the respective A and B u15 octopul combinations were 5th (in A final) and 4the (in B final). Dos Santos was 10th overall in the single scull championship – this was his debut in this event. Daniel Kelly, our regular sculler placed 7th overall.
Once again, we must believe in this group – the future is in their hands. Concentrate on the basics and keep things simple. With the horse power on tap, increasing the efficiency and cohesion will bear fruit not only this year, but more so into the senior age groups. Progress of the kids is a process - this needs to be understood by all.

For those of you that are involved and supporting the club, thank you!