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!

Gauteng Championships: Saturday Finals

A good day for KES today. Row of the day has to go to the u16 eight, which has improved at least 30secs relative to the field since last weeks race! Including a few novices (who started rowing on Sept Camp), the crew powered into silver today showing a huge amount of mettle. The u16 age group has shown great character so far this season, having had to deal with losing two of their top oarsmen to the 1st eight since September. That is never easy, but their ability to "make a plan" has been tremendous to watch and we applaud them. We now look on eagerly at what they can do this season, having proven to themselves today that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Mention must also go to the pair of Botes and Barclay (from the same eight) who managed bronze today. Their rowing in the pair has improved significantly in the past few weeks.

The u14 octuple also bagged the silver today behind Bennies. This is their first big result of the season. Hats off to the coaches and boys, who have done some sterling work! These boys are not even at KES yet, having started their rowing merely a month ago…

The u15's had a good day too, showing improvement in the quads. No medals for them today, but good to see 2 quads in the A final. This age group has a mass of potential and depth. We wish them all the best for the octuple tomorrow.

In the open age group, the 1st quad climbed the ladder, from 8th last week to fifth. The first four managed bronze - also a significant improvement since last week (5th). Both of these crews showed some grit today. With sole focus on the eight in preparation in the last month, these crews feel they have more speed to come with some time in small boats.

The championship format means that there are only A events. Some of our B crews that were entered raced particularly well. 2nd four, 2nd quad had good rows today, as did the u15B quad.

Tomorrow looks like it could be a cracker and we are looking forward to it. Racing starts at 8 and ends around 2.30pm (weather permitting!!).