With seven athletes winning a Gold Medal, two athletes winning Silver and two athletes winning Bronze, Somerset College came seventh on the Medal Tally at the Rowing Queensland Schools’ State Championships, held at Bucca Weir from September 17 to 19 2022. We had 38 athletes travel to Bundaberg to race against 47 other schools from around the state. This was a return to numbers not seen for five years. The weekend's races were set to be the toughest competition the athletes were up against, so far this year.
For three terms coaches Olivia Sina, Rod Morrison and Peer Richards have been preparing the rowing athletes for the State Championships. With years of expertise and the ability to get the best out of every athlete it is hard to imagine that the athletes would have found any success without their dedication and guidance.
Five Spartan athletes represented the South Coast region in the Inter-regional Quad. Callum Miles was selected in the Under 17 Boys Quad, Georgia Daly and Eliza Strong were selected in the Open Girls Quad and Thomas Gray and Callum McClure were selected to row in the Open Boys Quad with Head Coach Peer Richards coaching the Open Boys Quad. The Open Boys won Gold to finish the first day of competition with a golden moment and set up a successful weekend for Somerset College.
It has been 11 years since Somerset College has won Gold in a Year 8 Boys event, winning Gold in the Quad in 2011. This year saw Angus Riddle rewrite the history books with a Gold Medal in the Single Scull, Bronze in the Double Scull with Byron Taylor and once again a Gold in the Year 8 Boys Quad with Angus and Byron joined by Michael Zeng, Benji Strong and Coxed by Zoe Benson.
Georgia Daly and Eliza Strong were initially hesitant to take on the Year 11 Schoolgirl Pair event as it represents the most challenging boat to row in the competition. With the patience to master moving such a difficult boat and the determination to get a result, it was a highlight for the whole programme to see them win a Silver Medal, and achieve something the Senior Girls in the programme have worked so hard towards.
The Rowing Queensland School State Championships return to Bucca Weir next year and there is no doubt that the Spartan athletes will be inspired and motivated by this years’ results to take on the best in the state and yet again find success.
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