Year 10 Quad Leads the Way

The second Gold Coast Regional All Schools Rowing Association (GCRASRA) regatta was hosted by Brigidine College and Kenmore State High School at Coomera Lake last weekend. By 7.00am most of the 225 athletes and their parents had arrived and were setting up boats, tents and chairs ready for a full day of racing.

As usual, Somerset was a strong competitor with rowers in almost every event. A standout of the day was the Year 10 Boys Quad consisting of Angus Cheung, Joshua Mills, Fergus McKeon, Cameron Smith and coxed by Austin Macrossan who placed first after a hard-fought battle with Varsity College. Well done to all the rowers and, as always, thank you to the coaches and supporters.

The next regatta will be held 25 May at Coomera Lake.

Rowing Captain, Zara Smith was kind enough to take the time in her busy day to answer some questions and help us learn a little more about her:

1. When did you start rowing? When I was in Year 8, 2015.

2. Why did you start rowing? I very vividly remember both telling my Year 6 teacher (Mr Zernike) that I really wanted to and thinking that all the kids who came off the rowing bus every morning were super cool.

3. Your greatest rowing achievement. My greatest rowing achievement has probably been completing the Head of the Tweed in the Schoolboys Eight (which is 21km long!). It was really long and hard, but it reinforced that I have a lot of internal strength and I was left with a great sense of satisfaction and some very impressive blisters!

4. Your greatest rowing embarrassment. I have many but in my first year, I capsized after trying to pick up a bottle out of the water at the bridge between the Shed and the 1km, and then to top it all off I couldn’t get back into my boat, so I had to swim over to the shore. I try not to capsize these days.

5. Your hopes for Somerset rowing. I love the really strong bonds we develop within the rowing community, and it has been amazing to have some of the past rowers turn up and support their family and friends this year. I would love to see more girls try rowing and I would love to come back in a year or two and see the girls outnumber the boys!

1st Places

Yr 8 Girls Novice Single – Georgia Daly (Div 2)
Yr 10 Girls Single – Emma Wilson (Div 2)
Yr 8 Boys Novice Single – Armani Kujovic (Div 1)
Schoolboys 8 - Min Jae Kyeong, Thomas Liu, Samuel Liu, Jack Daly, Julius Wright, Chester Whiting, Declan Thew, Joe Lanham, Cox: Austin Macrossan
Yr 9 Girls Novice Single – Lauren Taylor Girdler
Yr 9 Boys Doubles – Raffi Anderson, Callum McClure (Div 1)
Yr 10 Boys Quad - Angus Cheung, Joshua Mills, Fergus McKeon, Cameron Smith, Cox: Austin Macrossan