The weekend of the 7th and 8th of December saw Community Compete at the final regattas of the 2024 calendar year – the ‘Reindeer’ Regatta and the NSW State Sprint Championships. Community had an excellent weekend – read on for our results!
The Reindeer Regatta – 7/8 December 2024
Saturday 7 December dawned cloud covered, grey and wet. Though the forecast was for a sunny day and high temperatures, someone forgot to tell the day!
The team of Bronte, Connie, Ellie, Jenni, Kat, and Robin were to compete in three races:
- the para single, seeing Bronte compete in the 2 km event; Kat racing the 1km event and Jenni racing for the first time without pontoons over 500 metres.
- the 1 km para double, which saw Bronte and Ellie race; and
- the Women’s Masters double where Robin and Connie had a full field of competitors.
This regatta has now grown so large that it’s now held over two days with the final masters races being run early Sunday morning.
The results were very pleasing and showed the training undertaken by all athletes has been great coming into this regatta. Bronte came home a winner; Kat with length and a rhythm that increased as the race progressed was a worthy winner, while Jenni flew down the course in a beaut time.
Sunday morning the weather was steamy and sweaty, but it didn’t affect Connie and Robin in their doubles race. They held firm over the course and were just pipped by half a bowball into fourth place.
A pleasing and successful Reindeer Regatta!
The NSW Sprints Championships – 8 December 2024
Following the Reindeer’s last race, we moved into the first of the NSW State Sprint Championships.
Again, our racing team, though small, was loud and tough on the water. Bronte, Ellie, Kat, Robin, and Connie all raced over the 500 metre course, with Bronte again winning her event to retain her status as the NSW Women’s PR3 State Champion. Ellie, fighting down the course, held her lead in second place to win the silver, with Kat pipped into third by less than half a bowball. Both Kat and Ellie were determined to grab that silver, neither giving up and each giving their all.
Kat and Bronte also had an excellent race in the double sculls, combining extremely well to take home the gold in the Para 2x. Well done!
In the Women’s Masters’ Double Sculls, Robin and Connie smashed their opposition, leading all the way and again holding on to take the win by half a bowball. For Robin and Connie, our NSW State Women’s 2x Masters Champions, the race presented a formidable challenge, but they resolutely seized control, launching from the pontoon with a defiant yell of “victory or death!” Thank goodness it was a victory!