Rowing Club Tattersall’s Crew at the Head of the Charles, Boston As with most achievements, planning and preparation are essential ingredients for success. This particularly applies to rowing, especially international racing. Two years ago, four amigos, Peter Camphim, Michael Sparksman, Bill Bridgeford and yours truly, Greg Clarke, hatched a plan to row at the “Head of The Charles”, the world’s largest two day rowing regatta, held in Boston, Massachusetts. Over 11,000 rowers gather to race against time, tide and the brilliant hues of the autumn leaves that greet over 400,000 spectators lining the banks for these races. To get there, our Tattersall’s crew obtained the endorsement of Rowing Australia and successfully applied to the organisers to enter the Men’s coxed four event as an international crew. An invitation to enter was only extended by the host, Cambridge Rowing Club a few months before our race. We had purchased our airfares and accommodaiton many months before we had started training as a crew. Our exceptional organiser, Bill Bridgeford arranged a boat, new oars and an experienced cox to be there in Boston, in case our entry was accepted. With the first hurdle of entry in the regatta cleared, we stepped up our training on the water under the watchful eye of Australian rower and our coach, David Galley and our 46 Tattler Summer 2015 land training at the Tattersall’s Health and Wellness Centre to be competitive against the best USA and other international crews. However, it was not until our first training row on the Charles River, just under the Franklin Bridge, that we knew our plan had almost been achieved and our dream of rowing glory was just a few days away. As we paused on the still waters of the Charles River before sunset, our stroke, Peter Camphin observed how grateful he was to be there in the boat with his mates from Tattersall’s. That said, we rowed on quietly, thinking about the moment of being a crew and admiring the scenic shores of that historic town. Excitement, tension and appreciation for the task at hand, grew as race time approached. The start was an enormous logistical affair as hundreds of boats line up seconds apart to chase one another down 4.8km of the meandering stream against a 25km/hour cross headwind. Despite a few days out of the boat with the travel and tourist activities that we enjoyed with our partners, the crew rose to the challenge, but it was much tougher than we had expected because of the blustery conditions, unfamiliar rules, noise and extremely talented competition. As with life, the race now seems less important than the journey and being there with friends from Tattersall’s Rowing Club made it a very special and unforgettable moment. Greg Clarke THE WILD POPPIES What do you call a squad of motivated, high-spirited professional women who enjoy a challenge and share a love of rowing – The Wild Poppies! Their goal is to tackle the iconic Head of the Yarra on Saturday 28 November, a gruelling 8.6 kilometre race attracting over 200 crews throughout Australia. The Wild Poppies include two women’s 8’s from University of Queensland, Commercial and Tattersalls Rowing Clubs including Members Julie Fisher, Cheryl Herbert, Kaye Pulsford and Thea Sitcheff. University of Queensland rowing coaches Sarah Zillman and Alana Hewish facilitated an intensive rowing camp over a weekend with on and off water training, the beginning of a 16 week rowing programme. They say ‘a picture paints a thousand words’ – fun, friendship, fitness and champagne!
Tattler Summer 2015
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