Consistent hard work has been the catalyst for Scotch Oakburn’s dominant year on the water.
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The school’s senior boys’ rowing squad has swept aside competition like it sweeps aside Tamar River water on crisp winter mornings, consistently winning schoolboy eight races as well as performing on the national stage.
Led by head coach James Russell and rowing director Jamie Breden, the team of year 11 and 12 boys won schoolboy and under-19 eight events at regional, school and state championships, and ended Hutchins School’s four-year reign at the prestigious Head of the River championships.
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“It was amazing,” vice-captain Henry Napier said of the Head of the River win.
“It was a once in a lifetime kind of thing, all that training had just amounted up to that one moment.”
In March, the team travelled to New South Wales for the national rowing championships and returned with two silvers and one bronze from five finals – enough to finish third on the schoolboys’ points table.
Captain Cameron George put the results down to an intense training program that saw his schoolmates training up to 11 times a week, including 5.15am sessions on school mornings as well as sessions after school hours.
“I suppose it takes it to the next level, competing at a national level - not many people get to do it so it was great,” George said.
“Pre-season with Nathan Geard is always tough but as soon as you get into racing it’s pretty easy to get up because you see your hard work paying off.
“In this eight this year there were only two people who weren’t in the eight the previous year, so we’ve all rowed together over the last couple of years.
“We’re all pretty close to each other.”
- The Scotch Oakburn senior boys’ rowing squad is: Nicholas Cash, Finnian Colley, Jacob Finnigan, Cameron George , Henry Napier, Ned Napier, Hamilton Cox, Oliver Cox, Samuel Gray, Roland Lockwood, William Birchmore, Thomas Dowling, Bradley Lawrence and George Taylor
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