Rowing Presentation & Awards Dinner
On Friday 27 May, our rowing community was finally able to come together to celebrate the completion of the 2021/2022 rowing season. It was a season of challenges that saw both the students, parents, and leadership of the Rowing Community overcome many disruptions and setbacks. The determination of the students allowed this season to still be one of our most successful in nearly two decades.
The evening saw over 200 students, parents, staff, and coaches gather to look back on the teamwork, club achievements, and individual performances that highlight the past 9 months. A season that saw over 40 new rowers join the program, including year 7s for the first time, and the expansion of the special interest program into 4-year levels. At the senior end of our program, it was the largest squad we have ever had with more than 26, year 11 and 12 students taking part. This allowed us to boat a Senior Girls 1st VIII and Senior Boys 1st and 2nd VIII's, one of only 3 schools in SA to do so.
The night began with our captain's address and welcome to the evening. Our Captains of Boats Lauren and Sebastian recounted not only the brilliance of this season but the challenges, success, and enjoyment they have seen across their 5 years at the rowing club. It is always humbling to see our students grow and speak with passion, and we have been incredibly lucky to have Lauren and Seb lead our club with such dedication, new ideas, and the desire to see it evolve. We congratulate them and all our year 12's on their final season as rowers of NIHS and wish them the best in their future journeys on and off the water.
Through the 2021/2022 season, a new initiative was born that aimed to enhance the club's fundraising efforts and work towards creating a club with a high level of uniform presentation and enhanced culture. The Endurance Challenge combined the Ergothon with Seb's inaugural 132km Long Row a saw a group of 33 students raise over $12,000. It was brilliant to be able to recognise the efforts of these students and hand them the final part of the reward scheme, the special edition Norwood Rowing Socks.
A key part of the evening is congratulating each year level and gender squad for their commitment, results, and dedication, with the presentation of the NIHS 2021/2022 rowing club medal. It was wonderful to have our year 7 rowers join us and be a part of the evening for the first time as Norwood International High School. Each squad moves through its own journey over the course of the season, pushing each other, striving to develop their skills, and implementing this each race week. Individuals (listed below) were presented with the year level Best Rower awards (for outstanding performance, and excellence) and the year level Coaches Award (for club spirit, responsibility, commitment, and respect).
Year Level | Best Rower Award | Coaches Award |
Year 8 - Boys | Jack | Mitchell |
Year 8 - Girls | Aura | Reikaya |
Year 9 - Boys | Jack | Nikolas |
Year 9 - Girls | Saffron | Mia |
Year 10 - Boys | Oliver | Rayhan |
Year 10 - Girls | Angelica | Sophia |
Senior Boys | Bradley | Rohan |
Senior Girls | Pippa | Paulina |
The prestigious club awards were also presented to key members of the rowing club to recognise their contributions and efforts:
Club Most Improved went to Year 10s (Male) Hyunbi and (Female) Sophie.
Club Best Coxswain went to Year 7 Jack who coxed the year 10 boys A crew and has also been nominated in the top 3 coxswains in South Australia.
Presidents Trophy (awarded for ultimate respect of equipment and boathouse) - Alexander
Principals Trophy (awarded for ultimate commitment and spirit to the Club) - Sebastian
Committee Member of the Year - Bonita Kennedy (Rowing Committee Secretary)
Coach of the Year - Eli McCappin
Recognition Award (for capturing the visual content of our season) - Victoria Yurkova and Ren Quiray
Recognition Award (for 6 years of services to the Rowing Club as president/chairman) - David Watts (Rowing Committee Chairperson)
The evening was a fantastic way to round out a highly successful season with continuous growth from the individual rowers through to the club as a whole. A key part of our ongoing success is the role of our coaches in developing our students into accomplished rowers and young adults. Led by Head Coach Brenton Terrell, our coaches worked tirelessly throughout the summer to help our crews achieve the best results, we cannot thank them enough for all their energy, passion, and support. A special mention to Mariah Hatchard who has been coaching at Norwood since graduating in 2012, after a decade of service, this season was her last as a full-time coach and we wish her all the best as she finishes her studies and moves into her career as a nurse, we hope to still have you around to share your experience and expertise.
A massive thank you to the Rowing Committee, which functions as the largest parent/community body within Norwood International High School. The work they have done throughout the season has allowed NIHS to shine and transition into its new name and new future for the club. A tireless amount of work occurred to bring the event to life despite the many setbacks, postponements, and venue changes, they were still able to bring the rowing community together to celebrate the season and send off our year 12s.
The school and school leadership as a whole were thanked for their ongoing input and support to see the Rowing Program grow at Norwood International High School. Rowing is a complex and resource-heavy curriculum and co-curriculum program, it takes a whole school effort to see it run smoothly. Anne-Marie is a key part of this and the night was a fantastic way to thank her for all the work she does to keep the program running smoothly. Emily Laidin is one of our rowing experts and through her work both in the classroom and out on the water, she guides our students through their rowing journey. It was fantastic to hear Emily share her rowing journey with us all and provide an insight into the passion and inspiration that drives rowers to strive to be their best.
Our rowers continue to train over winter in the gym and out on the water, as we all prepare for season 2022/2023 which promises to be another step in the right direction for the club.