More Gold Medals for our Chairman’s Rowing Team
In a blog dating back to June 2016, we shared the story of Ralph’s rowing team and their success at The British Rowing Masters Championships in 2016. The blog concluded with the line “Congratulations and the best of luck for next year, Ralph! We want to see more gold medals!”
As we move into 2018 we thought it would be timely to catch up with the team again and find out how they had done in 2017 and we are pleased to report, they have gone from strength to strength.
With wins in their age category at Tyne Head, Yorkshire Head, Tees Regatta, South Hylton Long Distance Sculls, Wansbeck LDS and Tees LDS, the quad team have not lost a race in this country in 2 years! Added to these regional meetings, they won gold for the second year running at the British Rowing Masters Championship and gold in the World Masters Championships in Bled Slovenia.
During the discussion with Ralph, he explained that the win in Bled was in the 65 to 70 age group, going on to say “We came second by a mere 3 secs in the 70 to 75 age group to a US quad including 2 former US Olympians and the World Record Holder in our age group on a rowing machine.”
The team’s training regime demonstrates their dedication to the sport with training 4 times per week year round over 16 km. “We do 8km out doing exercises based on improving boat efficiency and then usually a 7km solid one-piece to build endurance, slow twitch muscles and muscle memory. This helps stroke actions become automatic and locked in. The 7km one-piece row is at a lower rating than race pace but at almost full pressure. There is then a warm down back to the boathouse. Overall rowing time is around 1 hour for the 16km. We only practice full race pace very close to events.”
Rowing is becoming a popular form of general fitness training and there has been some research published recently which pulls together some interesting rowing training articles. Looking at Ralph as he enthuses about his team and their continued successes on the river, he is certainly a great advert for it.