Leande r New s Leander Club Newsletter Summer 2012 www.london2012.com 99 and counting! At the time of writing this, there are just 99 days to go until the start of the Olympic Games. By the time you read this, there will probably only be 99 days until we will know the results of the Olympic rowing finals. This should mean that 99 will then no longer be the number of Olympic medals that Leander athletes have achieved – as we are expecting to go well beyond the 100! The Olympics are obviously the priority for me and a number of our athletes at this time, but Leander has had a busy winter in this Olympic run up. This started with the amazing result at the Fours Head of the River Race where Leander won seven out of the 22 pennants available. and the women and lightweights went to Development Academy also hoping to make Congratulations to the Elite 4x, Elite Lwt 4x, Portugal. The high altitude in South Africa their mark in a last-minute rush before the IM1 4x, Elite 4+ and W Elite 4x. Well done to combined with cycling some grueling climbs Olympics. Will Satch having previously rowed all the athletes and coaches involved. This made an interesting cocktail. in the Leander Academy winning the Thames really was a fantastic achievement. Early March then saw us on the Olympic Cup, has joined the GB high performance Personally, after rowing the coxless four all regatta course at Dorney, taking part in the programme and will be racing the pair this year, we really noticed the difference with a final leg of the GB trials for London 2012. season. Will has had an accelerated journey cox and have had a great winning row. It In fact, Leander athletes made up almost half from the Academy, a credit to his belief and was an unprecedented result and a fitting the rowers – an achievement in its own right. commitment. Leander was a great facilitator springboard for our Olympians, who were In addition to the 30 men and women who for me joining the national team and I know racing in their club colours for the last time are established members of the GB team, that Will feels exactly the same. before London 2012. there were another 12 members of the Club’s Continued on page 2 On the topic of congratulations, I must also mention our Olympic and World Champion, Mark Hunter. He was named rowing's Olympic Athlete of the Year for 2011 by the British Olympic Association at the GB Rowing Team's annual team awards dinner on 31 January. This is a just deserved accolade for Mark as he is a fine ambassador for rowing and more importantly Leander! With six months to go before London 2012, the squads took the opportunity to get more consistency by training away from the blustery conditions at home. The men's squad went to a training camp in South Africa Pr e- race chat from Brian Armstrong. LeanderClub ® www. leander. co.uk Continued from page 1 As the only sport in which Great Britain has won gold at every Olympics since 1984, this has created a winning mentality as started by our most famous member Sir Steve Redgrave, and there is a lot of pressure on GB rowers to maintain that tradition. It’s this mindset that will give us the best chance to deliver our greatest performances at the Olympic games. Leander athletes will make up at least half of the Olympic team. I am looking forward to writing the Autumn newsletter already. While we were away at the GB trials, Leander’s development athletes gave Cambridge a run for their money in their traditional pre-Boat Race fixture in London. Despite their relatively young average age, the crew acquitted themselves Winning Wome's Elite Quad. well against the more experienced opposition. Only when the two boats were under the lee crew. Our development eight following their Over the next few months the athletes will be of Harrods Depository, did Cambridge finally challenge with Cambridge came a very split between those still competing for places kick in and use the inside of the creditable 16th overall. at the Olympics, who due to training camps Hammersmith bend in their favour, This year’s Boat Race created headlines all and World Cup events we will hardly see at going on to win by just over a length. round the world, and put former Leander cox the Club, and our development athletes, Unfortunately due to international Zoe de Toledo at the centre of a media storm whose focus is on Henley Women’s and commitments we were unable to put a when a protester swam across the course Henley Royal Regatta. No matter which women’s crew out for the Women’s Eights causing the race to be stopped by the umpire. group we fall into, we know you’ll be rooting Head, but we will be challenging for the top Zoe is a fantastic cox and having done her for us, as much as we will be doing our best spot again next year. best to avoid the protestor, unfortunately for our Club and our country! In the Men’s Eights Head of the River, Leander 1 upon restart, Oxford clashed with Cambridge Richard Phillip Egington took an impressive second place. As none of and a broken blade put an end to Oxford's the Leander internationals could race at the race. An unfortunate end of the race for Zoe, Captain Head, it was great to see that even though but we hope to see her “back in the Pink” we didn’t win, we still had the fastest British very soon. The Pink Hippo Club First Draw for 2012 The Pink Hippo Club was established to buy boats for the Leander Academy and has made a significant contribution to the fleet in the boat sheds over the years. Members may buy tickets in multiples of £12 through standing order arrangement. Details are available on the website together with a standing order form that may be downloaded. There are two draws a year of equal value. Congratulations go to the May 2012 Draw winners who will shortly receive their cheques: 1st DG Stuart £300 2nd RC Douglas £200 3rd AJA Gillan £100 The more participants the greater the prize share. Page 2 LeanderClub ® Leander Crews at Henley Royal Regatta 2012 Mark Banks – Director of Rowing, discusses the upcoming season Being an Olympic year, when few potential gain a place in the team and Leander athletes Olympic crews/teams will be present at presently occupying 19 seats in the Olympic HRR, I have “raised the bar” for the top boat classes. We have several more on athletes in the Club’s development group. recovery programmes who, at full fitness, My objective is to enter a crew in the Queen I would have expected to be racing in Mother Quadruple Sculls and The Double Belgrade. I hope they recover quickly and Sculls Challenge Cups, both international renew their challenge for a place in the events. The crews will be formed from six Olympic team at the next World Cup in athletes in our sculling group namely: John Lucerne at the end of May. Collins, Jack Hockley, Nick Middleton, David Matthew Wells who is currently in the Read, Alan Sinclair and Tom Wilkinson. I feel quadruple scull, is aiming for his fourth it is good for the athletes, good for the appearance at the London Games. His first coaches and good for the Club that our appearance in 2000 as the GB single sculler, better athletes aim for the top events in gaining selection after winning a Gold Medal Olympic year. All six scullers have performed in the single at the U23 World Championships with success at HRR in previous years and are earlier that year. He finished a creditable coached by Chris Collerton and Matt Beechey. nineth in Sydney. In 2004 in Athens, Matthew I am expecting, despite the absence of was in the double scull when he finished Olympic teams, that there will be several seventh. He and went on to gain a Bronze Director of Rowing Mark Banks strong crews from overseas. This should medal in 2008 in Beijing again in the double ensure some top class racing in these events scull. If Matthew is in the quad in July in during the week. will race strongly, especially as they are London he will have represented GB in all coached by the ever green and legendary, I hope to see a Club presence in the Princess three sculling boats. Peter Reed and former Brian Armstrong. The Club has fielded a Captain Mark Hunter are aiming for their Grace Challenge Cup. This is likely to be a Ladies Plate Eight each year since 2003. I composite with athletes from other Clubs all second Olympic Golds. Alex Partridge, think the only British club to have done so Matthew Langridge and Captian Richard of whom are seeking selection to the GB on a regular basis. As things look at present, European championship team later in the year. Egington are aiming for a second Olympic I have to say it is unlikely the Club will have medal. On the women’s side Anna Watkins Our three leading female athletes in this a Ladies Plate Eight in 2013. group are Rachel Gamble-Flint, Tina Stiller (Bebbington) is in the lead womens boat and Erica Bodman all coached by Jane Hall. At junior level we hope that the quad can hoping to be the first to win Gold having gain some useful experience, particularly as already won Bronze in Beijing.