WEARA

The West of England Amateur Rowing Association

Plymouth ARC (taken from Plymouth ARC website)


(Extract taken from the WEARA website)
Welcome to the page for the West of England Amateur Rowing Association (WEARA), it represents the interests of rowers throughout the South Western Counties and has an affiliated membership of 17 clubs. The web site was set up for use by the various WEARA committees and to provide a forum to introduce the sport of rowing in the Southwest.

Rowing is often described as the ultimate team sport and a world-class performance has been described to be as difficult as "getting eight guys to run a four minute mile, in step."

The sport has received unrivalled coverage through the successful performances of the British national squad at the 2000 Olympics, where Britain continued its record of winning an Olympic Gold medal in every games since 1984, a feat unrivalled by any other British Sport. At the 2000 games, rowing's most well known practitioner, Steven Redgrave, achieved an unbelievable fifth successive Olympic Gold medal, something never achieved by any other Olympian in any other sport.

This is of course rowing at its highest levels, but rowing is fundamentally based on a group of people who simply enjoy messing about in boats, whatever the level - competitive or recreational. It is a sport that exercises more muscles than any other, and constantly supports the body weight, placing less strain on joints and making it a sport suitable for any age group, people start rowing at school, university or with a club at any level of fitness and at any age.

To row you need good kinaesthetic co-ordination (-you know where your limbs are in relation to your body!) this is a much more common skill than good 'hand-eye co-ordination' and so if you can't catch, hit or kick a ball then you really want to start thinking about practicing your sport sitting down.

Hope you enjoy a look at rowing in the West country.

2013 SEASON

The 2013 season is well underway with the next regatta being PAIGNTON on the 10th August. Keep checking the WEARA website: WEBSITE for regatta reports and results. 



2012 SEASON


On the 14th October I headed to the West of England ARA meeting and dinner. The evening saw the presidents dinner held in Torquay and many trophies given out to the winners of championship events of the season.


The new WEARA website has now gone live, check out www.weara.co.uk for all the latest event details, club information and news.


Report on the South Coast Championships from Dave Godfrey


Conditions were just about ideal for the 800 competitors who were in action last weekend at the 2 day South Coast Championship Regatta that was held on the River Torridge in Bideford. There was 29 clubs in action over the two days of racing, with all the main senior championship and open events on the Saturday and Sunday involving races for juniors between the ages of 14 and 18.
It was the Hants and Dorset Association who dominated the Championship Senior races winning four of the six races that were held with the West of England securing top positions in the other two categories. 
In the eagerly awaited clash of the regions top crews in the Men’s Senior race for the much sought after “Bideford “Bowl” trophy it was the Ryde crew of  T.Clark, S.Cocker, M.Allsopp and I.Hayden who powered home in the closing stages to ease out the favourites from Bexhill.    
It was a double celebration for the Isle of Wight club with another fine win by their crew in the Men’s Junior/Senior championship race
The Greenbank Falmouth crew of Sarah Lewis, Bethan and Rosie Owens together with Mary Coote were convincing winners of the Ladies Senior Championship ahead of pre-race favourites Lymington and Southampton.  It was the second successive year that the crew have won the premier ladies title with only one change to the crew from last year’s event with Mary Coote replacing Kate Conway in this year’s line up.  Their win was not totally unexpected although the same could not be said of the Bideford Blues youngsters who swept all before them in the Ladies Junior (Senior C) championship.  The crew of Zoe Robertson, Annie Cook, Alice Jackson and Megan Harty who are all or have been recent pupils at Kingsley School in Bideford totally dominated the race from start to finish winning by a comfortable four length margin ahead of Christchurch and local rivals Dart Totnes. It was a remarkable performance by the crew who could only finish in second place in the local domestic championship, some way behind the runaway leaders from Totnes.
The Hants and Dorset Association also came out top in the Championship Veteran race where the two favourites from Coalporters and Folkestone went head to head but it was the Southampton Coalies crew of Russell Quinton, Andy Williams, I. Williams and R. Williams who came home well clear of the defending champions. 
Coalies also took the honours in the Junior Championship where T.Symes, A.Hammond, J.Bladen and J.Williams beat their home town rivals from B.T.C. with the Plymouth four in third spot.
 
Sunday was the turn of the juniors to demonstrate their talents and it was the local clubs and in particular the powerful Dart Totnes, Plymouth and Bideford Reds juniors who swept all before them in the majority of races. 
Such was their dominance that Dart Totnes finished the day with 36 points, with Plymouth in second spot with 30 and Bideford Reds a further eight points adrift in third place.  West of England crews won 15 out of the 18 races that were held in singles, doubles and fours boats. 
It was another Castledore junior who took two fine victories through her efforts in the Ladies Junior 16 single scull and then linking up with Anna Whittingslow from Exeter to also win the corresponding age group race for double sculls. 
Bideford Reds won both the Junior 14 coxed quads whilst there was similar success for Dart Totnes in the corresponding Junior 16 category with their men’s crew having to share the trophy with Ryde having finished dead level as they crossed the finishing line.
In the two Junior 18 single sculling events it was GB Junior International Emma Reiser from the Dart Totnes club who held off strong challenge from her arch rival, Alice Jackson from the Blues whilst Sam Twine from Plymouth, who has been consistently to the forefront of local races this season pulled off a fine win ahead of Simon Kerswell-Jensen from Dart Totnes and team-mate Danny Carlson who also finished dead level as they crossed the line.
Helen Glover the Olympic rowing gold medallist at the London Olympics was the guest of honour at the Regatta and spent the entire time on the Saturday signing autographs and posing for photographs with rowers and spectators. She was also on hand to present all the medals to the winning crews at the prize giving after the completion of the days racing and to also show everybody her gold medal she won in the coxless pairs race at Dorney Lake.
 
David Godfrey
 
The Greenbank Falmouth ladies Senior four of (left to right) of Helen Glover + Mary Coote, sisters Bethan and Roise Owens + Sarah Lewis + Sponsor Michelle White

The Bideford Blues Ladies Junior four of (left to right) - The Mayor of Bideford - Clr Simon Inch + Helen Glover + Nicki Dunn (cox) + Megan Harty + Alice Jackson + Annie Cook + Zoe Robertson + Mayoress of Bideford Mrs Lorraine Inch


 

Pic 043  The Paignton Ladies Junior four of (left to right) Helen Glover + Rachel Tucker (cox) Laura Tucker + Charlie Martin + Amy Plowman + Mayoress + Mayor and Rachael Cooper
 
 
The results from the South Coast Championship Regatta are as follows:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAMPIONSHIP RACES:
FOURS:
Senior  4+
1st
Ryde
 
Bexhill
 
Itchen Imperial
Junior /Senior  4+
 
Ryde
 
Coalporters
 
Plymouth
Junior 4+
 
Coalporters
 
BTC
 
Plymouth
Masters O40  4+
 
Coalporters
 
Folkestone
 
BTC
Ladies Sen A 4+
 
Greenbank Falmouth
 
Lymington
 
Southampton
Ladies Junior 4+
 
Bideford Blues
 
Christchurch
 
Dart Totnes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
OPEN RACES:
FOURS:
Senior  4+
1st
Lymington
 
Bexhill
 
Westover + Bournemouth
Junior /Senior  4+
 
Southampton A
 
Bideford Reds
 
Southampton B
Junior 4+
 
Lymington
 
Ryde
 
Herne Bay
Novice 4+
 
Castledore
 
Shoreham
 
Greenbank Falmouth
Masters O40 4+
 
Shoreham
 
Lymington
 
Bideford Reds
Masters O50 4+
 
Lymington
 
Poole
 
Bideford Reds
Ladies Sen A 4+
 
Itchen Imperial
 
Poole
 
Ryde
Ladies Junior 4+
 
Paignton
 
Southampton B
 
Bideford Blues
Lad.Nov.4+
 
Castledore
 
Coalporters
 
Poole A
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
JUNIOR RACES:
FOURS:
Junior 18 4+
 
Plymouth
 
Dart Totnes
 
Bideford Blues
Junior 16 4x+
 
Ryde
Dart Totnes
(dead heat)
 
 
 
Shoreham
Junior 14 4x+
 
Bideford Reds A
 
Herne Bay
 
Bideford Reds B
Lad J18 4+
 
Dart Totnes
 
Bideford Blues B
 
Bideford Blues A
Lad.J.16 4x+
 
Dart Totnes
 
Coalporters
 
Itchen Imperial
Lad.J.14 4x+
 
Bideford Reds A
 
Bideford Reds B
 
Itchen Imperial
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DOUBLES:
Junior 18 2x
 
Plymouth A
 
Dart Totnes
 
Plymouth B
Junior 16 2x
 
Coalporters
 
Dart Totnes A
 
Christchurch A
Junior 14 2x
 
Christchurch A
 
Plymouth
 
Bideford Reds A
Lad. J.18 2x
 
Dar Totnes
 
Bideford Blues
 
Eastbourne
Lad.J.16 2x
 
Exeter / Castledore
 
Christchurch A
 
Newport
Lad.J.14 2x
 
Plymouth
 
Bideford Reds A
 
Bideford Reds B
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SINGLES:
Junior 18 1x
 
Plymouth D - S Twine
 
Plymouth B - D Carlson
Dart Tones - S Kerswell-Jensen
(dead heat)
 
 
Junior 16 1x
 
Christchurch A - M Aldridge
 
Bideford Reds - D MacKenzie
 
Shanklin - A Robertson
Junior 14 1x
 
Bideford Blues - C White
 
Christchurch - R Quinn
 
Plymouth - L Barron-Robinson
Lad. J.18 1x
 
Dart Totnes - E Reiser
 
Bideford Blues - A Jackson
 
Bideford Blues - A Cook
Lad.J16 1x
 
Castledore - J Newson
 
Christchurch A - I Booth
 
Dart Totnes A - L Manning
Lad.J.14 1x
 
Paignton - J Middleton
 
Plymouth - R Butchart
 
Christchurch - L Booth
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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