22 March 2016

SIRR2016 Queensland Overview

 

SIRR2016 was an incredibly successful regatta for all Queensland athletes, coaches and support teams who attended and competed. In particular, there were a number of standout performances from Queensland athletes across a number of age groups and boat classes.

 

The Under 17 Women’s events saw successes in particular, from Somerville House and Townsville JCU crews. Lauren Smith from Townsville JCU took gold in the Under 17 Women’s Single Scull, followed by Ella Hudson from Somerville House in silver. Positions switched when the athletes paired up with their doubles partners, with the Somerville House crew of Ella Hudson and Hilary Ballinger taking gold and the UQBC/Townsville JCU combination of Lauren Smith and Allison Smith taking silver. The girls continued their success into the quad sculls, with UQBC/Townsville JCU taking silver, and Somerville House in bronze position.

 

In the Under 17 Men’s Single Scull, Brisbane and GPS sculler Ben Birchall crossed the line in the silver medal position. In the Under 17 Men’s Quadruple Scull, The Southport School crew of Cox, Browning, Wright, Kennedy-Leverett and cox Churchill were named national champions, and were joined on the podium by their schoolmates, as a second Southport School crew finished in the bronze position.

 

The GUSPRC crew of Sarah Robinson and Lucy Coleman crossed in silver in Under 19 Women’s Coxless Pair.  Lily Alton from UQBC won silver in the Under 19 Women’s Single Scull and gold with her Sydney Rowing Club (and past Somerville House student) partner Harriet Hudson in the Under 19 Women’s Double Scull. The UQBC crew of Davenport, Blair, Hudson and Alton won the Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Scull, and club-mates Young, Gray, Needham and Warmington won the Under 19 Women’s Coxless Four. The champion  Under 19 Women’s Quadruple Scull and Under 19 Women’s Coxless Four crews then combined to win the Under 19 Women’s Coxed Eight.

 

The Under 19 Men’s sweep events saw Brisbane Grammar/Nudgee Composite crews win both the Coxed Four and Coxed Eight Events. The crew of Peereboom, Jeffries, Hatch, Holt and cox Schmidt won gold in the Under 19 Men’s Coxed Four, and joined with Mibus, Hardy, Smith and Cannon to win the Coxed Eight as well. In the silver position of the Under 19 Men’s Coxed Eight was the Toowong crew of Harris, Scott, Starky, Jarver, Edgecombe, Job, Scott, Jeremijenko and cox Hockings.

 

In the Under 21 Women’s Single Scull, Morgan Riemer of GUSPRC placed silver, followed by Ellen Pozzi of UQBC in bronze. The UQBC pair of Kelly Drenth and Eloise Parker claimed the silver medal in the Under 21 Women’s Pair, with Drenth then in the UQBC crew that won silver in the Under 21 Women’s Coxed Four. In the Under 21 Women’s Quadruple Scull, it was the GUSPRC crew of Coleman, Robinson, Riemer and Wilshire who won the gold medal.

 

Last year’s Junior World Championship bronze medallist in the single scull, Adam Bakker from Commercial/QAS, took out the Under 21 Men’s Single Scull, with Toowong’s Tom Davidson in the bronze position. Toowong showed their strength in the Under 21 Men’s events. After winning gold in the coxless pair combination of Callum Chisholm and Elliott Apel, Chisholm partnered with Davidson to win the silver medal in the double scull, and the crew of Apel, Davidson, Doring and Chisholm then took out silver in the quadruple scull event.

 

The Under 21 Women’s Lightweight Single Scull was won by UQBC sculler Madeleine Williams. In the Under 23 Lightweight Women’s events, Erin Smith and Wallis Russell from UQBC won silver in the double scull, and then joined with fellow UQBC scullers Williams and Dewing to win silver in the quadruple scull. Tessa Carty and Caitlin Cronin of Bundaberg/UQBC won two medals together- silver in the Under 23 Women’s Double Scull and gold in the Under 23 Women’s Quadruple Scull.

 

Hamish Parry and Jack Armitage of Toowong-QAS were dominant in the Under 23 Lightweight Men’s sweep events- winning their third-consecutive golds in both the Under 23 Lightweight Men’s Coxless Pair and Under 23 Men’s Coxless Four. Joining them in the coxless four were James Doring and Michael Potts. Parry and Armitage also competed in the Under 23 Men’s Coxless Pair, taking bronze in the event.

 

Silver medallists in the Under 23 Men’s Coxless Pair, Nick Pettigrew and Darcy Wruck from Toowong/Commercial-QAS, partnered with Oliver Smith and George Lethbridge from Toowong, to win silver, in the Under 23 Men’s Coxless Four. Harley Moore of Commercial-QAS won bronze in the Under 23 Men’s Double Scull with his interstate partner Henry Youl, and also won silver in the Under 23 Men’s Quadruple Scull in a Black Mountain Composite crew. The Under 23 Men’s Coxed Eight was won by the Toowong crew of Armitage, Parry, Potts, Wruck, Lethbridge, Bakker, Pettigrew, Smith and cox Serra.

 

The Open Women’s Single Scull was hotly contended this year by a number of Olympic hopefuls. Commercial-QAS sculler Madeleine Edmunds won silver in the Open Women’s Single Scull, behind fellow Queenslander Sally Kehoe in the gold medal position. Edmunds and Kehoe then partnered with Australian Rowing Team teammate and Brisbane & GPS-QAS sculler Jessica Hall and World Champion single sculler Kim Brennan, to win the Open Women’s Quadruple Scull.

 

Toowong lightweight rower Amy James showed her strength in moving from Under 23 Lightweight into the Open Lightweight category this year, winning silver in the Open Lightweight Women’s Single Scull and silver also in the Open Lightweight Women’s Double Scull.

 

The Open Lightweight Men’s Coxed Eight was won by the Toowong/Commercial-TIS/QAS  crew of Potts, Franey, Price, Parry, Armitage, Kachyckyj, Silcox and cox Serra. The Toowong/UQBC-QAS combination of Price, Heseltine, Chapman and McDonnell claimed the gold medal in the Open Lightweight Men’s Quadruple Scull, with Price and McDonnell also winning  bronze in the Open Lightweight Men’s Coxless Four.

 

Mac Russell from UQBC found success in the LTA Men’s Single Scull, winning the gold medal. He then competed in the combined ASM1x, TAMIX2x, LTAM1x, LTAMIX4+ event and took the bronze medal.

 

The Schoolboy’s Single Scull was won by The Southport School sculler Cormac Kennedy-Leverett, he also combined with his Under 17 Men’s Quadruple Scull gold medallist crew of Mibus, Hardy, Smith and cox Churchill, to win the Schoolboy’s Coxed Quadruple Scull. The Southport School’s success then continued into the Under 17 Schoolboy’s Coxed Eight, where they won the silver medal.

 

Queensland Schoolgirl’s were dominant in the Schoolgirl’s Coxed Four, with St Margaret's winning the silver medal and St Hilda’s the bronze. The Under 17 Schoolgirl’s Coxed Eight from Somerville House also successful in their silver medal win.