Race Report

Nottingham City Regatta (Saturday, 2km)
IM3 4+: Chris, Shaun, James, Nick, cox: Karen
7:44.14, 5/5 in heat, 11/14 by time across all heats
This race was about gaining experience, and proving to ourselves that we are a men's squad that can bash out a 2km regatta if we want to! We took a lot from it and it's going to make all the 1km regattas for the rest of the season seem like a doddle. Special mention to Shaun in his first proper regatta race - nothing like throwing someone in at the deep end!

W.IM2 8+: Heidi, Lou, Karen, Jayne, Kelly, Cath, Helen S, Clare, cox: Charlotte
6/6 in heat, 12/12 by time across both heats
This was an ambitious race, pitting a new Masters 8 against a lot of very good non-masters crews. Again this is chucking you in at the deep end, but that is exactly what to do if you want to learn a lot very quickly, and I think as a crew you have learnt a lot, and will be much the better for it.

Nottingham Masters and Club Regatta (Sunday, 1km)

MasE 2-: Rod, Steve L, 2/3, losing by 1 second
You guys are aiming for Henley Masters and I know you have rightly taken a lot of confidence from this race. If we work out where to get those extra few seconds from, and you'll be right up there.

MasE 2x: Rob, Steve L, 6/6
36 minutes after his pair, that Steve Lawson was at it again. It sounded like you had a good row, just weren't quite fast enough. I know you guys want to keep rowing together, so what you've got to think about is not how far away you are from 1st you are, but how you can take a few seconds off here, a few there, and get yourselves up there in the pack where you can have some really good racing.

W.MasB 2x: Jenny, Helen, 1/5
Well done to both of you, the best MK performance of the day! For the benefit of everyone else, H&J also won at Marlow Town Regatta a couple of weeks ago, so it's great to see you continuing your winning ways and showing everyone else how it's done. Whatever you guys are doing is clearly working, so keep it up!

W.MasC 4+: Helen S, Jayne, Kelly, Cath, cox: Charlotte ?/6
W.MasD 4+: Heidi, Lou, Karen, Paula, cox: Jenny, 2/4
W.MasD 8+: Heidi, Lou, Karen, Jayne, Kelly, Cath, Paula, Clare, cox: Charlotte, ?/4
You are our masters women's sweep squad, and you deserve to be looked at together. I know you all had a great time this weekend (5 in a room and an evening watching Eurovision - sounds perfect ;-)), but were also disappointed not to have raced as well as you could. I urge you to take the positives and to look ahead. You have 9 women in your squad. You are all very committed to training, you are all fit and can get fitter, and you are all good rowers but can get better. You have the potential to be the best masters women's squad in the country, but you can't do it in a few weeks and you mustn't expect to jump in an 8 and win your first race. More outings, more coaching, and more erging - that is, and always has been, how you're going to win.

Mx.MasC.2x: Cherry, Rod, 2/4
Little would you know it, but this was Cherry's first proper regatta race - well done! You left two other crews for dead, and were close to the winners all the way. You also both know you have lots of improvements still to make, so I'm expecting you to be back here next year with some medals around your necks!

MasA 4+: Chris, Nick, Les, David, cox: Charlotte 3/3
IM3 4+: Chris, Shaun, Les, Nick, cox: Charlotte 3/3
Again I'm going to look at both of our crews together. We have a really mixed men's squad in terms of experience and points, and even more so in terms of size and age, but despite all that we had two really good races today that give us a lot to work on over the next few weeks as we look towards Peterborough Regatta and Masters Champs.

W.IM3 4+: Helen S, Katharine, Sarah, Sally, cox: Cath, 2/2
A regatta debut for Sarah and Sally; I hope you both enjoyed it! You guys are not in the top sweep group (except super-sub Helen), but you are really keen and we would love to see you racing regularly this summer, and keeping up the training back at MK too. I hope this race has whetted all your appetites a little. It's a shame you were only racing one other crew, but I can promise you at Peterborough in a few weeks there will be a lot more and it will be even better!