The SCRA Regional Freshwater Sprints took place again this year at Loch Tummel. North Berwick was represented by Claire Simpson, Sandy Wallace, Lizzie and Simon Cowan, Lyndsay Henderson, Sheena and Phil Robertson and Ann Hume all rowing for the South East Region Team.
The weekend started on the Friday with Claire and Ann attending a very informative and practical course on mark laying, setting out the buoys and lane markers for the following day. This was followed by an umpire’s course which Claire, Ann and Lyndsay all attended. This gave Lyndsay time to draw breath after cycling from Pitlochry via Moor of Rannoch!
The Saturday began early with a cox’s course where Ann and Lyndsay were able to brush up on their race coxing skills and knowledge. It is more than moving the tiller and shouting encouragement at the crew! Ann put this into practice by bringing both the men’s and women’s novice crews home first over the line.
The really nice thing about the Regional Sprints is that all the crews are randomly selected, as were the coxes, and you get the chance to row and cox in another club’s boat. Different oars, seats and footrests all bring their own interesting challenges also some ideas we can bring back to our own set up.
The final races of the day were the regional long-distance races with Sandy, Simon, Lizzie and Lyndsay all rowing for the South East in Boatie Rows. Even though South East won the mixed open race with Lizzie and Lyndsay in the crew, the Regional trophy was won this year by North East. A successful weekend, new skills and knowledge gained, and importantly friendships made with fellow skiffies from across Scotland.