Resourceful New Ross Club rowers think outside box
NEW ROSS Boat Club may be closed since March 12 due to Covid-19 restrictions, but that hasn’t stopped members from continuing their training.
To keep them all motivated to keep up their training at home, coach Janet Walsh sent her charges a challenge to virtual row around Ireland, visiting a number of rowing clubs along the way.
It wasn’t long before some parents and coaches also got involved and the metres started to clock up. Using the Concept2 logbook, members were able to log their daily training sessions on their ergometers/rowing machines and in total the club members have covered 2,542 km. in less than four weeks.
Using the club’s social media pages, members and followers were regularly updated on the progress as well as making virtual visits to 35 rowing clubs who all gave the New Ross crew great support.
This included words of encouragement from current world champion and Olympian Sanita Puspure who virtually welcomed everyone to the National Rowing Centre.
These athletes are used to training six days a week, so it was about keeping them in a routine that they are used to in such a challenging time. The challenge has given them focus to keep up their training,’ club coach and P.R.O. Janet Walsh said.
‘While they have had to adapt their training programme, they are all coping very well and the hope for everyone is that we will be back on the water towards the end of the summer with a modified Irish championships proposed for September.’
Other clubs have been coming up with great ways to keep the rowing community together while staying apart.
Olderfleet Rowing Club in Belfast ran an online virtual regatta last weekend, with New Ross club coaches Geraldine Morey and Janet Walsh taking part.
The women rowed four km. at home and had to submit their scores which were averaged out, and they ended up taking third place in the open 2x category.
N.U.I.G. Rowing Club held a live virtual regatta using Zoom which was a great success, and New Ross hope to enter some of their
Juniors in their next planned event in twoweeks’ time.
‘While the Irish regatta season has been suspended, it is great that with technology and a bit of re-thinking we can continue to monitor our athletes’ progress and allow them to still compete against other clubs,’ Janet Walsh said.
‘In the back of our minds, of course, is the reality that the season my not re-start, but until that decision is made, this group will continue to train and be ready to compete when the time comes.
‘For our club members who don’t have access to rowing machines at home, the club coaches got together and have come up with weekly family challenges. This has been a great success and has made sure that our younger members and families have continued to stay active while having great fun and also feel involved,’ she added.
‘These challenges have included circuits, yoga poses, and Olympic Games.
‘On Easter Sunday, club members and families took part in a WhatsApp table quiz, and this again was a great success.
‘This has been a great way to keep our members in contact with each other while staying apart and keeping safe.’
The next big lockdown virtual challenge will start this week when New Ross rowers will attempt to virtually row across the Atlantic to a club in Newfoundland, Canada. This will be a total of 3,250 km.
You can follow their progress on the New Ross Boat Club Facebook page.