Coast crews bring it home
BOAT crews from the Barwon region beat some the nation’s best to charge on to the podium at the Navy Youth Stampede at Pt Leo.
The NYS attracts some of the best youth crews from across the nation and is considered a warm-up event for the highly competitive Navy Australian Surf Rowers League Open in NSW later this month.
The Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club’s Rebels crew fought a tough battle to win the under-23 women’s event.
JJSLSC boat captain Shayne Lee said the crew performed extremely well.
“The Rebels won the stampede, beating boats from Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania,” he said.
“Then they won their event at the surf carnival on the Sunday.”
The Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club’s women's crew, the Anglesea Hooligans, came in fourth in the under-23 women’s, beating Torquay’s Heartbreakers in fifth.
Anglesea SLSC boat captain Holly Fowler said the Hooligans showed outstanding poise.
“The Hooligans are a new team, have been training really hard and have improved out of sight,” she said.
“They are jelling well together and have also been rowing in the open women’s events and still have time and training to do, but they are a crew to watch as they making waves already.” Fowler said the HMAS Oarsome crew rowed strongly and came second in the under-23 men to the experienced Torquay Bretteurs, which also came third in the open men’s division.
“I think HMAS Oarsome are going really, really well,” she said.
“They have been training really hard and getting some results, some waves under their belt and they are also going to be a force to be reckoned with.”