The first rowing regatta of the season was an overwhelming success for Columba with all rowers qualifying for A finals.

Last weekend was the first regatta of the season for the whole rowing squad, and the first one ever for our novices. All the girls had heaps of fun and gained lots of experience for some bigger regattas coming up. This weekend’s racing was done over 1000m as opposed to the usual 2000m course, but was a great opportunity to get back into racing.

On Saturday, the girls raced in 26 heats, with 24 of these crews making it through to finals on Sunday - an awesome achievement! The first few races were mixed boats of novice and senior rowers, giving the novices a chance to learn from the more experienced older girls.

Finals on Sunday went well, with 10 crews placing in the top three in their respective races. It got a bit windy on Sunday afternoon, meaning the seniors couldn’t finish off their last few races, but the water was flat for the rest of the weekend making for great racing conditions.

A highlight of the weekend for some of the senior rowers was racing with three current/past coaches, as well as Mrs Sinclair in the open eight! Everyone involved had a great time and there was lots of cheering from the supporters on the bank.

We can’t wait for our next regatta to build on our performances and have more fun together as a squad.

Bridgette Sutton and Millie Scott