Boys and girls aged 13 – 18 were warmly invited to attend the Shiplake College Summer Rowing Camps this year. The college offered two week-long training camps from Monday 24 – Friday 28 July and Monday 31 July – Friday 4 August, with each camp having approximately 40 participants.
Those who attended were provided with excellent facilities – including the College’s boat house on the bank of the River Thames – and qualified coaches, who worked hard to ensure all participants had the opportunity to develop their skills throughout the week.
On the first day all the participants got wet as they took part in a swim test and capsize drill. With the British summer being at its very best, providing the rowers with variable weather, they all embraced the challenge of completing the training and used the opportunity to develop their skills. On the Friday of each week the participants had an opportunity to demonstrate the progress they had made over the week with parents invited to watch some races.
A massive thank you to everybody at the College who made sure that both weeks ran smoothly despite the weather, which was disappointing at times. The College’s Head of Girls Rowing Charlie Jenkins had the following to say on the weeks: ‘despite the challenging weather all the participants still enjoyed their experience and still got to Henley on a long row. It was great to see a number of novices learn to row the singles quickly and the raft building and Regatta on the Fridays were very enjoyable.’
