Over the Christmas break, a group of 28 rowers from our senior and J16 crews and four members of staff attended the Seville Winter Training Camp - a fantastic opportunity for pupils who intend to compete at the very top of national rowing events during the year.
The camp in Seville offers an excellent training environment over the bleak winter months in the UK, as the weather is generally warmer. The River Guadalquivir, which flows through the city, is a great stretch for rowing and the students get the opportunity to take part in a competitive regatta while they are there, as well as a night row through the city.
Unfortunately a storm hit Seville on the last two days of the camp, forcing the boys out of the water, however, that didn’t stop them bonding and building a strong team spirit.
Well done to Shiplake for finishing 7th out of 28 clubs competing in the regatta. This position was determined by an accumulation of the performances of all our crews throughout the regatta.
Sebastian Hjortland Marks, Shiplake’s Captain of Boats, provided this write-up of the trip:
“All the boys left on a dreary December day in a cheery mood with the prospect of better weather to come and maybe even a bit of sunshine? However, arriving in Seville the Christmas jumpers were not as warm as we hoped they would be, because the weather was not as good as we thought.
“The regatta was cold with openings of sunlight however, it did not stop us from giving it our all and putting in class performances on the water.
“The camp continued and the weather got worse with a storm on its way, but yet again everyone continued to give their best with gruelling matrixes and motivational side by side battle paddling in eights.
“Unfortunately the weather in the end stopped us from entering the water and the boats de-rigged, but that did not stop our spirit as land training continued, with some fun but exhausting aerobic sessions, pushing us all to the limit.
“In spite of the weather conditions, the Seville 2019 trip was a great success; of bonding and team work in scenic settings, giving us all memories for life, and I would like to thank the coaches for taking their time to spend part of their Christmas holidays with all of us.”
A big thank you goes to our four coaches Mr Hugh Mackworth-Praed, Mr Chris Lee, Mr Rob Morgan and Mr David Currie for their help and support at the camp. And thanks also to Strength and Conditioning Coach Mr Ian Brown for his guest appearance.
