A GROUP of junior rowers have completed a 24-hour ergo challenge.
The challenge, which started on Saturday at noon, saw the 10 rowers from Shiplake Vikings Rowing Club, row non-stop until 1pm on Sunday.
The crew of nine girls from the club’s WJ15 squad along with one rower from the WJ17 squad, rowed a combined 240,000m
.
They rowed on ergos in alternate shifts as part of a challenge they set themselves to raise funds to go to a training camp in Sabaudia in Italy, which is run by Olympic rower Gillian Lindsay, and costs £1,800 each.
It will be the first time the club, based at Shiplake College, will take a cohort of rowers on an international training camp.
Adella Streather, who lives in Shiplake and attends Gillotts School in Henley, started rowing with the club 18 months ago.
Adella, 15, said: “We row twice a week, so in preparation we have been doing our normal sessions, I am excited because it helps towards going to Italy. It means warm weather rowing on a calm lake where we don’t have to navigate fast streams, flooded rivers and lots of islands that we normally do battle with on our bit of the River Thames, which hasn’t even been safe enough for us to row on so far this year.
“But we will also be able to row two or even three times a day and most importantly be coached by Olympic rower Gillian Lindsay, and her team of professional coaches.”
Pippa Brand, 14, who lives in Wargrave and attends Queen Annes School in Caversham, said she was excited about the challenge.
Pippa said: “I love being on the water and, when it’s sunny, it’s a really nice atmosphere and it helps you to keep fit and healthy. I am excited to go to Italy because I think we can get a lot more experience from it.”
Millie Goodall, 17, who lives in Henley and attends The Henley College, rowed two shifts, one of which was from 3am to 5am.
She said: “I am so excited, I have been getting out on the water a lot recently and going to Italy is a great opportunity for all of us. I am personally aiming to go to the Henley Women’s Regatta this year and the experience of going to Italy will be fantastic.”
Millie said that the early morning row did not faze her as she would do anything for the club.
The rowers shared shifts choosing how long to row for in their allotted time. Assistant coach Olivia Hatlee, who lives in Henley and is a children’s nurse, watched the night shift from 1am to 5am.
Ms Hatlee said: “I am quite used to working at night as I do it for my job. What we are doing in Italy is something that is designed for small clubs. It will be great to get some different coaching from someone who is quite high in rowing.
“It will give them a new experience and they will be getting coaching from someone who knows more, who coaches all the time — getting them ready for regatta season and helping them to develop their technique and other abilities.”
Shiplake Vikings Rowing Club is a community-based recreational rowing club that was originally formed in the Eighties by some of the college's masters and locals who wanted to enjoy the sport on the quiet stretch of the Thames at the back of the school’s grounds.
The club shares a gym and boathouse with the college, where the sponsored row took take place, but it owns its own boats.
The finish time of the event had been planned to take into account the clocks going forward at 1am on Sunday, when Daylight Saving Time began.
Jo Fielder, who is captain of junior rowing at the club and coaches the WJ15 squad, described the trip as an “amazing opportunity”.
Ms Fielder, of St Andrew's Road, Henley, rowed while at Durham University and the University of Edinburgh. She started coaching at the club after her daughter Robyn, who is in the WJ15 squad, joined.
Ms Fielder said: “We completed 240,000m in 24 hours. Seven of the girls stayed at the club all night taking it in turns of two hour shifts. They did 20 minutes on 20 minutes off.
“They watched movies, played music and the others slept at the back of the gym.
“They all did brilliantly well and took equal amounts of work, all very determined and committed but had a good laugh along the way. I am really looking forward to Italy with them.”
