At the Inverness Head Races on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th November, ASRA athletes recorded the following category wins:
- Men's Open Quadruple Sculls: Lewis McCue & Elliot Bruce in an ASRA/ABC composite with FPs Gary Wilson & Iona Riley
- Men's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Lewis McCue, Nick Read, Jacob Vyse & Elliot Bruce, coxed by Jacob Turner
- Men's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Andrew Main, George Turner, Lawrence Jennings & Alistair Frost, coxed by Sam Cassidy
- Men's Restricted 2 Coxless Pairs: Andrew Main & George Turner
- Men's Junior 15 Coxed Fours: Gregor Duncan, Gregor Pittendreigh, Alex McGrath & Ollie Kinghorn, coxed by Leyi Yang
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Joanna Cassidy, Cara Napier, Katherine Lawrie & Charlotte Davie, coxed by Caitlyn Stewart
- Women's Junior 15 Fours: Cara Napier, Katherine Lawrie, Jessica Walker & Angelica Burzyk, coxed by Rémi Théron
- Women's Junior14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Sam Cassidy, Eilidh Matthew, Sade Igwike & Molly McAra, coxed by Erin Wyness
Some promising performances, but no room at all for complacency. No-one present could have failed to notice the strength in depth demonstrated by a resurgent George Watson's College, particularly in the sculling events.
At the annual Tees Head of the River races on Saturday 3rd November, ASRA crews opened their away account for the 2012/13 season with a series of promising performances, clinching 6 division winners' pennants in the course of the two 5 kilometre rows.
Division 1 (Tees Long Distance Sculls)
- Women's Junior 18 Double Sculls: Amelia Donovan & Erin Wyness
- Women's Junior 15 Double Sculls: Cara Napier & Katherine Lawrie
- Men's Junior 16 Double Sculls; Andrew Main & George Turner
- Men's Junior 15 Quadruple Sculls: Gregor Duncan, Gregor Pittendreigh, Ollie Kinghorn & Adam Stelmaszyk, coxed by Alex McGrath
Division 2 (Tees Small Boats Head)
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Fours; Cara Napier, Katherine Lawrie, Jessica Walker & Angelica Burzyk, coxed by Bethany Galley
- Men's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Gregor Duncan, Gregor Pittendreigh, Alex McGrath & Adam Stelmaszyk, coxed by Ollie Kinghorn
At the Aberdeen Head of the River Races on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th November, our ASRA athletes - in the absence of any junior entries from the South - all acquitted themselves with distinction against stout opposition from their own clubmates and members of Aberdeen Boat Club, AUBC, RGU and Dundee University. Special mention however must be made of our Lewis McCue, who showed that he had lost none of his form since his outstanding performances in a GB vest at the Junior World's as he not only stroked both ASRA's Men's J18 Four and Men's J18 Pair to beat all comers - Senior & Junior - in their respective divisions but as last year roared home to overall victory in Men's Open Single Sculls.
Medal winners in their finish order in each division were:
Saturday - Fours Head - Division 1
- Men's Junior 16 Coxed Four: Michael Brown, George Turner, Andrew Main & Alistair Frost, coxed by Ze Yu Ng
- Men's Junior 15 Coxed Quad: Gregor Duncan, Gregor Pittendreigh, Ollie Kinghorn & Alex McGrath, coxed by Rémi Théron
- Women's Junior 18 Coxed Four: Erin Wyness, Amelia Donovan, Morven Shaw & Clara Douglas, coxed by Ruth Bryce
Saturday - Fours Head - Division 2
- Men's Junior 18 Coxed Four: Lewis McCue, Nick Read, Jacob Vyse & Elliot Bruce, coxed by Leo McKeever
- Men's Junior 15 Coxed Four: Alex McGrath, Ollie Kinghorn, Gregor Pittendreigh & Gregor Duncan, coxed by Rhys Hunter
- Women's R2 Coxed Four: Amelia Donovan, Erin Wyness, Morven Shaw & Ruth Bryce, coxed by Clara Douglas
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Four: Joanna Cassidy, Charlotte Davie, Liga Valentinas & Eilidh Thomson, coxed by Sade Igweke.
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Quad: Rémi Théron, Hamish Dunnett, Adrian Thomson & Ewan Harold.
Sunday - Small Boats Head - Division 1
- Men's Open Single Sculls: Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 18 Single Sculls: Jacob Vyse
- Men's Junior 16 Coxless Pairs: Andrew Main & George Turner
- Women's Junior 15 Double Sculls: Cara Napier & Katherine Lawrie
- Men's Novice Quad Sculls: Jacob Turner, Hamish Dunnett, Alex Brown & Adrian Thomson, coxed by Finn Truter
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Amelia Donovan & Erin Wyness
Sunday - Small Boats Head Division 2
- Men's Open Coxless Pairs: Lewis McCue & Elliot Bruce
- Open Junior 15 Octuple Sculls: Alex McGrath, Gregor Duncan, Gregor Pittendreigh, Ollie Kinghorn, Rhegan Main, Calum Bird, Alex Brown & Carly McCready, coxed by Rhys Hunter
- Men's Junior 18 Pairs: Nick Read & Jacob Vyse
- Men's Junior 16 Single Sculls: George Turner
- Women's Junior 16 Coxless Pairs: Joanna Cassidy & Charlotte Davie
- Women's Junior 15 Double Sculls: Sam Cassidy & Eilidh Matthew
- Women's Junior 18 Single Sculls: Amelia Donovan
- Women's J15 Single Sculls: Cara Napier
On Saturday 13th October the inaugural Aberdeen Club Championship replaced the traditional Aberdeen Sprint Regatta. This new event - the brain child of our Senior Development Coach, Colin Wallace - saw the retention of 500m side-by-side racing but with the additional challenge of each club having to build a team of 27 men and 27 women to compete in only one event each in a variety of boat classes and land tests. Being the first weekend of the school holidays it was more difficult than usual for ASRA to build a team; however lots of new faces signed up to save the day and have their first experience of racing on the river , doing an excellent job in the process. Points were awarded for each event with 4 going to the winner of each event down to 1 for the loser. ASRA ended the day in a close third position after a great club effort:
1st -AUBC - 56 points
2nd - ABC - 50 points
3rd - ASRA - 44 points
4th - RGUBC - 27 points
ASRA athletes won 3 events during the day, all on the girls' side. Our "new" J18 girls' four - Amelia Donovan, Erin Wyness, Ruth Bryce & Morven Shaw - won the Women's 4+ event, last year's "golden girl" and new coach Holly Reid won the Welly Boot Toss and Joanna Cassidy & Charlotte Davie won the Women's 2- event after both the ABC & AUBC pairs capsized.
At the World Junior Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from the 15th to the 19th August, ASRA's boys' captain, Lewis McCue together with Robert Wickstead and Alexander Lloyd of Hampton School and Harry Lonergan of Royal Shrewsbury School came fourth in the final of the Men's Junior Coxless Fours event. Having rowed impressively in their heat and come a close second in the semi-final, the GB four were entitled to believe that they were in the running for a bronze medal at least behind Germany and the race favourites, Roumania. The Italian four had clearly not read the script however and led Roumania and Germany from start to finish and so pushed the GB boys out of the medals. The baking heat had not helped, but the boys were left feeling a little disappointed that their performance on the day had not come up to their high expectations. Coaches Duncan and Wallace, who had travelled out to Bulgaria to see the racing and the rest of the coaching team at home nevertheless salute Lewis's immense achievement as the first boy and only the second athlete in our history to achieve selection for GB at the World Junior Rowing Championships. The longer toothed amongst us will recall that ASRA's Lucy Buglass also came fourth in the Women's Junior Coxless Four event in the 2002 Junior World's on Lake Trakai in Lithuania.
At the Home Countries International Regatta on Saturday 21st July on Cardiff Bay, 12 ASRA athletes were capped for Scotland, a great achievement in itself, but the results unfortunately fell a little short of our high expectations.
Perhaps victims of the dreaded "commentator's curse" but more probably simply "rowed out" at the end of an incredibly exhausting and highly successful racing schedule, our "seemingly unstoppable" senior girls - Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes & Christie Duff - finally met their Waterloo in the shape of a revitalised Trentham four in the Women's Junior Coxless Fours event and were beaten by a convincing five seconds on the day.
Bitterly disappointed and with heads more than a little down, our foursome coxed by Sam Cassidy then went on to lose narrowly again to the old enemy, this time in the Women's Junior Coxed event against a formidable English composite of GB final selection triallists. A shock for coaches and athletes alike, but Scotland Team manager, Graeme Cunningham, said afterwards ... " the ASRA athletes in the JW4- achieved the best GMT% of any Scottish crew racing as well as being in the top 10 of all crews. I know from speaking with them on Saturday that they were very disappointed but I hope this helps them to realise they have every reason to be proud of the their performances"
Our three boys too - Elliot Bruce, Nicholas Read & Jacob Vyse - found the going extremely tough, but they have the consolation of knowing, as indeed do our J16 girls - Joanna Cassidy, Kiera Paterson, Erin Wyness, Amelia Donovan with cox Samantha Cassidy - that they can do it all again next year.
At the British Rowing Championships held this year from the 13th to the 15th July at the English National Watersports Centre, Nottingham, our National Schools' and Women's Henley champions continued their seemingly unstoppable series of victories to win brilliant golds in both the Women's Junior Under 18 Coxed and Coxless Fours.
This "awesome foursome" - Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes, Christie Duff & cox Charlotte Davie - is unbeaten this year in all domestic competitions north and south of the border and will move forward next week to represent Scotland in both these disciplines at the annual Home Countries International Regatta in Wales on Cardiff Bay.
Not to be outdone, ASRA's Junior Under 16 Coxless Pair - Jacob Vyse and Nick Read - went one better than the silver they had won at National Schools' and demolished a classy field to take gold, a thumping 13 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals.
In a fiercely contested final, ASRA's injury troubled Junior Under 16 girls - Joanna Cassidy, Kiera Paterson, Erin Wyness , Amelia Donovan & cox Sam Cassidy - showed that they too are the stuff of champions as they snatched the bronze from Pangbourne College in the closing metres of the race.
Congratulations too to our MJ14 Double and our MJ16 and MJ18 Coxed Fours on reaching their respective finals and grateful thanks as always to our loyal parents for their help and support over the three days of the event.
On Saturday 30th June ASRA returned to the Talkin Tarn Regatta, Cumbria, for the first time since the early seventies where a squad of our young, less experienced rowers put in a series of creditable performances to bring home an impressive haul of six category B gold medals.
- Women's Junior 13 Double Sculls: Eilidh Matthew & Samantha Cassidy
- Men's Junior 13 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Alex Brown, Hamish Dunnett, Rémi Théron & Ewan Harold, coxed by Angelika Burzyk
- Men's Junior 13 Single Sculls: Rémi Théron
- Women's Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Eilidh Matthew, Samantha Cassidy, Angelika Burzyk & Lise Théron, coxed by Ewan Harold
- Women's Junior 14 Single Sculls: Jessica Walker
- Men's Junior 14 Double Sculls: Gregor Pittendreigh & Alex McGrath
Meanwhile ASRA FP and Coach - Iona Riley - has finally clinched selection for the the GB team to take part in the World Under 23 Rowing Championships in two weeks time in Vilnius, Lithuania .
On the Saturday 16th June, ASRA hosted the 4th Annual Inter-Schools Regatta which sees all the wet start crews compete against each other after only 9 weeks of rowing.
The weather held out for the day which featured 9 beginner crews from Torry, Oldmachar, Cults, Harlaw, Kincorth, Bucksburn Academies, the Grammar School and Holy Family Primary School. Racing was excellent with the Cults B crew winning the Aberdeen Inter-Schools Cup in the final over a composite crew from Cults/Torry.
At the same time, all ASRA members raced against each other for their own schools. At the end of the pool stage four crews were tied on points which resulted in a four way race off for the Elliot Rowing Cup between Albyn, Cults, Hazlehead and Robert Gordons. Cults were the eventual winners by just over a length to Albyn.
Thanks to all parents for coming down and helping make the event run so smoothly.
At the Henley Women's Regatta on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June, our outstanding Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association National Schools' Rowing Champions - Morven Shaw, Holly Reid , Emily Geddes & Christie Duff, coxed by Charlotte Davie - rowing into blustery headwinds and powerful rain-swollen currents, triumphed yet again on the Thames to win the Groton School Challenge Cup.
The original field of 17 included household names from all over England and three crews from North America. On Saturday they beat King's School Canterbury and Groton School USA and on Sunday they overcame King's School Chester to set up a final against the Merion Mercy Academy's "Varsity Four", fresh from their second win in a row in America's annual National Scholastic Rowing Championships in New Jersey.
A well deserved gold also went to ASRA F.P. and coach, Iona Riley, who together with seven other GB Under 23 aspirants, swept the board in Women's Elite Eights.
At the Scottish Rowing Championships at Strathclyde Park, Motherwell, 0n the 9th & 10th June, athletes from the Aberdeen Schools' Rowing Association, in a season of tumbling records, established yet another a new record for the club at this event by bringing home an almost unbelievable haul of 23 gold medals over the two days.
There were memorable performances at all age levels, but special mention has to be made of our seniors' victories in Women's Open 4 - and Men's Open 2 - and the long- awaited ASRA win in MJ 18 Single Sculls, a feat last achieved by Ernie Clarke way back in 1973 !
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but clearly a number of our seniors must now be in line for selection for the Home Countries International Regatta in Wales in July.
Saturday
- Women's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Morven Shaw, Emily Geddes, Holly Reid & Christie Duff, coxed by Charlotte Davie
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Joanna Cassidy, Kiera Paterson, Erin Wyness & Amelia Donovan, coxed by Sam Cassidy
- Women's Junior 12 Single Sculls: Eilidh Matthew
- Men's Junior 18 Eights: George Turner, Andrew Main, Calum Knowles, Alasdair Crawford, Nicholas Reid, Jacob Vyse, Elliot Bruce & Lewis McCue, coxed by Henry Tawse
- Men's Junior 18 Coxless Fours: Elliot Bruce, Jacob Vyse, Nick Read & Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 18 Double Sculls: Lewis McCue & Elliot Bruce
- Men's Junior 18 Single Sculls: Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 16 Coxless Pairs: Jacob Vyse & Nick Read
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Gregor Pittendreigh, Ze Yu Ng, Adam Stelmaszyk & Gregor Duncan, coxed by Lise Théron
- Men's Junior 13 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Rémi Théron, Alex Brown, Hamish Dunnett & Jacob Turner, coxed by Joanna Cassidy
Sunday
- Women's Open Coxless Fours: Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes & Christie Duff
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Fours: Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes & Christie Duff
- Women's Junior 16 Coxless Pairs: Kiera Paterson & Amelia Donovan
- Women's Junior 15 Coxed Fours: Charlotte Davie, Erynn Fraser, Tanneth Parker & Joanna Cassidy, coxed by Jessie Paterson
- Open Junior 12 Single Sculls: Eilidh Matthew
- The Grieve Cup for Girls' Novice Coxed Fours: Bethany Galley, Lise Théron, Jessie Paterson & Cara Napier, coxed by Angelika Burzyk
- Men's Open Coxless Pairs: Elliot Bruce and Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Elliot Bruce, Jacob Vyse, Nick Read & Lewis McCue, coxed by Henry Tawse
- Men's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Elliot Bruce & Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 15 Eights : Calum Bird, Rhys Hunter, Lawrence Jennings, Leo McKeever, Alistair Frost, Andrew Main, George Turner & Michael Brown, coxed by Jacob Turner
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Fours: Findlay Douglas, Christian Chapman-Bird, Ollie Kinghorn & Alexander McGrath, coxed by Angelika Burzyk
- Men's Junior 14 Double Sculls: Adam Stelmaszyk & Gregor Duncan
- The Wylie Cup for Boys' Novice Coxed Quads: Rémi Théron, Calum Bird, Hamish Dunnett & Alex Brown, coxed by Lise Théron
From Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd June, 7 crews from the Aberdeen Schools' Rowing Association joined 4,500 junior rowers from all over the British Isles to take part in the annual National Schools' Regatta at the English National Watersports Centre, Nottingham...and to great effect. They brought home to Aberdeen 2 gold medals, 1 silver and 2 bronze in a phenomenal record-breaking performance for the club at this regatta.
Gold
- Women's Junior 18 Coxed Fours (and the James Mason Plate for the second time in three years): Morven Shaw (three NSR golds in a row!), Holly Reid, Emily Geddes & Christie Duff, coxed by Charlotte Davie
- Men's Junior 17 Single Sculls (and the Politzer Trophy): Lewis McCue, setting a new course record
Silver
- Men's Junior 16 Coxless Pairs: Jacob Vyse & Nick Read
Bronze
- Men's Junior Championship Coxless Pairs: Elliot Bruce & Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 14 Double Sculls: Adam Stelmaszyk & Gregor Duncan
There were good performances too from our J15 Boys and our J16 Girls. The boys reached the final of their event and the girls, having come an excellent 3rd out of 16 in the time trial, were unlucky to be squeezed out in an unxpectedly tough semi-final. Congratulations to the coaching team and grateful thanks to our long suffering parents for their help with transport and their unswerving support during the event.
On Saturday 19th May at Castle Semple Regatta, Lochwinnoch, ASRA athletes won a total of 16 gold medals, a new record for the club at this regatta. Good performances all round and some grounds for optimism as we move forward to the prestigious National Schools' Championships in Nottingham.
Boys
- Men's Open Coxless Pairs : Lewis McCue & Elliot Bruce
- Men's R2 Coxless Pairs: Nick Read & Jacob Vyse
- Men's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Lewis McCue, Jacob Vyse, Nick Read & Elliot Bruce, coxed by Charlotte Davie
- Men's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Lewis McCue & Elliot Bruce
- Men's Junior 18 Single Sculls: Lewis McCue
- Men's Novice Coxed Fours: Michael Brown, George Turner, Andrew Main & Alistair Frost, coxed by Bethany Reece
- Men's Junior 15 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Gregor Duncan, Adam Stelmaszyk, Alex McGrath & Gregor Pittendreigh, coxed by Henry Tawse
- Men's Junior 15 Double Sculls: Gregor Duncan & Adam Stelmaszyk
- Men's Junior 14 Double Sculls: Ollie Kinghorn & Ze Yu Ng
- Men's Junior 14 Single Sculls: Adam Stelmaszyk
- Men's Junior 13 Double Sculls: Jacob Turner & Rémi Théron
Girls
- Women's Open Coxless Pairs: Christie Duff & Emily Geddes
- Women's R1 Coxed Fours: Christie Duff, Emily Geddes, Holly Reid & Amelia Donovan, coxed by Henry Tawse
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Christie Duff & Emily Geddes
- Women's Novice Coxed Fours: Emily Mowat, Bethany Reece, Charlotte Davie & Joanna Cassidy, coxed by Lise Théron
- Women's Junior 14 Double Sculls: Cara Napier & Jessica Walker
At the Munich International Junior Regatta on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th of May, the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association Boys' Club Captain, Lewis McCue, rowing for Team Great Britain, won an outstanding gold in the "A" Final of Junior 18 Coxless Fours and came second in the "A" Final in Junior 18 Coxless Pairs.
He now moves forward to final GB selection trials in July for the World Junior Rowing Championships to be held this year in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in August.
Meanwhile, back home at the annual NE Regatta, Lewis's fellow ASRA rowers were again winning outright the Championship of the Dee, well ahead of their nearest rivals from Aberdeen University. The Girls' Club Captain was presented with the trophy by Aberdeen Boat Club's President, Jim Steel.
On Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th April at the Strathclyde Park Regatta, Motherwell, the girls and boys from the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association won a grand total of 13 gold medals. These included total dominance in all the girls' junior sweep oared events on offer and historic wins in Women's Open Coxless Fours and Men's Open Coxless Pairs.
- Women's Open Coxless Fours: Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes & Christie Duff
- Women's Restricted 1 Coxed Fours: Morven Shaw , Holly Reid, Emily Geddes, Christie Duff & cox Charlotte Davie
- Women's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Morven Shaw, Holly Reid, Emily Geddes, Christie Duff & cox Charlotte Davie
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Emily Geddes & Christie Duff
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Joanna Cassidy, Kiera Paterson, Charlotte Davie, Amelia Donovan & cox Sam Cassidy
- Women's Junior 15 Coxed Fours: Tanneth Parker, Jessie Paterson, Charlotte Davie, Amelia Donovan & cox Sam Cassidy
- Women's Junior 14 Coxed Fours: Bethany Galley, Jessica Walker, Katherine Lawrie, Cara Napier & cox Henry Tawse
- Men's Open Coxless Pairs: Elliot Bruce & Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs: Elliot Bruce & Lewis McCue
- Men's Junior 15 Coxed Fours: Alistair Frost, Andrew Main, George Turner, Michael Brown & cox Bethany Reece
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Quad Sculls: Gregor Pittendreich, Chak Yuk Ng, Adam Stelmaszyk, Gregor Duncan & Samantha Cassidy
- Men's Junior 14 Single Sculls: Adam Stelmaszyk
- Open Junior 13 Double Sculls: Samantha Cassidy & Hamish Dunnett
Commiserations to our J16 boys who were just pipped at the post by Heriot's and to our boys' J14 Double who shipwrecked so close to victory, and grateful thanks as always to our magnificent parents' support team without whose efforts these results would not have been possible.
At the Gent Spring International Regatta, on the 7th & 8th of April, Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association athletes won a total of 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Saturday
Gold
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Fours - Emily Geddes, Christie Duff, Holly Reid & Morven Shaw
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls - Adam Stelmaszyk, Gregor Pittendreigh, Gregor Duncan, Ze-Yu Ng & Cox Bethany Reece
Silver
- Women's Junior 18 Coxless Pairs - Emily Geddes & Christie Duff Silver -
- Women's Open Eights - Emily Geddes, Christie Duff , Morven Shaw, Amelia Donovan, Holly Reid, Clara Douglas, Kiera Paterson, Joanna Cassidy & Cox Charlotte Davie
Bronze
- Men's Junior14 Single Sculls - Adam Stelmaszyk.
Sunday
Gold
- Women's Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls - Bethany Galley, Cara Napier, Katherine Lawrie, Jessica Walker & Cox Lise Theron
- Women's Junior18 Coxed Fours - Emily Geddes, Christie Duff, Holly Reid & Morven Shaw
- Men's Junior 14 Double Sculls - Adam Stelmaszyk & Gregor Duncan
Silver
- Women's Junior 18 Pairs - Emily Geddes & Christie Duff
Bronze
- Women's Junior 18 Pairs - Holly Reid & Morven Shaw
Meanwhile, as a result of his exceptional performance at the GB Spring Assessments in Nottingham, ASRA Boys' Captain, Lewis McCue has been selected to attend the Munich Regatta on the 5th & 6th of May as part of the Great Britain Junior Rowing Team.
On Saturday 3rd March at the Scottish Schools' Head Races on the Forth & Clyde Canal (Banknock to Dullatur) crews from the Aberdeen Schools' Rowing Association dominated the event for the third year in succession to bring back the Scottish Club Team Trophy once again to Aberdeen.
Winners' pennants were awarded in the following boat categories:
- Men's Junior 18 Coxed Fours; Lewis McCue(Harlaw), Alistair Crawford (RGU), Callum Knowles (RGC) & Elliot Bruce (Harlaw) coxed by Euan Gregory (Albyn)
- Women's Junior 18 Coxed Fours: Emily Geddes (Harlaw), Holly Reid, (Aberdeen College) Christie Duff (Harlaw) & Morven Shaw (Portlethen) coxed by Alex McGrath (Albyn)
- Women's Junior 16 Coxed Fours: Amelia Donovan (RGC), Erin Wyness (Bridge of Don), Joanna Cassidy (Cults) & Kiera Paterson (Harlaw) coxed by Findlay Douglas (Albyn)
- Men's Junior 14 Coxed Quadruple Sculls: Gregor Duncan (Cults), Gregor Pittendreigh (Hazlehead), Chak Yul Ng (Albyn), Adam Stelmaszyk (Harlaw) coxed by Cameron Bell (Cults)
Elsewhere, in the individual schools' event, ASRA boys from Albyn School (Alex McGrath, Findlay Douglas, Ollie Kinghorn & Christy Chapman-Bird coxed by Euan Gregory) won the Schoolboys' Junior 14 Coxed Quads in convincing style.
On Saturday 25th February at the Aberdeen Eights and Coxed Quads Head there were excellent performances from our ASRA squad despite the absence of any Junior opposition from the South.
Special mention must be made of our Women's Junior 18 Eight - Emily Geddes, Holly Reid, Christie Duff, Morven Shaw, Amelia Donovan, Erin Wyness, Kiera Paterson & Joanna Cassidy - which put up the fastest women's crew time in Division 2 and beat in so doing the old WJ18 record time set in 2002 by 14 seconds.
Rowing against stout opposition mounted by their ASRA clubmates, Adam Stelmaszyk, Gregor Pittendreigh, Gregor Duncan and Ze-Yu Ng won MJ14 quads and Cara Napier, Lise Theron, Katherine Lawrie and Bethany Galley won the girls'event.
Thanks to all the parents who helped out with admin, boating and timing and without whose help the event could not have taken place.
At the GB Junior Long Distance Trials in Boston, Lincolnshire, on Sunday 19th February, three athletes from the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Assocaiation put in outstanding performances to keep themselves in the running for selection to row in the World Junior Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in August.
Lewis McCue partnered by Ed Munno of Bedford Modern School came a brilliant 2nd out of 48 in the Men's Junior Coxless Pairs trial and in the Women's equivalent event, Emily Geddes and Christie Duff came 7th out of 18. At the same selection stage in 2002, Lucy Buglass and Jill Beck of ASRA came 5th in the Women's Junior Pairs event with Lucy eventually going on to row for Great Britain in the Women's Coxless Four at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania.
On Sunday 29th January at the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships held at the Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, athletes from the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association put in outstanding performances - both individual and team - to win a total of 5 gold medals, 7 silver and 2 bronze.
Gold
- Women's Under 15: Cara Napier (Robert Gordon's College)
- Men's Under 19: Lewis McCue (Harlaw Academy)
- Women's Open Lightweight: Christie Duff (Harlaw Academy)
- Men's Under 19 Team Event: Lewis McCue (Harlaw Academy), Nick Read (Albyn School), Alasdair Crawford (Robert Gordon University) & Jacob Vyse (Aberdeen Grammar School)
- Women's Under 19 Team Event: Holly Reid (Aberdeen College), Emily Geddes (Harlaw Academy), Christie Duff (Harlaw Academy) & Morven Shaw (Portlethen Academy)
Silver
- Women's Under 13: Eilidh Matthew (Aberdeen Grammar School)
- Women's Under 14: Jessica Walker (Hazlehead Academy)
- Men's Under 16: Jacob Vyse (Aberdeen Grammar School)
- Men's Under 17: Nick Read (Albyn School)
- Women's Under 19: Emily Geddes (Harlaw Academy)
- Men's Under 15 Team Event: Adam Stelmaszyk (Harlaw Academy), Ollie Kinghorn (Albyn School), Michael Brown (Aberdeen Grammar School) & Leo McKeever (Albyn School)
- Women's Under 15 Team Event: Cara Napier (Robert Gordon's College), Jessica Walker (Hazlehead Academy), Katherine Lawrie (Mackie Academy) & Bethany Galley (Oldmachar Academy)
Bronze
- Men's Under 15: Adam Stelmaszyk (Harlaw Academy)
- Women's Under 19: Holly Reid (Aberdeen College)