After winning the Women’s Super Veterans division of racing at the George Bass Surf Boat Marathon in January the North Steyne Masters rowers regrouped and started serious short course training for Championships. The first championship event looks like the event will have more crews than the Australian Championships in WA.
The North Steyne Women’s Surf Boat Crew are about to compete at the Australian Surf Rowers League event.
The crew consisting of Lara Husselby, Kate Munro, Bastian Wallace, Claire Ward and Sophie Egden (reserve) travel to Buili on Thursday the 9th of February to contest the Masters women’s division of racing in the 160s age category. Basically this means that the four members of the crews ages added together must be 160 and above.
The crew will then back up on the Friday to contest the rounds of the Reserve womans division. This is a highly competitive division with over 30 crews registered to compete. The North Steyne crew competed last week at the Terrigal Carnival and had a fantastic win in one round against the current ASRL Champions Avoca.
Our crew have trained hard in the surf three days a week with gym, spins classes, weights, rowing ergs and swimming as a weekly training program.
The crew came together at the start of the year wanting to be proficient racing in all surf conditions. So three experienced surf rowers joined two new members to form a team. A few years of predominantly flat water harbour training for the two new rowers was a great base. The crew of five have done everything asked of them and are ready for Branch in a few weeks, State and Aussies in Perth at the end of March.
As a coach and sweep racing with the crew I couldn’t be more proud of the overall dedication, commitment and drive of the team.
The team is ready now to take on any surf.
We are known as North Steyne (Alive). As in Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees.
David Maguire
Sweep
Boat Captain
North Steyne Surf Club