21-22/10/2006

UTRC Members selected for GB Trials

Two members of Upper Thames Rowing Club were selected to take part in the first GB National Rowing Team assessment of 2006 in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 21st and 22nd October. They were Mary-Ann Chalmers and Will Hoodless both of whom won medals at the Commonwealth Rowing Championships earlier this year; Will also reached the semi-finals of the Diamonds at Henley Royal Regatta in July.

The GB assessment spanned two days: on Saturday, athletes were required to take a 2km test on Concept 2 Ergometers (rowing machines) and only those athletes able to achieve the GB benchmark scores, were permitted to progress through to the Sunday. Both Will and Mary-Ann compete as lightweights and comfortably achieved the set standard for their categories scoring 6:32.8 and 7:28.0 respectively on their 2km tests.

Boat speed and watermanship were the skills tested on the Sunday with competitors required to complete a time trial covering a 5km stretch of the River Witham. A south-south-easterly wind provided significant resistance over the second half of the course favouring only the strongest and most skilful of the triallists.

A total of 72 lightweight men entered the October GB trial: Will finished 4th in the 5km water trial and his time was fast enough to have placed him 8th in the heavyweight category which had a total of 177 entries. Mary-Ann finished14th of the 50 lightweight women’s entries and would have been placed 21st (of 75 entries) had she competed in heavyweight. These are creditable results: both Mary-Ann and Will improved significantly from last year and can expect to be called for the next stage in the GB selection process in December 2006. Competition becomes stiffer in the December trial as members of the current GB Rowing team, who competed in the World Rowing Championships at Dorney Lake, will also be required to compete.