The Aberdeen Schools' Rowing Project

Project update 1st March 2008

As part of the Schools Rowing project the Young Peoples Fund grant has enabled ASRA to purchase 2 new beginners coxed quads and a new octuple sculls boat.
The two new coxed quad boats were named Silver City II and Granite City II at a short presentation on Saturday 23rd February prior to Aberdeen's Head of the River competition. The launching was carried out by Commodore Angus Menzies, who has recently retired from the Royal Navy. He served around the world in a wide range of frigates, destroyers and nuclear-powered submarines. In his final posting, he was Principal Private Secretary to the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (Admiral The Lord West of Spithead GCB DSC (now Home Officer Minister for Homeland Security.
'Gus' Menzies learned to row in the 1960s as a member of Aberdeen Academy Rowing Club (the precursor of today's Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association). He was stroke of the first ever Aberdeen Junior Crew to represent Scotland at the Home Countries International Regatta in Wales in 1969 and a Silver Medalist in Coxless Fours at the British Junior Championships in 1969. His participation in the launch of the new boats is very apt, considering that he was Captain of Aberdeen Academy Rowing Club when the original Silver City and Granite City racing fours were named.

 

In October 2007 ASRA were successful in securing a Lottery grant of £269,773 from the "Young People Fund". This will enable ASRA to continue and expand the Dry and Wet Start pilot programmes, which have been operating in Aberdeen since November 2006 under the charismatic direction of ASRA alumna and coach, Morag Emery. The original pilot scheme was conceived and financed by Henley Stewards Charitable Trust, the Aberdeen City Council "Active Schools Programme" and the Scottish Amateur Rowing Association.

Twin highlights at the end of the first year of the pilot were the two invitational races at the Scottish Championships involving Dry/Wet Start rowers from Glasgow and Aberdeen. Kincorth Academy won one and Harlaw Academy won the other.


Harlaw winners


Kincorth winners

The Lottery grant will fund three part-time Development Officers and one full-time Co-ordinator's position across the four years of the project and will also enable ASRA to purchase additional rowing machines, beginners' boats and blades, a minibus and a towing vehicle.

Colin Wallace was recruited as the first Development Officer in November 2007 and this has enabled ASRA to expand Morag's pilot into two additional schools, St. Machar and Bankhead Academies. This rate of expansion will be continued each year until we have a total of ten schools participating by the end of year four.

Morag and Colin are at present working as a team in Harlaw, Kincorth, St. Machar and Bankhead Academies and are using the lessons learned from the pilot to update and restructure their development programmes for 2008.

ASRA is delighted with the progress of the pilot to date and is already reaping the benefits in the form of a substantial increase in its active rowing membership and the Committee and members would like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude to Morag for all her hard work during 2006/7 and to wish her and Colin every success with the expanded project.