The three days of competition started on Friday, featuring Corowa's Open Female Lightweights, Amy Underwood and Adelaide Robb, competing in single sculls. The 2,000m course presented challenging crosswinds, but Amy managed to secure a top 4 finish, essential for advancing to the final. She rowed strategically to maintain her crucial fourth position. Adelaide competed next and, leveraging her extensive experience from prior 2,000m races in Sydney, finished third. In the final, the Corowa crews, positioned in lanes 7 and 8, collaborated effectively, advancing to the middle of the pack. They finished strong, with Adelaide in 4th and Amy closely behind in 5th, boosting their confidence for the lightweight double event later that day.
The double sculls event was a direct final, where the Corowa team faced competitors from 3/4 of the Victorian Lightweight quad scull. In a race with seven doubles, the Corowa crew made their presence felt early, securing a clear second position by the halfway mark.
As they became visible to spectators, it was evident that the Corowa crew had maintained their lead, finishing second and earning a silver medal, an outstanding achievement for the sole club crew in the competition.
Day 2
A cooler day welcomed the rowers for Saturday’s racing, also over the 2,000m course, featuring club, underage, and school events.
Brad Pearsall participated in the first event, the club single scull. Competing against a strong field of seven scullers, Brad needed a top-four finish to advance to the final.
Despite a competitive race, he narrowly missed this target, finishing 5th, although his time would have been sufficient to win the second heat.
The afternoon’s events showcased the school rowers in the male and female double sculls and the female quad.
The Corowa High School duo, Lachie Hogan and Brodie Julian, needed a top-four finish in one of the two heats to reach the A final.
They maintained pace with the front runners, securing a third-place position by the halfway mark and improving to second, thus advancing to the A final.
Despite fierce competition from the state’s best school doubles, the Corowa pair secured 4th place with a better time than their heat.
In the open schoolgirl double scull, Adelaide Robb (Victory Lutheran) and Anastasia McFarlane (Scots School Albury) led their heat and won, advancing to the A final.
There, they faced tough competition but finished an admirable 4th with an improved time.
The day’s last race was the Open Division 3 schoolgirl quad, with a crew comprising Eva Broad (Xavier High School), Phoebe Packer (Scots School), Imogen Tomlinson (Saint Francis Leeton), and Maddison Pasqualotto (Marian College Myrtleford), coxed by Sienna McFarlane (Scots School).
In their debut race over the full course as a mixed school crew, they performed commendably, finishing 5th and gaining essential racing experience.
Day 3
Cooler and windy conditions welcomed the rowers for the 1,000m races on day three.
The club’s first crew on the water featured the experienced duo of Liz Sandow and Susie Scott in the C grade double scull. They needed a top-four finish in their heat to advance to the final.
The Corowa crew found themselves in fifth place at the 500m mark due to the challenging start caused by the wind. However, seizing the calmer conditions and making a last-ditch effort, they secured the crucial fourth place.
With eight crews competing in the final, Liz and Susie performed admirably under tough conditions to finish seventh.
Brad competed in the first heat of the A grade single scull, demonstrating his skill in handling the conditions by securing second place and a spot in the final.
The final saw fierce competition, with Brad pushing hard to finish sixth in a closely contested field.
The club’s quad sculls were next, featuring the female A grade crew of Adelaide Robb, Anastasia McFarlane, Bella Heagney, Amy Underwood, and cox Dakota Good in the final.
The Corowa crew kept pace with the early leaders, positioned in fourth place with 250m remaining. Increasing their rate, they launched a final sprint. The Corowa team clinched the bronze medal in a tight finish among the top crews.
The male B grade crew, comprising Liam Fitzgerald, Simon McFarlane, Brodie Julian, Lachie Hogan, and cox Harvey McFarlane, was next to compete.
Against eight quads, the Corowa and Ballarat crews broke away from the pack by the 500m mark. With an intense final sprint to the finish, the Ballarat crew edged out a victory by the slimmest margin of 0.05 seconds, approximately 10mm, with Corowa securing the silver medal.
Female sculler Sienna McFarlane demonstrated the benefits of her diligent training as she competed in the first heat of the U17 single scull. Excelling in the windy conditions, Sienna led from start to finish, advancing to the final. As the youngest competitor in the final, she was determined to earn a medal.
While the race favourite took the lead, Sienna contended fiercely for the bronze, maintaining her composure to win it.
A club milestone was achieved with the entry of three Female C grade quad sculls. The first heat included Maddison, Liz, Grietje, Eva, and cox Dakota, who needed a top-four finish to reach the final. Despite challenging conditions, the crew, with Eva in the stroke seat, rallied from fifth place to secure the crucial fourth position.
The second heat showcased Susie Scott’s crew, with Imogen Tomlinson, Indi Hogan, Eli Aho, and cox Will Hogan, alongside the third Corowa crew of Imogen Wragge, Phoebe Packer, Julie Underwood, and cox Harvey McFarlane.
Both Corowa crews performed well, securing their spots in the final, with Harvey's crew winning and Will's taking third.
It was unprecedented for the club to have three quads in the final. During a tightly contested race, Harvey's crew, including Julie, Phoebe, Imogen, and Sienna, pulled ahead under his guidance, capturing the gold medal, while Will's crew finished fifth, and Dakota's crew came in sixth, marking an outstanding achievement for the club.
Amy and Adelaide formed a team in the A grade double scull and, leveraging their considerable experience, raced well in the challenging conditions to secure a second-place finish and advance to the final. The lightweight Corowa crew performed admirably in the final but narrowly missed a medal, finishing in fourth place. The B grade quad scull crew, composed of Eva, Julie, Anastasia, Bella, and cox Harvey, participated in the first heat. As the competition progressed, the crews and coxswains adapted to the conditions, with the Corowa crew finishing second to reach the final. They were well positioned in the final sprint in a tightly contested race but ultimately finished fourth, just shy of a medal.
The club’s younger female members, Indi, Imogen, Phoebe, Sienna, and cox Will, competed in the U17 quad scull. With a full field of eight quads, the Corowa crew started strong. They were in contention for a bronze medal but ended in fourth place. In the B grade double scull, the club had two entries in the first heat: Brad and Simon faced off against the younger duo of Liam and Brodie. Despite challenging conditions, Simon and Brad secured third place, while Liam and Brodie finished fifth. In the final, the Corowa crew and their competitors from Essendon distinguished themselves from the rest of the field. Following a vigorous sprint to the finish, Essendon narrowly outpaced Corowa to win, leaving Corowa with the silver medal.
Amy and Adelaide also competed in the A grade single scull, which required three heats due to the large number of competitors. A top-two finish was necessary to advance. Adelaide raced first, growing more confident with each race, and won her heat to progress to the final. In a tightly contested final sprint, Amy raced subsequently and finished third, narrowly missing out to the athletes who secured the gold and bronze medals.
Adelaide competed in the six-sculler final and, despite facing larger competitors, gave her best effort to finish in fourth place. Brad and Lachie formed a team in the A grade double scull, advancing to the final by finishing second in their heat. During the final, the pace intensified as all crews started evenly. The Corowa team was well-positioned for the final sprint but could not catch the leaders, finishing in sixth place.
The club entered two Female B grade doubles, with Julie pairing with Grietje and Bella teaming up with Anastasia. With three heats in the event, a top-two finish was necessary to advance to the final. Anastasia and Bella competed first, demonstrating excellent control under challenging conditions and leading from start to finish to win their heat. Competing together for the first time, Julie and Grietje rowed impressively, overtaking several teams to finish in fourth place.
In the final, Anastasia and Bella were prepared to contend with six doubles at the start line. All crews commenced strongly, with the Corowa duo well-placed at the 500m mark. Initiating their sprint, Anastasia and Bella powered to the finish line to secure the bronze medal.
The club’s final event was the Female C grade single scull, with Sienna, Maddison, and Imogen Tomlinson competing in the final. Despite challenging conditions, the scullers started well, with Sienna leading from lane 8. As competitors began their push, a sculler from Melbourne in lane 1 started closing the gap. In a thrilling final sprint, Sienna maintained her lead to win the gold medal by half a second, with Imogen finishing fifth and Maddison sixth.
It was an exceptional weekend for the club, marked by outstanding performances in windy conditions. Special thanks go to the parents and rowers for their dedication and efforts.
The focus now turns to the Head of the School Girls Regatta in Geelong starting Friday, March 15.
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