Most Eastern Cape schools belonging to the rowing community will converge on Settlers Dam for the second EC Sprints event set to take place this Saturday.
Most Eastern Cape schools belonging to the rowing community will converge on Settlers Dam for the second EC Sprints event set to take place this Saturday.
“Although last year’s event was plagued by strong crosswinds, we are even more ready to make a success of this year’s regatta, which is the only one in or close to Grahamstown,” said organising committee member Donovan Cech.
The Grahamstown event is the first rowing regatta on the Eastern Cape Rowing Association’s calendar for the year and, “we are hoping for a good turnout,” Cech said.
While there are a number of strong crews in the province contesting the major races around South Africa throughout the course of the year, there are also a number of boys and girls “with a good chance of making the Junior National Squad this year, so the calibre of racing will be high,” Cech said.
Junior crews will compete over 800 metres, while the U16 and open rowers will race a 1600m course. The races will start at 7.30am and the final is scheduled to take place around 4.30pm.
In the junior men’s first eights event St Andrew’s College are strong favourites as they strive to triumph over of the likes of Selborne and Grey High School.
“Although the event’s main spectators will be parents and scholars, we would certainly like to invite any person interested in rowing to come to the dam and enjoy the competition on the water, as well as the beautiful surrounds,” Cech said.
He also said there are plans to establishing a town rowing club in Grahamstown and that he “would love to see some new faces come and have a look at this incredible sport and then possibly even give it a try”.
There is no entry fee for Saturday’s regatta, but spectators will have to pay the routine entry fee for the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve which is R20 for adults and R10 for children.
