Issue 100 - Centenary July 1997

Highs, Lows & Hopes

'Rowing has made history in the past. We must be pro-active and radical in our thinking and development if we are not to become history. Our youth is our future. Our clubs are our foundation.'

Highs

• Establishment of Henley Women's Regatta 1988.
• Development of women's rowing (now 35 percent of registered members of ARA).
• Large increase in entries at the Women's Head (fewer than 100 in 1988 to 241 in 1997).
• The appointment of the first woman (Di Ellis) to lead the ARA Executive.
• Introduction of registration to ARA for individuals.
• Henley RC celebrated 150 years (1989).
• Establishment of River and Rowing Museum.
• Planning approval for rowing lake at Eton.
• Appointment of regional coaching development officers.
• Steve Redgrave's four Olympic medals.
• Peter Haining's three world single sculling medals (Britain's first 'singles' medal for years!).
• First women's senior medal in 1991 at Vienna.
• First junior women's medal in 1993 at Oslo.
• First women's gold medal in 1993 at Roudnice.
• The Searles' famous victory in Barcelona (1992).
• GB teams' achievements since 1990: 28 gold medals 26 silver medals 26 bronze medals
• GB crews winning medals in British-built boats.
• Rowing being the only sport to achieve Olympic gold 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996.
• Appointment of professional manager 1990.
• Appointment of full-time chief coaches 1991-1996.

Lows

• Demise of Nottinghamshire International Regatta.
• Fall in the number of young men who continue to row.
• The deaths of Peter Coni, Thomi Keller, and Mark Lees.
• FISA's policy of contraction as the only way forward. Narrow thinking driven from outside.
• Reduction of events and athletes in the Olympic programme.

Hopes

• ARA's need to restructure itself - strengthen regions and recast the Council.
• Big drive to introduce rowing into state schools.
• Regattas and competition programme restructured radically, perhaps a league system and graded regattas which are more status-specific.
• Establish clear performance pathways for youngsters from play boat to Olympic podium.
• Clubs to respond to competition from other sports.
• Top clubs to have full-time coaches - 30 by 2000 and 70 by 2007.
• Make coaching award scheme more user-friendly.
• Put in place a progressive competition structure to include inter- regional championships.
• Develop regional squads.
• Re-establish an international regatta in the UK.
• Develop a still water training/competition site in each ARA region.
• Improve communication between ARA committees and its members. Make use of Regatta magazine.
• Continue with recent level of success at Olympic and World Championships.
• To have established a high performance facility in the Thames Valley based on Henley and Bisham as part of the British Academy network.
• To see the full-time professional coaching structure developed.
• FISA to be more lateral in their thinking.

© Copyright B. Armstrong, 1997.