the colder months Meet Our Rowers

It’s also important to invest in getting the right sportswear to manage the fluctuating temperatures of before, during, and after training. A final point is aim to go with friends (a Club session) who you can train with. This helps to not only challenge you but also keeps it fun, perhaps the biggest factor of all.”

Gianni Aprea

“If you want to do well in the spring and summer then preparation has to start in winter. There is no short cut. Suffering through the cold and windy conditions is just part of training. Taking the proper precautions certainly helps. This was instilled in me years ago from Roger Holmes. The purchase of good cold weather gear from Storm Force Marine and Typhoon8 has helped tremendously.

Ultimately though, it doesn’t matter how much kit you have or how good it is, you will be cold and at times miserable. I have had symptoms of hypothermia many, many times. Each time this happens I just think of other paddlers who train literally in the snow and Ice. We are very lucky here. The cold weather doesn’t last long. It’s a small price to pay for good results during racing season.”

Some very insightful comments from RHKYC paddlers above…

Perseverance, preparation and a dedication to ‘put in the hard work’ despite the more challenging conditions are what makes these paddlers perform consistently well year after year. It’s important to figure out just what gets you out of bed; having company and paddling with others, ‘keeping your eye on the prize’, doing it for the team, wearing the ‘right gear’ for the elements, having the aim to ‘learn and push yourself’ are some of many key drivers for these paddlers. And lastly, in the words of Aprea, paddling through the tougher, cold wintry elements really is ‘a small price to pay for good results during racing season.’

Meet Our Rowers

WORDS AND IMAGES: KOICHI OHIRA | BEN ROWE

oichi Ohira is from Japan, where he began rowing with University of Tokyo Rowing Club in 1993. He began rowing having no idea of the high level of self-discipline and teamwork required. Early memories of university rowing involve finishing outings with sets of ‘painful chin-ups on blistered hands’!

Ohira joined RHKYC upon his first posting to Hong Kong in 2010, some years after exchanging business cards with club stalwart and former rowing captain Martin Reynolds during the 2007 Toda Regatta. Ohira remembers his first experience of coastal rowing at RHKYC, a club row to Po Toi, a far cry from the calm Tokyo waters that he was used to.

Ohira’s proudest achievement at RHKYC is his involvement in the organisation and delivery of the 2019 World Rowing Coastal Championships, an event that showcased both Hong Kong and the sport.

Rowing, and the wider club activities bring energy to Ohira’s life in Hong Kong, as he is apart from his family who are based in Japan. He enjoys the diversity of the club and the bond that the members share through love of sport and time spent on the water.