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TEAM SYNCHRONICITY
In many team sports an individual can stand out and be a champion within a team. In rowing every member of the crew works together to contribute equally to build a champion team.
Each individual in the crew plays a key role in driving the boat towards the finish line. They must execute their role together, to the best of their ability in order to propel the boat as efficiently as they can. Because of the importance of working together and the synchronicity required, rowing is often considered the ultimate team sport. The most important element of rowing it could be said is, camaraderie and teamwork. In order to achieve success as a crew, everyone needs to be committed and determined to challenge themselves to work hard for each other. So, why is camaraderie in rowing so strong?
It is all about the journey that they take on together… it is about the shared experiences that the crew and squad have together. It is about those early mornings, those physical and mental challenges, the victories, the failures and all the memories created along the way. Rowers and coxes commit to work together, they share a common goal and together they put everything they can towards this.
Rowing offers invaluable lessons about teamwork. It requires one to put the best interest of the crew above themselves. The role of the crew is to ensure that everyone can perform at their best, and together individuals must work to be the best version of themselves and enable those around them. Crews learn to work together through being patient, empathetic, hardworking and driven. The teamwork required in rowing teaches students to have a mutual respect for one another, to communicate and to be disciplined when working towards a common goal.
Although many people cannot understand why anyone would wake up very early in the morning to row a boat backwards down a river, rowing is a sport that teaches students so much about themselves and is exceptionally rewarding. Rowing not only develops strength, power and aerobic capacity but also instils resilience, determination and the value of hard work. It is a sport in which effort is rewarded, and the more you put in, the more you will get out of it.
Since the beginning of Term 3 the students involved in the St Catherine’s Rowing program have been working exceptionally hard, trying to be the best they can. The culmination of the Rowing season is the Head of School Girls Regatta 2020, which was established over 30 years ago. The Regatta includes over 2000 competitors from 50 different schools and is the biggest single sex regatta held in the Southern Hemisphere. The St Catherine’s crews were well positioned in the 2020 Head of Schoolgirls Regatta with 12 out of our 15 crew boats winning their heats on Friday. The competition was to be held over 13-15 March 2020, though it was unfortunately cancelled on the Friday afternoon, accepting the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Australia regarding the Coronavirus. As the Head of School Girls Regatta is the final event of the Rowing season, the girls were naturally disappointed but handled the situation with grace. They had dinner in Geelong before returning to Melbourne, allowing them time to celebrate and reflect with their coaches on what they had achieved this season.
For the St Catherine’s Rowing Squad, this season has been one to remember. In the face of many challenges and hurdles, as a group the girls have demonstrated pride and professionalism, resilience, commitment, and teamwork, both on and off the water. The St Catherine’s Rowers and Coxes can be proud of what they have achieved this season. We look forward to coming back next season stronger, fitter and faster than ever before.
