Today was by far the most exciting day of the tour yet.
The first race that our girls competed in was the junior varsity Quad. A very prestigious race which had some very talented and experienced crews in it and our girls did very well to come 4th. They had a great start and did well to hold off another crew that was coming home very strong, in this race was (Yvette, Jana, Freya, Annabelle and Julia). Just a few races after this the school 8 race was on. This was by far one of the most exciting races I have seen from a Pymble crew. Both Mark C and I went out on a officials boat and videoed the whole race from the starting pontoon to the finish we got some spectacular photos and footage. What was more amazing was at the start line we had a good chance to look at all the other crews. Mark and I commented that our girls did look like there were in the wrong race, some of the members of these crews were the size of open university women crews and looked to have a big size and weight advantage. They looked like the younger sisters of the girls from the other crews. Three members of a Seattle crew were 6 feet tall or higher. At the gun the girls were immediately left behind as the bigger crews edged off first, however as our girls found there rate they left the field for dead. At the 250m mark they were half a boat length ahead and increased that to about a boat length by the end of the race.
The girls were delighted and were presented there medals by a 2008 Canadian Olympic rowing Gold medalist. The rest of the day the girls were on a high and were introduced to all different crews to be invited down to row with them in Seattle. To their credit the girls have been outstanding ambassadors of Pymble, with immaculate manners and very bright and bubbly personalities it has been a pleasure to receive such good praise at my end.
Unfortunately in the afternoon the races got cancelled due to high winds, so the 4's and Doubles's as well as the Junior varsity 8 have been postponed till tomorrow. The girls are bubbling with energy and are having an absolute ball.
Best wishes,
Tom
P.S. if you haven't already please check the Brentwood website album, there is a great photo of our girls.
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Friday, 29 April 2011
Brentwood Link
Here is the Link to Brentwood regatta photos for 2011. Im sure more will uploaded after tomorrow so a good website to keep your eyes on for results, draws and photos.
The first photo is actually of our girls as well.
The first photo is actually of our girls as well.
Last chance training and first chance racing
Good Evening Parents, staff and friends
On Thursday morning the girls had there last training at Brentwood. Again it proved a success with some beautiful weather and some excellent rowing. Gill and Mark put them through their paces with a longer session and some tough peices of rowing.
On Thursday afternoon the girls had the afternoon off to do some washing, shopping, sleeping and believe it or not they even fit some school work into their schedule.
This morning the girls got to sleep in and at 11:00am we headed out to Brentwood for the first day of the regatta. The girls were buzzing with energy and excitement and were ready for a big day of racing. On the bus trip they managed to sing along to every iconic Australian song they knew, which I can assure you was a aboslute pleasure to the bus drivers ears.
On arrival at Brentwood the excitement only increased as we got to see the size of this regatta with Boats, tents and oars scattered all over every inch of the school. The school provides a vairety of food stores and live music, once the girls found this out they were immediatley requesting songs from Men at Work and ACDC. Everyone is very friendly and very impressed by our attendence at the regatta, our bright and happy young ladies do add a certain international charm to the regatta.
Our first race for the day our quad raced in the 3rd heat varsity quad (similar to a under 19 quad). This was a very high standard of racing and the girls did well to come out with a 5th especially with some very challenging weather conditions (Serena, Laura, Freya, Julia, Yvette). The next race was the 3rd heat of the junior quad race this was a great race the girls who won by a significant amount and again a very big effort in some even tougher conditions (Jana, Annabelle, Freya, Julia, Yvette). A special mention must go to Yvette who coxed both of the races in some very cold conditions with 8 degree water spraying in her face every stroke, she did very well and showed some great determination. Our last race for the day was the 8 and the weather just started to settle as the race begun and the girls had some clamer water to row on. The girls race very well leading after the first 250m by half a boat length and then increasing this lead by about a boat lenght and half by the end of the race. All the girls raced well and rowed well together. (Grace, Suz, Pheobe, Josie, Gen, Maddie, Georgia, Laura, Micha).
Tomrrow the girls will race in 4's, Serena in the single and the 8. The weather should be alot better and the girls are looking forward to some great racing and meeting some great people.
All the best,
Tom
On Thursday morning the girls had there last training at Brentwood. Again it proved a success with some beautiful weather and some excellent rowing. Gill and Mark put them through their paces with a longer session and some tough peices of rowing.
On Thursday afternoon the girls had the afternoon off to do some washing, shopping, sleeping and believe it or not they even fit some school work into their schedule.
This morning the girls got to sleep in and at 11:00am we headed out to Brentwood for the first day of the regatta. The girls were buzzing with energy and excitement and were ready for a big day of racing. On the bus trip they managed to sing along to every iconic Australian song they knew, which I can assure you was a aboslute pleasure to the bus drivers ears.
On arrival at Brentwood the excitement only increased as we got to see the size of this regatta with Boats, tents and oars scattered all over every inch of the school. The school provides a vairety of food stores and live music, once the girls found this out they were immediatley requesting songs from Men at Work and ACDC. Everyone is very friendly and very impressed by our attendence at the regatta, our bright and happy young ladies do add a certain international charm to the regatta.
Our first race for the day our quad raced in the 3rd heat varsity quad (similar to a under 19 quad). This was a very high standard of racing and the girls did well to come out with a 5th especially with some very challenging weather conditions (Serena, Laura, Freya, Julia, Yvette). The next race was the 3rd heat of the junior quad race this was a great race the girls who won by a significant amount and again a very big effort in some even tougher conditions (Jana, Annabelle, Freya, Julia, Yvette). A special mention must go to Yvette who coxed both of the races in some very cold conditions with 8 degree water spraying in her face every stroke, she did very well and showed some great determination. Our last race for the day was the 8 and the weather just started to settle as the race begun and the girls had some clamer water to row on. The girls race very well leading after the first 250m by half a boat length and then increasing this lead by about a boat lenght and half by the end of the race. All the girls raced well and rowed well together. (Grace, Suz, Pheobe, Josie, Gen, Maddie, Georgia, Laura, Micha).
Tomrrow the girls will race in 4's, Serena in the single and the 8. The weather should be alot better and the girls are looking forward to some great racing and meeting some great people.
All the best,
Tom
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
The first few days of our Tour
Dear everyone,
The first few days of out tour have been great. The girls have had some great training and done some amazing activities along the way.
Our First full day on Vancouver Island was jam packed. We arrived for the first time at Brentwood College for their first training session at 8am, the girls where amazed by the facilities and the incredible view from the College out over Mill Bay. The rowing shed and indoor rowing tank were big highlights for the girls. The College has kindly lent us an eight, a quad and a single all of which are in very good condition and appear to suit the girls very well. The biggest buzz for the girls was the fact that the bay in which the college is in is filled harbour seals which is an amazing sight to see.
That afternoon we hoped back on the bus and headed down to Butchadt gardens to walk amongst 50 acres of landscaped gardens. The gardens are based in a old quarry that was landscaped after it was exhasuted of all the stone. It was a very good time of the year as the gardens are almost in full spring bloom and it was great weather. The girls really enjoyed it and it appeared to spark some green thumbs amongst them. Some highlights included the sunken garden which is a perfectly manicured section of the gardens with ponds, ducks, fountains and statues. All the girls also released the inner child within and went for a vintage carousel ride. It was a very funny sight to see 16 Australian teenage girls laughing at the top of their lungs as they went around a carousel (I think the rest of the patrons and staff had no idea what was going on).
That afternoon we went back to brentwood for an afternoon training session. It was again very productive but the wind did start to come up by the end of the session. Following the rowing session the Brentwood College Rowing team made a BBQ for the girls. This was a great oppotunity for the girls to meet the other boys and girls crews at the College and get a feel for what rowing is like at such a College and in Canada in general. A good time was had by all.
Today (Wednesday) we had another morning trianing session. This time it was with the Senior boys crews at brentwood and the girls were able to do some race pace training. This was a very useful session for the girls, especially as the senior brentwood rowing coach took the session. The coach has an outstanding rowing record. You will be happy to know the girls really did hold there own in the training, The boys were a bit shocked by the end of it.
This afternoon we went on a whale watching tour, hoping to find the resident Orca Whales in the area. There are about 5 differnet pods of killer whales in Victoria which have "residence" in the surouding waters of the city. Each pod is around 20- 30 animals. However this is onl the start of the season and unfortunatley we didn't see any. However, we did see many other things including, harbour seals, elephant seals (very rare), Lion seals, Otter's and many varieties of birds. Although there was no whales, it was raining and it was 8 degrees with -8 wind chill the girls, Mark, Gill and I all loved it. The surrouding landscape of the island is enough to marvel at.
Tomororow is our final training session before the regatta on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The girls appear to be rowing very well and Gill is impressed with there progress. The Brentwood womens coach thinks we will be very competitive. The Brentwood regatta is the biggest regatta in Canada. There are expected to be around 1500 competitors and around 8000 spectators. It is a massive event and Im sure the girls will enjoy every moment. It seems the only thing that can stop them at the moment is the fact the rowing in 8-10 degree temperatures can be considered quite normal in Canada.
I will keep you tuned with how we go.
Unfortunatley I have had troubles uploading photos, however I will endevour to get some uploaded soon.
But All is well, everyone is healthy, getting along great, there are rowing well and having a ball.
Please feel free to msg or call me if you have any concerns.
regards,
T. Kindred
The first few days of out tour have been great. The girls have had some great training and done some amazing activities along the way.
Our First full day on Vancouver Island was jam packed. We arrived for the first time at Brentwood College for their first training session at 8am, the girls where amazed by the facilities and the incredible view from the College out over Mill Bay. The rowing shed and indoor rowing tank were big highlights for the girls. The College has kindly lent us an eight, a quad and a single all of which are in very good condition and appear to suit the girls very well. The biggest buzz for the girls was the fact that the bay in which the college is in is filled harbour seals which is an amazing sight to see.
That afternoon we hoped back on the bus and headed down to Butchadt gardens to walk amongst 50 acres of landscaped gardens. The gardens are based in a old quarry that was landscaped after it was exhasuted of all the stone. It was a very good time of the year as the gardens are almost in full spring bloom and it was great weather. The girls really enjoyed it and it appeared to spark some green thumbs amongst them. Some highlights included the sunken garden which is a perfectly manicured section of the gardens with ponds, ducks, fountains and statues. All the girls also released the inner child within and went for a vintage carousel ride. It was a very funny sight to see 16 Australian teenage girls laughing at the top of their lungs as they went around a carousel (I think the rest of the patrons and staff had no idea what was going on).
That afternoon we went back to brentwood for an afternoon training session. It was again very productive but the wind did start to come up by the end of the session. Following the rowing session the Brentwood College Rowing team made a BBQ for the girls. This was a great oppotunity for the girls to meet the other boys and girls crews at the College and get a feel for what rowing is like at such a College and in Canada in general. A good time was had by all.
Today (Wednesday) we had another morning trianing session. This time it was with the Senior boys crews at brentwood and the girls were able to do some race pace training. This was a very useful session for the girls, especially as the senior brentwood rowing coach took the session. The coach has an outstanding rowing record. You will be happy to know the girls really did hold there own in the training, The boys were a bit shocked by the end of it.
This afternoon we went on a whale watching tour, hoping to find the resident Orca Whales in the area. There are about 5 differnet pods of killer whales in Victoria which have "residence" in the surouding waters of the city. Each pod is around 20- 30 animals. However this is onl the start of the season and unfortunatley we didn't see any. However, we did see many other things including, harbour seals, elephant seals (very rare), Lion seals, Otter's and many varieties of birds. Although there was no whales, it was raining and it was 8 degrees with -8 wind chill the girls, Mark, Gill and I all loved it. The surrouding landscape of the island is enough to marvel at.
Tomororow is our final training session before the regatta on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The girls appear to be rowing very well and Gill is impressed with there progress. The Brentwood womens coach thinks we will be very competitive. The Brentwood regatta is the biggest regatta in Canada. There are expected to be around 1500 competitors and around 8000 spectators. It is a massive event and Im sure the girls will enjoy every moment. It seems the only thing that can stop them at the moment is the fact the rowing in 8-10 degree temperatures can be considered quite normal in Canada.
I will keep you tuned with how we go.
Unfortunatley I have had troubles uploading photos, however I will endevour to get some uploaded soon.
But All is well, everyone is healthy, getting along great, there are rowing well and having a ball.
Please feel free to msg or call me if you have any concerns.
regards,
T. Kindred
Monday, 25 April 2011
Have all arrived safely. Despite a very long flight of which most of the girls did not sleep at all the day has been good. Did a 3hour tour of Vancouver and saw alot of the city. It is very over cast and raining and is expected to be like this for most of the week which should make for some interesting training for the girls. We have our first training tomorrow morning followed by a tour of butchardt gardens, so stay tuned for further posts and some great photos.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Things to Remember
Just a few things to remember before you leave home
Have a Happy easter and Ill see you at the airport at 7:20am.
- Make sure you have some CAD in cash to use when you get off the plane in Vancouver
- Make sure your luggage, jacket, tour polo and rowing Zootie's are named
- Pack some warm clothes in your hand luggage to wear on arrival in Vancouver
- Make sure you DONT have any aerosol cans, liquids over 100mls or sharp objects in your hand luggage
- Make sure you have orgnasied your insurance, money cards, visa
- Make sure you pack any home work or school work that needs to be completed
- Weigh your bag before you leave home so you know how much it ways (<20kgs)
- Wear the right uniform to the airport (Tour Polo, navy tracksuit pants, runners) no ugg boots
- REMEMBER YOUR PASSPORT!
Have a Happy easter and Ill see you at the airport at 7:20am.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Brentwood Regatta
Dear All
Here is a link to the Brentwood Regatta webpage, you will find all the information regarding the regatta including the draw, entries, results, photos and general information. A very useful site to get a feel for what you will be competing in and against.
Here is a link to the Brentwood Regatta webpage, you will find all the information regarding the regatta including the draw, entries, results, photos and general information. A very useful site to get a feel for what you will be competing in and against.
Wednesday, 13 April 2011
Welcome
Dear all Parents and Students,
This blog page is designed to keep you up to date with all the news, information and happenings on the Pymble Ladies' College 2011 Canada and USA rowing tour. I will aim to update this blog as much as possible and fill you in on details such as training information, results at the regatta's, activities done that day as well as filling you in on the upcoming days details. I will also endevour to add some videos and photos as well.
With only 12 more days before we leave I'm sure the excitement is building for what is going to be an amazing experiance for 16 lucky students at Pymble. To increase the excitement a little bit more, attached is a link to show you some more information regarding our first stop Brentwoood College, Mill Bay, Victoria, Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FT2wBmlf1s
Stay tuned for more posts to come. As well as further details and things to remember for the trip.
This blog page is designed to keep you up to date with all the news, information and happenings on the Pymble Ladies' College 2011 Canada and USA rowing tour. I will aim to update this blog as much as possible and fill you in on details such as training information, results at the regatta's, activities done that day as well as filling you in on the upcoming days details. I will also endevour to add some videos and photos as well.
With only 12 more days before we leave I'm sure the excitement is building for what is going to be an amazing experiance for 16 lucky students at Pymble. To increase the excitement a little bit more, attached is a link to show you some more information regarding our first stop Brentwoood College, Mill Bay, Victoria, Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FT2wBmlf1s
Stay tuned for more posts to come. As well as further details and things to remember for the trip.
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