Clio heads to the Coupe!

As many of you will know, Clio has been continuing to race and train hard throughout the course of this year, as well as attending the GB squad trials. She has broken many pbs and won races at a very high level.

In the last few weeks she has raised her game even further, winning a silver medal at the National Schools' Championships; winning the Senior Quads at Henley; and being selected to be part of the GB quad that is going to compete in the Coupe de la Jeunesse in Austria.

Oh, and somewhere in the midst of all of this, she has also found time to study for and take her A-levels!

Shown here: Clio and Chris with the Henley Senior Quads trophy.

Supporters' Plaque

The sign to go on the boathouse to thank our kind supporters will soon be completed.

If you, your friends or contacts would also like to immortalise yourself of your company by having your name added to this sign, there is still time to do so!

A panel can be yours for £250.00. Please get in touch with Ken Anderson on 01394 384149 or leave a cheque made out to 'Deben Rowing Club' with your details at the club house.

Learning to Row at DRC

Ed English, who took part in a Learn to Row course at DRC earlier this year, reports on his experiences:

'My general thoughts are that the way that Deben run the LTR course is very good, with a high standard of beginner boats, which enable new rowers to find their feet without the risk of capsizing.

Working up from very stable 'tub' boats to Explore singles allowed me to continue to work on my sculling technique whilst also getting a feel for the river. The coaches were also flexible about when the 8 sessions could take place – this helped enormously, allowing people to fit in rowing around other commitments and complete the course in our own time. The small numbers of people on the course helped as it meant that more one to one coaching was available (many thanks to James, Tim and John for their patience with me), and I could consistently get in the same boat whenever I was going out on the water.

There were some extra challenges that I had to overcome when first navigating on the Deben: wind, tide, mud and various other types of boats. This was quite a challenge whilst also learning to scull in single craft, however, long term it has made me a much better sculler/rower, and other rivers seem relatively simple to row on in comparison. For example, I have now moved to Norwich and although I have been rowing for 6 or 9 months less than many of the novices there, it is quite rare for them to get out in single sculls, so I have found myself the senior man in a double on more than one occasion, desperately trying to remember what the guys at Deben taught me. Therefore, post LTR, my number one piece of advice to anyone would be to get into a fine single as soon as possible, as it has improved my balance and confidence immensely, despite the odd impromptu swimming lesson!

Overall, Learning to Row has given me a new lease of life and real get up and go. The only issue is that at the moment I can't seem to be on the water enough. I don't mind what boat I'm in, be it a single, or an 8, just as long as those I'm rowing with do it with a smile on their face.'

Olivia makes a Splash on and off the Water

Following an exciting start at the Suffolk Indoor Rowing Champs. earlier this year, Olivia (shown here with James) took part in one of the club's Learn to Row courses and is now enjoying getting out on the river.

On 26 March 2011 Olivia won the under 13 category in the SIRC, achieving a distance of 684m in a set time of 3 minutes on the ergo. This was an especially good result as she had never been on an indoor rowing machine before and this time puts her in the top 20 nationally for year 8 girls.

We look forward to seeing more great things from her over the summer.