At this very moment, throughout New South Wales, school-aged rowers are preparing for the first race of their season at the Loreto Normanhurst Regatta. This event will set the tone for our athletes, serving as a way to blow out the cobwebs and get back into the swing of racing, as each tries to make their mark early on and prove that they are the ones to beat this season. The schoolgirl single scull promises to be a perfect example of this, with the races consisting of some excellent rowing and fierce competition, as champions and ‘up-and-comings’ battle it out for sculling glory. This category will be raced over five divisions, with each athlete placed in a suitable division based on their school’s internal rankings. Let’s meet some of the key rowers from Division One.
Isabelle Bugg – Ascham School
On the far side of the course, we’ve got Isabelle Bugg, who made the A-final in the U17 women’s scull at the last Australian Nationals. She is likely planning to use this race to prove her mettle back home and steal the podium spot that she missed out on in March. This race will be key for her to demonstrate her rowing prowess and show the competition that she is here and ready to race.
Lucy Reidy – Kinross Wolaroi School
As one of the only two athletes in this division who are also racing in the first eight, Lucy Reidy will surely bring her considerable sweep experience into Saturday’s race. Having won last year’s Head of the River in the schoolgirl first eight, she is also the reigning national champion in the U19 women’s coxed four and the schoolgirl’s coxed eight sprint. With these considerable victories under her belt, she is clearly one to watch. But without the motivation of fellow crew members or a coxswain urging her on, will she be able to stay strong for the whole race in a crew of one?
Isabella Henderson – The Armidale School
It’s safe to say that Isabella Henderson loves racing her scull. Having come second in the schoolgirl single at the last Head of the River, and placing fourth at nationals in the same event, Henderson will be seeking to take the centre spot on the podium – and since none of the athletes who beat her previously are in this race, she will stand a strong chance of finally seizing first place. However, as the only athlete in this division without a ‘warm-up race’, will Henderson be fresh and full of energy, or will she be left wanting an earlier event to switch into her race mindset and prepare? We’ll have to see.
Prediction
Considering all of the above, I think that this will finally be Isabella Henderson’s time to shine; she will take home the long-awaited win, leaving more than a length between herself and second place. Three strokes after her will be Isabell Bugg, beating experienced sweep rower Lucy Reidy by about half a length, simply because of Isabell’s more recent sculling experience, leaving Lucy to settle for third. It’s safe to say that with the skills and expertise in each of these crews, this will be a great race, with some brilliant rowing that you won’t want to miss.
