2011 RoRys, Part Three - The Best of the Best in World Rowing


Today marks the final day of the 2011 RoRys, with our awards for the most impressive performances in international rowing be handed out to some outstanding athletes, coaches and programs. There is certainly no shortage of deserving candidates, and congratulations to all those who competed at the World level this year. And now, the 'Elite' RoRys go to...

RoRy for 'Programme' of the Year

Great Britain, Jurgen Gröbler, David Tanner
Phenomenal performance from the entire squad, across men's and women's open and lightweight events, 14 total medals, on pace for an unparalleled level of success in London next year. The women's eight has made significant improvements, moving past the Romanians and the Dutch to take the bronze medal this year (as we predicted), the women's pair continues to battle it out with New Zealand for the top spot on the podium, and the women's double of Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins is looking nearly unbeatable going into London. Add to this the excellent performances from the M8+, M4-, M2-, and the lightweights (Hunter and Purchase proving that they have what it takes once again, Hosking and Goodsell on the podium in the LW2x, and a bronze medal from the LM4-), and you have the most dominant program top-to-bottom of any country in the world. Also, Team GB would likely have had a shot at 15 medals had the M2x of Marcus Bateman and Matt Wells not come down with a stomach virus during the regatta in Bled.

RoRy for Coach of the Year

Dick Tonks, Rowing New Zealand
New Zealand once again dominated the small boats, winning gold in the M1x, M2x, M2-, and W2-, with silver in the LM2x, and bronze in the LM1x, W1x, W2x, and W4x – an incredible tally for a small country and with most of the results coming in Olympic events. The Kiwis also proved that they are racers, winning come-from-behind victories in the M1x, M2x, and W2- in Bled, with perfectly timed moves and blistering sprints in each case. Clearly, these athletes are being prepared well for optimum performance on the day, and their training is instilling them with the belief that they can always give more when it counts most.


RoRy for Race of the Year

Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh of Rowing New Zealand
Scown and Haigh were trailing through 1500m in Bled, but were table to reverse the result from Lucerne and capture their second straight World title by just 0.08 seconds over the young duo of Helen Glover and Heather Stanning of Great Britain (click here to watch this race). This marks the second year in a row that the Kiwis and Brits have had a close battle, coming down to the line, and we look forward to seeing these two crews battle it out in Eton next summer.


RoRy for Breakthrough Performance of the Year

Mirka Knapkova, Czech Republic
Knapkova had a fantastic season, managing to edge the perennially competitive Ekaterina Karsten into second place at the World Championships in Bled, following a second straight Henley victory in the Princess Royal Challenge Cup and a bronze medal finish in Lucerne. Knapkova then went on to dominate the European Championships, winning the W1x at the event in Plovidv, Bulgaria by roughly eight seconds over the field.

RoRys for Athletes of the Year

Female Athlete of the Year: Alexandra Tsiavou, Greece
Alexandra Tsiavou has had a truly outstanding run, winning the LW2x with partner Christina Giazitzidou in runaway fashion in Bled in one of the most competitive events at the regatta, having found herself on the podium in every international competition she has entered since 2009 (this includes both LW2x and LW1x races). Tsiavou began the 2011 campaign by winning the Munich World Rowing Cup in the LW1x, and later backed this up with a second win in the LW1x in Lucerne. Following their win in Bled, Tsiavou and Giazitzidou dominated the field once again in Plovdiv, winning the European Championships by roughly five seconds.

Male Athlete(s) of the Year: Hamish Bond and Eric Murray, New Zealand
Yes, we know. But we don't think anyone is going to be separating these two for some time, and, let's face it, along with the German men's eight, they were the most untouchable combination out there on the international circuit this season. Beginning their season with a 14 second victory in Hamburg, Bond and Murray then won Lucerne by some seven seconds over the very talented duo from Great Britain, and then backed it up with a victory by roughly two seconds in Bled for their third consecutive World Championship title.

Congratulations to all 2011 RoRy winners for a fantastic year, and we look forward to seeing much more from all our RoRy recipients in the 2011-2012 season and beyond. Only 308 days until the Games begin in London!

-RR

Trending posts this month

"I Row Crew" — Rowing in 'The Social Network'

Image
Like many of the rowing faithful, I've been keeping up with the saga penned by Dan Boyne about the filming of the rowing scenes in David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network , and I must say I had high hopes going into the film. The first problem I encountered: the phrase, "I row crew." It was uttered so many times before anyone "rowed crew" on the water that I had trouble buying any of it later. It's understandable that the character of Mark Zuckerberg makes that mistake, since he has no idea about the sport. But when the Winklevoss twins themselves utter the phrase several times, one begins to wonder where Boyne was when these lines were not being chopped or changed. Seriously, who says that? As far as the actual rowing goes, the first scene, which has the twins out training in a pair along with the rest of the Harvard squad, is not all bad — it just ends that way. The line, "Those guys are freakin' fast" is certainly every b...
Read more

The 30 Best Rowing Coaches of All Time, Part 3: The Top 10

Image
The top 10 best rowing coaches, including guess who (Photo © Iain Weir / Rowing Photography ) It's time for the third and final part of our 3-part series on the best of the best in the rowing coaching ranks. These coaches not only command respect based on performance, but have also shown the ability to adapt to new circumstances, build dynasties, and ultimately help shape the trajectory of rowing as a sport. Honestly, it would be easy to extend this series into 10 more posts... But we wouldn't do that to you. As we've said before, the hope is that the following may serve to educate and spark discussion, as both an appreciation of history and of the coaching craft. Also note: As we stated in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, there are few women in this list, but that is a reflection of a general underrepresentation of women in the head coaching ranks in our sport—and indeed (as has been well documented ) a growing number of NCAA sports in the United States. ...
Read more

Winter Workouts: Why Do Rowers Fear the Erg?

Image
Op-Ed from the RowingRelated Editorial Staff Friend. Not foe. (Illustration: B. Kitch) I am really frustrated by our sport when it comes to the erg being viewed as a torture device rather than a helpful tool that people can enjoy. This negative mindset, which is extremely contagious, plagues the sport, preventing athletes from training to their potential and possibly serving as one of the reasons that careers in rowing, at every level, are often so short. When compared to other endurance sports, I have not encountered an equal level of disdain for such fundamental mental and physical endurance training. My main problem is that everywhere I turn in the rowing community, whether it's high school rowers, college athletes, or even national team hopefuls, I hear of people dreading the erg. I've never heard about a cross country runner 'dreading' a track workout. True, basketball and football players may dread running wind sprints or other such conditioning acti...
Read more

So, are Naked Rowing Calendars a Thing Now?

Image
Warwick rowers are all in again this year (Photo courtesy of Warwick Boat Club)  The phenomenon started four years ago with the Warwick Rowing men's squad. Then, the following year, the Warwick women's team joined the fray. Now, Newcastle University's men and women are back on the naked calendar train. So, the question is, have rowing and naked calendars become a thing? The above video features the 2014-2015 Warwick women's squad—the third edition of the calendar , and, from the looks of it, the raciest. However, perhaps not so racy as that of the 2014-2015 Warwick men (see below). But raciness aside, all four of these teams have chosen worthy charities and have gone "the full monty" to make sure that those causes have received considerable contributions. The Warwick women contribute to Macmillan Cancer Support —a cause for which Warwick reports it has donated some £5,000. The Warwick men? Sport Allies —a charity that combats homophobia in spor...
Read more

Will It Make the Boat Go Faster? At Marin Rowing Association, Culture is Key

Image
Hands in after training  My alarm goes off—it’s 4:22am.  It’s been a while since I did this. Immediately, I think back to a college dorm room, rolling out of bed and running down the steps to carpool caravan to Marina Del Rey.  Not this time, though. It’s a Tuesday in late September, and I’m heading across the Golden Gate Bridge to Greenbrae, California, where I’ll meet with the Marin Rowing Men’s Masters squad. Fortunately, it’s an unusually warm morning—and when I roll in, the boathouse is already buzzing with activity.  Launch time: 5:10. Heading out into the Bay before dawn The Marin Rowing Association program has both men’s and women’s masters boats competing to win at every event they attend. In the fall, that can only mean one thing: The Head Of The Charles .  The boat that Coach Rodrigo Rodrigues and I spend most of our time with is the Grand Masters eight—average age 60+. But that’s just one of five crews that launched with us that morning. Everyone’s ...
Read more