ROWING: Thirty of Australia’s best junior rowers will descend upon Hamburg, Germany this week to compete in the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships. The rowers, selected from across Australia, will compete in nine events in a bid to be crowned the best in the world in their age category.
Among the rowers are Tom Schramko, and Miller and Tyler Ferris, who will compete at the second summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, immediately after the World Junior Championships.
Schramko, coached by Nick Garratt, has been training in Sydney ahead of his departure for Hamburg and is looking forward to being in Europe: “I had a great end to the season by winning the National titles in both the U19 Men’s Single and Double categories and the Schoolboys Single Scull, where I broke the national record, and then to do well at Selection Trials has meant I was selected for the team again.
“I’m looking forward to competing against the other international rowers in my age group in Hamburg and seeing where I am in comparison. I’m hoping I can walk away with a medal too, that would be awesome.”
Schramko won the U19 Men’s Double Scull at Nationals with Victorian Tyron Boorman who in Hamburg will be partnered with Adam Bakker of Queensland. Bakker finished second at Nationals to Schramko and Boorman and has been enjoying the experience of working with a new partner.
“Tyron and I have been working hard with our coaches to become a well-oiled unit and I think we are prepared ahead of Germany. It’s been good to be in a boat with Tyron who has previously been to a World Rowing Junior Championship so I have been able to get some advice from him on what to expect,” said Bakker.
The Junior Women’s Coxless Four will be hoping to replicate their performance from Nationals where the crew won the U19 Women’s Coxless Four national title. The crew is made of Queenslanders Eloise Parker, Kathryn (Kate) Rowan and identical twin sisters, Miller and Tyler Ferris.
“To have been selected as a crew, rather than being drawn from across the country, has been a real positive for us. I think the fact we are all University of Queensland BC members and train out there week in and week out has to be some sort of advantage for us ahead of Germany,” commented Parker.
The Junior Men’s Coxed Four are all from Melbourne Grammar School and row out of Mercantile RC, par their coxswain Thomas McLellan who is a member of Commercial RC in Queensland.
Meanwhile the Junior Men’s Coxless Four are all from New South Wales and row out of Mosman Rowing Club albeit being split between two schools St Ignatius’ College and St Augustine’s. The crew is coached by former World Champion German rower Matthias Ungemach, something that Callum Rossi says is paying off.
“Having someone of Matthias’ calibre as our coach is fantastic. He’s a world champion rower and record holder and has years of experience to share with us. We’re really excited to be competing in Germany, on his former home territory, and we’re confident we can convert our hard work into medals,” said Rossi.
There are three members of the Junior Australian Rowing Team who have older siblings also currently competing for the Australian Rowing Team. South Australian Bridget Badenoch (JW2x) is the younger sister of Narelle who recently competed in the U23 Women’s Quadruple Scull, Amanda Bateman’s (JW1x) older sister, Katrina, competes in the Senior A Women’s Coxed Eight while Eleanor Howe’s (JW8+) older sister, Georgina, represented Australia in the U23 Women’s Coxed Eight recently.
Eleanor’s totally Victorian-based Junior Women’s Coxed Eight had a last minute change to its crew when Bronte Evans was ruled out with a last minute injury. The Melbourne schoolgirl has been replaced by 16-year-old Chloe Betts from Melbourne Girls College Rowing Club.
Competing over a 1000m course at the YOG, Thomas Schramko will compete in the Men’s Single Scull while twin sisters, Miller and Tyler Ferris, will compete in the Women’s Coxless Pair.
Rowing Australia
