Archive for year: 2020

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Veterans & Families Indoor Rowing Program

Rowing ACT is pleased to announce that the Veterans and Families Indoor Rowing Program will be starting in September 2020. This program will bring together veterans and their family members to learn to row on indoor rowing machines, while improving physical and mental health outcomes for participants. Any current service person or veteran can participate, and we encourage them to bring along family members to join in and participate together. Adjustments can be made for any physical injuries, please just let us know ahead of time so that we can plan ahead.

Indoor rowing is a growing sport, which has many opportunities in which participants can take part going into the future. It is one of the officially recognised Invictus Games sports, as well as having its own Australian and World Championships.

Through the program, participants will have the opportunity to develop their indoor rowing skills, and find out more about the sport of rowing as a whole.

The program will consist of 4 sessions, starting on 5 September and running each Saturday for the remainder of the month. It is free to participate, and all of the equipment will be provided.

If you are interested in participating, please fill in the form below. All information will be kept private, however if you have any questions or concerns, or would like to inform us about any personal circumstances, please email hp@rowingact.org.au or call 0478 622 342.

Expression of Interest Form

Please note that while 2hr time slots have been allocated, not all of this time will be spent completing the indoor rowing activities. There will be time afterwards for socialising and other activities, such as reviewing footage, asking questions about rowing as a sport or for other information to be provided.
If you have any concerns about privacy, please feel free to email Katrina on hp@rowingact.org.au, or call her on 0478 622 342.
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Updated Restrictions 30 May 2020

TRAINING groups of 20 and crewed boats will return to Canberra this weekend after announcement from the ACT Government this week.

The number of people who can train as part of a group goes up to 20 plus a coach as of 11.59pm, Friday 29 May 2020. Further to this, the ACT Government has advised that coxless 2- and 4-seat crewed boats (pairs, doubles, fours and quads) are permissible within a risk-assessment approach. This return to crewed boats is at the discretion of individual clubs and schools as part of their “Return to Play in a COVID-Safe Environment” plans.

A copy of the updated Rowing ACT “Return to Play in a COVID-Safe Environment” plan, along with updated advice from ACT Sport & Recreation, can be found on our COVID-19 Information page.

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Returning to Play in a COVID-Safe Environment

Community sport restrictions start easing as of midnight tonight – but things aren’t fully back to normal yet.

Clubs will be able to reopen for some club rowing once they have a plan to do so in a COVID-safe manner. Right now this is limited to club singles and doubles (where crew members are from the same household) in groups of no more than 10. The Rowing ACT Returning to Play in a COVID-Safe Environment policy is available here.

Your club will provide you with details on when they plan on reopening – keep an eye out for it and stay safe!

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Rowing ACT Statement on Training at Home

Rowing ACT has released a statement on training at home to help people train safely while they are not able to use their normal facilities.

For more information, click here

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The Indoor Interstate Regatta is coming!

The 2020 Indoor Interstate Regatta is here!

Between 6 and 20 April 2020 register your indoor rowing machine metres via this
link: https://forms.gle/7oADMLxW4Rv9fA4T8 
or by tagging Rowing ACT in a picture of your erg screen, including your
verification code!

The regatta is open to everyone – school, club, elite and masters – we need you
all to compete to help put ACT at the top of the table! With everybody staying
safe indoors, and the 2020 King’s and Queen’s Cups Interstate Regatta sadly
cancelled, what better way to get competitive than the
#IndoorInterstate?! 

There are two divisions for victory: Total
Distance and Total Distance per Participant

#StayHomeSaveLives #Rowing #RowingACT #RowingAustralia #IndoorRowing

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Rowing ACT COVID-19 update 23 March 2020

Yesterday the Federal Government announced new restrictions on social gatherings in Australia, with gyms and indoor sporting venues closed down from midday Monday 23 March. The ACT Government also announced on Sunday they would be temporarily closing down all non-essential activities and businesses in line with the Federal Government advice. Rowing ACT has also sought further advice on closures from ACT Government Sport & Recreation.

Tonight Rowing Australia has strongly advised all rowing clubs in Australia to suspend operations and that members of our rowing community seek alternative ways of training that comply with Government restrictions.

Following on from these decisions Rowing ACT strongly advises that local rowing clubs and schools cease operations immediately.

This has been an extremely difficult decision, made with reference to the duty of care Rowing ACT has towards local rowers and their health and well-being while out on the water. In line with Federal and ACT Government directions there is also a duty of care to reduce possible transmissions to the wider community.

To this end, the on-water component of the Rowing ACT/ACTAS High Performance Program has also been shut down, with athletes to train from home from Tuesday 24 March. Rowing ACT administrative staff have been working from home for the last week and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Separate to this, the ACT Government has advised Rowing ACT that the only potential form of rowing allowed at present would be single sculls. This cannot be an organised club activity.

Rowing ACT advises that should individuals choose to row privately-owned & stored single sculls they do so at their own risk as we cannot guarantee their safety, and should:

  • check the status of their personal insurance as they may not be covered by club insurance at this time;
  • ensure that they have sufficient experience in a single scull given the cooler temperatures;
  • do not row if you would be considered particularly at-risk or associate with people who are at-risk from the COVID-19;
  • and in line with Rowing Australia advice consider rowing with another single, while maintaining sufficient social distancing both on and off water.

We recommend that all clubs confirm their insurance arrangements and their workplace health and safety responsibilities in determining if it is acceptable for people to boat privately-owned singles from their boatsheds.

We remain here to support our local rowing community and we will do what we can during this difficult time. We will continue to update the community as things change.

Should you have any questions about this then please don’t hesitate to contact Rowing ACT at eo@rowingact.org.au.

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Rowing ACT COVID-19 update 22 March 2020

Dear ACT Rowing Community,

Just over a week ago we were preparing for the biggest
weekend’s racing in the ACT since the 2013 Masters Championships. Today the ACT
Government announced that all non-essential businesses will be closed down;
while full details have not come out as yet, we anticipate that this will
include sporting clubs and organisations.

To prepare for this upcoming closure, Rowing ACT recommends
that clubs get ready for what could be an extended closure by:

•            
cleaning boat sheds;

•            
emptying rubbish bins;

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removing consumables;

•            
asking people to take any personal possessions they may want access to;

•            
ensuring that sheds have sufficient security precautions.

Any working group to help with this should be a small one to
maintain sufficient social distancing and that members are not from or connected
to vulnerable parts of the community.

Rowing ACT recommends that individuals with private boats do
not row, as we have no capacity to provide support to rowers who go on the
water from the time of the ACT Government closure. Anyone that chooses to row
during this shutdown does so at their own risk.

In line with Rowing Australia’s recommendations issued last
week, Rowing ACT recommends that anyone rowing up until the commencement of the
ACT Government closure should do so in the smallest boat possible, to reduce
the risk of exposure and potential spread of the disease.

Given this announcement the Winter Time Trial series is
considered suspended until further notice.

Rowing ACT will continue to work with Rowing Australia to
develop at-home training and strength & conditioning courses to keep people
active during this time. We will also work with RA on potential online indoor
rowing competitions and other online rowing resources that might be available
for you all.

Both the Federal and ACT Governments have announced a range
of measures that look to support businesses during this extremely difficult
time. Information on the Federal Government’s support measures can be found at https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/businesses,
while the ACT Government’s measures can be found at https://apps.treasury.act.gov.au/budget/covid-19-economic-survival-package/local-business-and-industry.
Any sport-specific measures will be passed on by Rowing ACT once we have them
to hand.

These are completely unprecedented times for us all. We hope
that everyone stays safe throughout this pandemic and like everyone, look
forward to the time when we return to a level of normalcy again.

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COVID-19 Update March 18

Dear Rowing Colleagues,

As you are aware the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) are now being felt across Australia with clear direction being provided by the Australian and State Governments and their medical advisors. This obviously has significant implications for the wider Australian sporting landscape which in turn is being felt directly by the rowing community with the recently announced cancellation of the 2020 AON Sydney International Rowing Regatta and 2020 Australian Masters Rowing Championships.

Where to for our sport?

Rowing ACT will consider the implications of any new advice from the ACT Government and advise of any rowing-specific measures required as that information comes to hand. Rowing ACT is also working in close collaboration with Rowing Australia (RA) over the conduct of RA sponsored events and is taking guidance from RA in the continued practice of the sport at club level and the conduct of regattas and events. RA in turn is providing very considered guidance to the State Associations based on its access to information available to it from its well-developed network of sources including the AIS, Sports Medicine Australia and other Government Departments. RA is exercising strong and appropriate leadership in its role as Rowing’s peak body in Australia.

Safety for Rowers

  • Hand hygiene is key. It is important everyone washes their hands thoroughly and often using soap and water. All rowers, coaches and support staff must wash their hands before and after training. Bring a personal hand towel to training for drying your hands and don’t share this with others.
  • It is important to remember you must wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after going to the bathroom and maintain good hygiene practices.
  • Antibacterial wipes, sprays, or soap and water must be used to clean equipment every time an individual concludes their session on an ergo or when using gym equipment. Towels should be placed on mats when rowers conduct stretching.
  • It is important that all oars and boats are thoroughly washed with appropriate soap and water (not just water) where possible, or wiped down with anti-bacterial wipes, to ensure hygiene standards are maintained.
  • Club members are asked not to attend their boat house for 14 days if they have returned from overseas in that time, are feeling unwell, or have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or are awaiting results from a COVID-19 test.
  • Social distancing practices should be implemented around your boatshed where practicable. Current advice is that rowing in crewed boats is acceptable and, where possible, rowing in smaller boats is a sensible measure to reduce the number of rowers you may be in contact with. Appropriate hygiene measures are paramount and if you are unwell you should not be rowing.

Rowing ACT’s Current Position

  • The health and welfare of our members is our paramount consideration;
  • Rowing ACT will only distribute information which is factual or considered to be the best available information at the time.  This will include information related to the conduct of regattas, time trials, events, and on- and off-water training;
  • We will inform the ACT rowing community as new information and decisions come to hand;
  • Our decisions and plans will remain subject to change as new information, guidelines or Government (both Federal and ACT) directives come to hand;
  • The practice of rowing is an individual’s choice and we ask that individuals not be criticised or ostracised for exercising their personal choices in these unprecedented times.

Below is also a list of online resources that may be useful to you and those in your clubs and schools. This list is a guide and is by no means exhaustive of all preventative measures. Readers should keep abreast of the most up to date information via the Federal Government and ACT Health websites listed below.

Useful links:

Federal Health Website: https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert

ACT Government information: https://www.health.act.gov.au/public-health-alert/updated-information-about-covid-19

Rowing Australia website: https://rowingaustralia.com.au/rowing-australia-fact-sheet-on-coronavirus/

AIS: https://ais.gov.au/health-wellbeing/covid-19

Contact Us:

If you have any further queries please email eo@rowingact.org.au

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Rowing ACT Update March 18

Over the last week the Rowing ACT Board has met regularly to
discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and our response to it. Taking guidance from the
Federal and ACT Governments, as well as Rowing Australia as the national
sporting body, Rowing ACT is taking measures that are both scalable and
sustainable for potential interruptions of six months or more.

Following Rowing Australia’s decision to cancel the 2020
Sydney International Rowing Regatta and the 2020 Australian Masters Rowing
Championships, Rowing ACT has made the difficult decision to cancel the
remainder of the 2019/20 regatta season. This means that the ACT Masters
Championships scheduled for April 4 has been cancelled. Rowing ACT will conduct
a forensic audit on the 2019/20 point-score competition and will announce the
women’s, men’s and overall winners in due course. The Regatta Sub-Committee
will be asked to conduct a full review of the 2019/20 season with the view to
developing and further improving the 2020/21 summer season. The Regatta
Sub-Committee will also be asked to explore innovative ways to deliver rowing
competition over the next six months given the constrained environments we are
living with.

Rowing ACT is monitoring developments around the COVID-19 pandemic and how that might affect our 2020 winter season. At this point the Winter Time Trial series will still run from May until September. We will be seeking your interest in a time trial event in April that would not be part of the Winter Time Trial series, but, if there is community interest, may be put in place to make up for the loss of other events at the end of the 2019/20 season.

We appreciate everyone’s patience as we navigate these
troubled waters and hope that you all stay safe.

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Rowing ACT Head of the Lake & ACT Championship Cancellation

The Rowing ACT Board met this evening following a Rowing Australia meeting, where advice was provided by RA’s Chief Medical Officer to the states and the national sporting organisation.

Following this
meeting, Rowing ACT has come to the difficult decision to cancel the Head of
the Lake and ACT Championships regattas that were to be conducted on March
14-15.

This decision has
been very difficult to make in light of the rapidly changing events associated
with the coronavirus and the commitment that so many of our athletes have made
in preparation over many months.

The Rowing ACT Board
acknowledges our civic responsibility to enforce social distancing which,
together with hygiene practices, is the best way to tackle the transmission of
the virus. This decision was not made lightly, nor is this the position we expected
to be in today, but the health and safety of our community is paramount.

We would like to acknowledge
the efforts of our local schools and clubs in helping organising these two
regattas and to those volunteers who were willing to put in their spare time
towards making this event a success. We also appreciate the effort taken by interstate
schools who were due to attend and compete in these regattas – we look forward
to having you back down in Canberra for future Rowing ACT regattas.

We ask that schools
are mindful of using minimal people with regards to pack-up. We recommend that
coaches only are present in the boat park for loading of equipment.

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