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;
•
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.
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
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.