SASRU TOUR
South African Schools Rowing Union United Kingdom Tour 2022
To have the opportunity to compete in South African rowing is fantastic , but to able to compete internationally is something else entirely ! On the 27th of April a 26 member team including myself left South Africa for the United Kingdom by Caryne Lodge Tour Team Manager
This is an annual South African Schools Rowing Union ( SASRU ) Tour with the aim to develop young talent . Rowers are selected based on results achieved at the South African School ’ s Championship , the first four U16 Boys and Girls in the Scull A final are selected as well as the top three U16 Boys and Girls Pair A final .
The tour focused on three regattas Wallingford and Scullery regattas which took place at Eton Dorney lake and the Bedford River regatta . The Regatta ’ s offered high-level competition , despite this the team achieved excellent results , which can be seen in the main image of this article .
The formation of crews was an exciting and important challenge on the tour , as we brought rowers from different schools together within the squad , giving them the opportunity to participate in new boat classes , and learn sweep or sculling .
Amongst all the training , we took time to visit Leander , Oxford and Cambridge boathouses , getting the opportunity to chat to members of these elite clubs and walk around and take in the rowing history . The team also had the opportunity to visit the towns and tourist sites of Windsor , Henley , Oxford , Cambridge and London .
After a very eventful 12 days the 2022 SASRU team returned to South Africa on the 9th of May , a team that had left as stranger came back as friends , and all had an understanding of what rowing has to offer them in the future as they start their open season with their eyes firmly on the next step in their rowing journey , Junior Nationals .
Knowing how valuable a tour like this is , I would like to encourage all junior rowers to aspire to be in the SASRU squad when they are U16 , I encourage all of you to set your goals and start the work to get you there - it truly is an experience you will never forget .
20 SA Schools Rowing Champs 2023