Six wins and plenty of stories at Hollingworth Lake
Sunshine, medals, first races, first medals and one slightly too-close encounter with the buoys...
The Club had a brilliant day at Hollingworth Lake, coming home with six wins, several more finals and plenty of memorable racing over the fast 500m course.
And, almost unbelievably for Hollingworth, the weather was on our side too — sunshine, calm water and hardly any wind. Pretty much perfect conditions for a day of sprint racing.
A little more exciting than necessary...
Martin, Gary, Caty and Helen got the winning underway in the Mixed Masters quad.
After a really strong semi-final, winning by two lengths, they then decided to make the final considerably more exciting than it needed to be.
Comfortably leading, the crew somehow managed to ram the buoys, catch a crab and let the opposition right back into the race.
Once everyone had stopped panicking and order had been restored, they got the boat moving again and pulled away to seal the win.
Never in doubt...
Emma takes on the single
One of my favourite performances of the whole day came from Emma, who raced a single for the very first time.
Emma has only been rowing for a few years, and simply putting yourself on the start line alone in a racing single takes a lot of confidence.
There are plenty of far more experienced rowers who have never tested themselves by racing a single, so this was a fantastic achievement and something the club should be extremely proud of.
She also came away with a second-place finish.
And we’re sure the steering will improve...
Sam & Sam — Open Double
Sam and Sam added another victory in the Open double, producing a strong row to beat Lakeland by a length.
Another one for the medal tally.
Martin & Gary — Masters Double
There was another victory for Martin and Gary, although this one was a little closer.
Just half a length separated them from Lakeland at the finish.
A memorable first away event
Welcome to regatta racing, Wendy & Debra!
There was plenty of drama for Helen, Wendy, Debra and Elizabeth in the Women’s Masters quad.
For Wendy and Debra, this was their first time competing at an away event, and they certainly got the full experience.
In the semi-final, JOG were chasing down Warrington as they approached the finish when the pressure began to tell.
Warrington’s bow crossed lanes and came into JOG’s water close to the finish.
That’s where a bit of experience came in handy.
Helen and Elizabeth kept their heads, arms went straight into the air and the crew correctly protested the result. Warrington were disqualified and JOG progressed to the final.
Not quite the quiet introduction to away racing Wendy and Debra might have been expecting — but definitely one they won’t forget.
The crew then faced Windermere in the final and came away with a very well-earned second place.
JOG Win
A first medal well worth the journey
Sam, Jacob, Hugh and Sam had a great day in the Open quad.
A one-length win over Warrington put them into the final, where they stepped it up again to beat City of Sheffield by a length and a half.
A special mention has to go to Hugh, who spent three hours on the train getting to Hollingworth, jumped straight into the boat and slotted into the crew perfectly.
The reward was his first medal.
Then it was straight back onto the train for the journey home.
That’s commitment.
A strong run for Molly & Emily
Molly and Emily also had a really good day in the Women’s double.
A close half-length win over Runcorn put them through to the final, where they came up against a strong Burway crew and finished second.
Two good races and another excellent result for JOG.
Powering to victory
Steve, Mark, Jamie and Richie looked fantastic in the Open Masters quad. Strong, composed and moving the boat really well, they powered their way to an impressive three-length win over Lakeland. But then again, would we expect anything else?
Nothing left at the finish
There was individual success too, with Jacob Smith taking the win in the single.
After winning his opening race, Jacob found himself behind in the final and had some serious work to do.
He launched a huge push towards the finish and threw absolutely everything he had at it.
By the time he crossed the line there was absolutely nothing left in the tank — but it was enough to secure the win.
Sometimes you just have to empty the tank.
Plenty more good racing
The medals only tell part of the story, with plenty more strong performances from JOG crews throughout the day.
Iain & Emily
Won their three-boat Mixed double heat against Lakeland and Mersey before going on to finish second in the final.
Molly, Emily, Cara & Caty
Came agonisingly close in the Women’s quad, missing out to Newark by just half a length.
More JOG racing
Mark, Jamie, Emma and Stella were also in action in the Mixed Masters quad.
David, Iain and Sam Tallantyre also took on the challenge of racing singles, meaning there was plenty of blue and gold on the lake throughout the day.
A really good club day
So, six wins, several second places, a first medal, first away races, a first single race and a few moments we’ll probably be talking about for a while.
More importantly, it was just a really good day for the club — people travelling to race, crews coming together, everyone supporting each other and plenty of JOG racing out on the water.
And sunshine at Hollingworth.
Who would have thought it?
Gaunt to the fore.
Thanks Martin! A great summary of a great day!
What a lovely report! Thanks Martin!
Once again, well done to everyone and congratulations!💪🏽🙌🏽🥳🚣🏽♀️