Star Boating Club's Dad Squad
Bryan Dunne of Wellington’s Star Boating Club reflects on winter training and reminisces on the Dad Squad’s recent trip to Melbourne for the Head of the Yarra in November 2019.
Winter training can often be a mindless and thankless task. In Wellington, the chances of training on the water during winter are marginally less than the chances of one of the local buses turning up according to the ‘new and improved’ bus timetable. An often used motivational technique, one probably familiar to most rowers, is to keep in mind a specific goal or to visualise a particular outcome in order to focus both effort and enthusiasm over the bleak winter months.
For Wellington’s Star Boating Club’s ‘Dad Squad’, that goal was to compete in the annual Head of the Yarra race in Melbourne, Australia. Having competed at the Legion and New Zealand Masters Rowing Championships, the Dad Squad had set their sights on competing at a longer distance event. As is often the case with members of the Dad Squad, this team goal was met with mixed support. Some close family supporters expressed strong support for a trip to Melbourne, although it wasn’t immediately clear to a few of the crew why the luggage allowance on return flights was greater than on the departing flight.
Many rowers will know of the Head of the Yarra. 260 eights race over an 8.5km upstream course on the picturesque Yarra River in Melbourne. There’s 11 bridges to safely navigate, numerous twists and turns – including one mammoth bend which requires bow side to do all of the very hard work. It’s a race that requires the coxswain to display the motivational, navigational and competitive qualities for which they are renowned. Unsurprisingly, the Yarra is colloquially referred to as, ‘the coxswain’s race.’
“It wasn’t the distance that worried us most,” recalls Dad Squad’s Paul Smith, “It was the 11 bridges. We’ve had a few issues with supposedly ‘fixed’ structures, such as breakwaters and a lighthouse almost getting in our way when training on Wellington’s harbour. And it’s probably best not to mention the Spirit of New Zealand incident…”
Coach Jenn Zaslona set a training regime to build strength and stamina, and to ensure the Dad Squad had good technique for what could well be a long day at the rowing office. To practice tight river turns and to get a break from erging and from rowing on Wellington Harbour, weekend training trips were organised to train on the Whanganui River, courtesy of the Aramaho Club who lent Dad Squad an eight as well as some wise words from Aramaho’s (and former Star Boating Club stalwart and Life Member) Alan Greer and Des Lock. Good use was also made of Wellington College’s temporary facility on the Manawatu River. The facility, colloquially known by Dad Squad as ‘Durkinvale’ after Wellington College’s head coach Sean Durkin, meant day trips could be made for training - while the water quality of the Manawatu provided an excellent incentive to avoid capsize.
As race day grew nearer, it dawned on the Dad Squad that all would be for nothing if they could not find a boat to borrow or hire in Melbourne. Frantic calls to a variety of Australian clubs yielded no results. A close reading of the rules suggested the alternative dreamed up by Dad Squad’s ‘chief innovation officer’ Hamish Leslie – namely lashing inflatable pool toys together – wouldn’t be acceptable. Almost at the last minute former Star Boating Club member, Ben Dunsheath, now a Geelong resident, made contact to advise Geelong Grammar had kindly offered to lend an eight and oars for the Dad Squad to use for the Head of Yarra.Ben’s current club, the Corio Bay Rowing Club would provide the logistics to get the borrowed boat to and from Melbourne.
The sighs of relief from the Dad Squad caused coach Jenn Zaslona to briefly contemplate asthma testing for all squad members. Passports in hand (having dutifully handed over credit cards for ‘safe keeping’ to close family supporters) the Dad Squad arrived in Melbourne. A quick trip to Geelong confirmed the boat to use was of exceptional quality and that, even better, there was flat water to practice on in the form of the Barwon River in Geelong.Coxswain James ‘JD’ Dunne took the Dad Squad out for their first international row, watched on by key Dad Squad member and post-training hydration facilitator Andrew Sturgeon, and coach Jenn. All was well until Jenn noticed the Warning: Active Snake Zone advisory notices; after which Dad Squad experienced a hurried and sustained period of long-distance coaching by Jenn.
Race day dawned calm and – by Wellington standards – warm. The distance went by in blur of instructions, exhortations and congratulations from coxswain JD (for completing the big bend with no incidents and even passing a couple of crews en-route) and with the vocal support of credit card minders, who had hired e-bikes and were following the crew from the picturesque cycle paths alongside the Yarra course. Dad Squad completed the course in a respectable time of 36:52.77 and joined the other crews, including fellow New Zealand crews from West End, at the finish line celebrations. Dad Squad, always known for its fluid approach to competition, also joined a number of local crews in making their way back to the city centre. Recalls coxswain JD, “It was a sweeping race, but afterwards, Dad Squad’s ability to revert back to sculling showed it was an ingrained habit.”
Dad Squad would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of Star Boating Club, Aramaho, Ben Dunsheath, Geelong Grammar and the Corio Bay Rowing Club. Also thanks to those close family supporters – but can we report the credit cards as missing now?