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Our rowing community have had a busy few weeks, catch up here.

This Edition of Oar Talk...

State Championships Wrap Up
World Championships Shanghai
State Team Selection - Athlete Briefing
2025 End of Season Member Survey - win $250
World Masters Rowing Championship Results
Rower of the Year Awards - Tickets selling fast!!
U23 Aussie Team Nominations Open
5 amazing Club/Coach/Cox Development Workshops
UWA Boat Club & ANA Rowing Club - Boat Naming Ceremony
Sport West 'Parents' Survey
Save Matilda Bay Picnic Day - this Sunday
Classifieds

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2025 State Championships – What a Day!

What a week – and what a day! After a slightly wild lead-up, we managed to get the 2025 State Championships away on Saturday, 13 September. And what a regatta it turned out to be – a little rain, a cheeky cross breeze, and plenty of great racing made for a day to remember.

WA Athletes, You’ve Done It Again!
Another season wrapped up – congratulations to every single athlete who competed and gave it their all. Take a well-earned breather, because before you know it, we’ll be gearing up for the 2026 season!

Of course, we have to give a big round of applause to the winners of the Champion Open Eights:

🏆 Champion Men’s Open Eight – Fremantle Rowing Club
🏆 Champion Women’s Open Eight – West Australian Rowing Club

Big Thanks All Around
A huge shout-out to Fremantle Rowing Club for hosting the Championships and keeping everyone well fed and hydrated. To our BROs – thank you for keeping the regatta running safely and smoothly (as always!). It was fantastic seeing the BRO's of Control Commission out and about, checking boats and enjoying engaging with the ready-to-race athletes at the pontoons.

To Our Sponsors & Partners
We wouldn’t be able to deliver events like this without the support of our Major Sponsor, City of Armadale, and our partners: Perfect Balance Rowing, Lavan, Heathway, V-Insurance, The Regatta Shop, and CITS. Your support keeps our sport thriving.

And finally – we can’t wait to see you around and about proudly wearing your 2025 State Champs merch (we’ve already spotted a few around the river!).

Here’s to another successful season – bring on 2026!

Explore the full results here

World Rowing Championships - Shanghai, China 21 - 28 September

We are looking forward to the start of the World Rowing Championships and wish The Rowsella's good luck, and in particular, our WA Athletes on the Team.

Women's Four - Jacqui Swick (SRRC)

Men's Quad - Alex Rossi (WARC) & Johnson Daubney (SRRC)

We will keep you posted but full a link to all results, click here

Reminder alert!!

For all those who have nominated for the 2026 State Team, There will be an athletes briefing this friday.

This will be an "all you need to know" around the Selection Process, hosted by Tom Gatti.

When: 19th September

Where: Online - Teams

Time: 5pm - 6pm

Here is a link to the meeting.

2025 Season Wrap: We are listening!

Win a $250 Visa Card for yourself and $200 for your club!!

and As the oars are hung up after a full and fast-paced 2025 season, Rowing WA has turned the spotlight toward the athletes themselves—asking them to tell us about their 2025 experience, from what has been, to what you wish for.

The end-of-season athlete survey isn’t just a polite suggestion box. It’s a deep dive into what worked and what could be streamlined next year.

“We know the sport is only as strong as the experience we create for our rowers,” said a Rowing WA representative. “Their feedback drives decisions on everything from process and procedure updates to training and development opportunities. The more we hear, the better we can make 2026.”

Survery respondants can choose to include their personal details to go into the draw to win a $250 Visa Card. Perfect timing as we head towards Christmas!!

To stoke a little healthy competition, the club with the highest number of completed surveys (as a % of total members) will score a $200 prize voucher - bragging rights included.

The survey will be open until midnight Wednesday 8 October.

COMPLETE THE SURVEY HERE

For athletes, it’s a chance to shape the future of their sport. For clubs, it’s a friendly race off the water—one where every click counts.

As 2025 closes, it’s clear the season isn’t just about medals or finish times. We have learned that it’s about the voices of the members—and how those voices will help steer rowing in Western Australia into an even stronger 2026.

Who wouldn't want to go to Spain?

Banyoles, Spain – the rowing venue of the 1992 Olympic Games – welcomed one of the largest gatherings of Masters rowers ever this September. More than 3,700 athletes from 747 clubs entered the 2025 World Rowing Masters Regatta, making it the second biggest edition in the event’s history.

This year we had 142 Masters athletes from across Australia attend, which included WA athletes from ANA, Canning Bridge and Perth Rowing Club.

Did it rain in Spain? Yes, indeed. Saturday 13th saw them suspend racing for 2 hours due to adverse weather, but they did manage to start again and complete the days schedule.

Adam Ramshaw from ANA Rowing Club, teamed up with some NSW athletes for Sundays Day of mixed races and he brings home a Gold in the MixE8+! Congrats Adam!

Masters rowers – go on, we dare you!
Curious how you’d stack up for next year’s Regatta at Lake Bled, Slovenia? Click here to view 2025 results.

Get your tickets now!

Rower of The Year Awards is coming soon and is set to be an amazing event!

A time to come together and celebrate the successes of the season for athletes, clubs, coaches, volunteers and BRO's.

Grab your crew or your coaching team and book your table!

When: 24 October 2025

Where: Royal Perth Yacht Club, Nedlands

Time: From 6:30pm

Get your tickets now!

The 2026 Under 23 Event Requirements and Under 23 ARTeam nomination form are now available via the Rowing Australia website.

Athletes attempting selection in the Under 23 Team must be 22 years of age or younger on 31 December in the year of selection.

Nominations close 5:00 PM AEDT, Friday 28 November 2025

Club Development Spring Series

As the season draws to a close, we have time to rest, breathe and begin planning for 2026.

This spring series of five engaging sessions has been designed to support the personal and professional development of coaches, coxes, volunteers, and club leaders.

Session are hosted in-person and online and offer practical insights, expert-led discussions, and networking opportunities. Find out more below! Registration is essential.

The Fundamentals of Coxing - “Lead from the seat that steers the crew.” - Register

The Why??:

Understand the core responsibilities and influence of a coxswain
Develop leadership and communication skills specific to coxing
Learn how to support coaches and crews effectively
Gain confidence in practical coxing scenarios

Developing your Coaching Leadership - “Lead with clarity. Coach with confidence.” - Register

The Why?

Evolve Your Skills – Reflect on your coaching style and align with the evolving demands of the sport.
Learn Through Connection – Share experiences with fellow coaches to build resilience and leadership perspective.
Invest in Your Growth – Step back to develop your mindset and methods for long-term coaching success.

Disability & Inclusion Workshop - “Rowing for all — inclusion starts with understanding.” - Register

The Why?

Understand the principles of inclusive sport
Learn about adaptive rowing equipment and modifications
Strengthen Your Club – Inclusion fosters diversity, community engagement, and long-term sustainability.
Gain confidence in supporting inclusive participation

RevSPORT Optimisation Workshop - "We love seeing our platform simplify and improve the lives of club people." - Register

The Why?

Navigate and utilise RevolutioniseSPORT effectively
Improve club communication and member engagement
Streamline event and volunteer management
Access and apply digital resources for club growth

Attain, Retain & Maintain Volunteers - "Nurture your volunteer culture for longevity." Register

The Why?

Develop strategies for volunteer recruitment and retention
Learn how to onboard and support volunteers effectively
Explore recognition and succession planning tools

UWA Boat Club held a Boat Christening on Thursday 11th September for their Women's VIII+, Warren Gibson and new Falcon 2X/2-, Marielle Sloss.

Warren Gibson’s impact on lightweight women’s rowing in WA during the 1980s and 1990s was nothing short of transformative. From his start as a novice in 1968 to his decades-long coaching career, Warren shaped generations of rowers at school, club, State, and National levels.

His leadership of the ARAWA women’s lightweight development program in the early 1990s, run out of UWABC, culminated in the 1994 Victoria Cup win and representation at the World Championships. Warren was named ARAWA Coach of the Year in 1994 and received UWABC Life Membership in 1986.

Marielle Sloss was UWABC's first elected female Captain in 1985, following the amalgamation of the Men's and Women's clubs. She was a driving force behind club cohesion, team spirit, camaraderie, and progress.

ANA Rowing Club held a Boat Naming Ceremony on the 31st August for 6 new boats.

2 x recreational Falconsingle sculls, generously donated by an anonymous benefactor and

4 x Falcon Gig quad sculls/ fours were funded in part by Rowing WA G'Rowing Grant, and Glyn Heath & Catherine Harrison. These boats are truly amazing and will open up a whole new direction in recreational rowing and touring

Please click here for boat names and the history behind the naming.

Launching the Parent Perspectives Survey

In partnership with the WA Government and The University of Western Australia, SportWest is proud to launch the next phase of our parent engagement strategy: the statewide Parent Perspectives Survey.

This survey will help us to capture the real experiences, motivations, and challenges faced by parents and carers - both within and beyond sport. The insights gained will form the foundation of our parent communications and provide essential baseline data for future comparison, with the next survey scheduled in two years.

Data collection will run until 5 October 2025.

During this time, SportWest will be working with delivery partners and promoting the survey across education, parent networks, sport, and targeted media.

By completing this survey SportWest will place participants in the draw to win one of four Rebel Sport gift cards valued between $100 and $500. Full terms and conditions are available on our website.

We invite you to join us in sharing the Parent Perspectives Survey with Western Australian families through your organisational, personal, and professional networks.

If you have any further questions or require any additional resources, please contact Beth McCorkindale, Strategic Advocacy & Engagement, SportWest via email at beth@sportwest.com.au

Complete the survey here

Thank you for your support and we look forward to sharing the findings with you in early December

UWA Boat Club and Rowing WA has been advocating to ensure safety is central in the planning of Perth's ferry expansion, especially with respect to the location of the proposed Ferry Terminal in Matilda Bay.

Picnic in the Bay will showcase Matilda Bay and provide information about the ferry expansion, the terminal's location and the impact to on water users.

When: 11am - 1pm, Sunday 21 September

Kids… come dressed up as fairies!

Kids activities
Speakers
Boat demonstrations

Speakers Include:

Hon Dr Brad Pettit MLC, Leader of the Greens WA in the Legislative Council.
Jonathan Huston, Shadow Minister for Deregulation; Small Business; Public Sector Reform; Veterans. Member for Nedlands.
Sailability WA founder Graham White AO
Safety on Swan and UWA Boat Club President Megan Bagworth

Facebook Event Invite: Picnic on the Bay | Event

Ferry Updates: Friends of Matilda Bay | Facebook

Safety on Swan: safetyonswan.com.au

Petition: Save Matilda Bay - Change.org