OUR OWN SHED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 65, 24 April 1946, Page 7

OUR OWN SHED

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE - ■— .'.A. (By “Whippitin”) I “Plans for the future.” That [sounds rather good fun, but it’s not [much fun unless there is a good [ prospect of carrying them out. Row[ing is a sport which calls for virile [ action, and the club will need a lot more of the said viril& action from all concerned if worthwhile progress is to be made. There doesn’t seem to be any overI abundance of interest taken by older I members these days, although I could name a dozen oarsmen of considerable experience whose assistance would be a great encouragement to the younger chaps who are coming along. A rowing shed can’t be run effectively by one man, remember, even when he is a good

| one. So in laying our plans, let us rally round and “pull our weight” as [much as possible. New members j should not be expected to mould [ themselves into Regatta oarsmen without thorough coaching, and my [ first “plan for the future” would be greater participation in provincial I regattas. The first start for many years is to be made this month with a Heavy Maiden crew from one shed at Ngaruawahia Regatta, and present [indications are that they will be [ well up at the finish. Next season we should make a big effort to send youths, light and heavyweight creWs to Tauranga, Hamilton, Mercer and Ngaruawaha Regattas, as well as the Auckland Championships. j To do that will mean early prej paration, with the support of some of those older members mentioned earlier. Auckland sheds do a lot of coaching in the winter during weekends, and when the season starts, new members have learned a lot and have every chance of selection | in Regatta crews. With a few keen coaches, much could be done in Whakatane along those lines. Another “plan for the future” dependant upon steady entries at Regattas, is the acquisition of an Eight. If we could only borrow on'3 for a weekend, and show its appeal to the people of Whakatane, sufficient interest and funds would soon be forthcoming to purchase one and make the necessary extensions to the shed. I’m convinced that the spectacle of Eights racing down the river would turn the whole town rowing-minded, and to the realisation of the asset they possess in their Rowing Club. -So there are a few, easily attainable plans for next season. The time to start is now, and older members can begin by taking a greater interest in the crew which is training hard to bring success to the Rowing Club and the district. P.S. No donations to the Eights Fund have yet been turned down!