New generation ushered in to national rowing program

Tuesday 13 January, 2009

The search for Australia’s next crop of Olympians continued yesterday when the National Rowing Centre of Excellence (NRCE) named its 2009 AIS rowing scholarship holders. The AIS Program is an integral part of the NRCE, a newly formed organisation that brings together the High Performance Program from Rowing Australia and the AIS rowing program, under the control of National High Performance Director, Andrew Matheson.

A key goal of the NRCE is to win 3 Gold medals in London 2012. To add to the talent pool of the existing Olympians, Australia’s emerging talent is being targeted and provided with the best possible coaching and development opportunities possible.

“We are particularly pleased with the group of athletes we have on board,” Matheson said. "Following our December National Emerging Talent camp, Australia’s next generation of potential medal winners were selected. These athletes along with those developed by our partners in the State Institutes, Academies and Associations, are going to add significant depth to our Olympic ambitions.”

Along with this group of scholarship holders, Tom Westgarth (ACT) was welcomed on board as the 2009 AIS/ASC Coaching scholarship holder. “Tom is already a really good coach in his own right,” Matheson said. “We hope that the pressure cooker environment of the NRCE will provide Tom with the keys to the ‘finishing school’ he needs to become a medal winning coach in the future.”

The 23 athletes that were selected on scholarships commenced training with the program in Canberra on January 6th.

Men (13)

• Bryn Coudraye (Camden Park, SA)
• Tom Larkins (West St Kilda, VIC)
• Tom Swann (South Yarra, VIC)
• Chris Riddell (Hawthorn East, VIC)
• Shane Jackson (Camberwell, VIC)
• Lachlan McKinnon (Melbourne, VIC)
• Fergus Pragnell (Queanbeyan, NSW)
• Danjels Reedman (Cronulla, NSW)
• Richard Allsop (Killarney Heights, NSW)
• Dominic Grimm (Randwick, NSW)
• Jonathan Trovas (Bulimba, QLD)
• Jared Bidwell (Auchenflower, QLD)

** Coxswain to be chosen from David McGrath (VIC) or Toby Lister (NSW)

Women (10)

• Libby Alderman (Darlington, WA)
• Megan Bagworth (Applecross, WA)
• Emily Rose (Nedlands, WA)
• Alison Crowe (Mount Albert, VIC)
• Sophia Robson (Kew, VIC)
• Lisa Szatsznajder (Hampton, VIC)
• Sarah Eke (Coorparoo, QLD)
• Sascha Lahey (Westend, QLD)
• Laura Osti (Walkerville, SA)
• Charlotte Walters (Sydney Uni, NSW)

For more information please call David Polglase on 0401 453 041