NSW Australian Athletes - Glenn Bates

With the end of the Juniors World Championships, the parents have settled down again, most of the athletes have returned back to school, and the coaches are making their way back to the boatsheds to start the early mornings once more. Out of all the Australian crews sent to Beijing to compete this year, it was the NSW crew (and we’ll count our South Australian import for the time being) of the coxed four that return home with the best result. The crew of Owen Girardi, Matthew Dignan, Aleksander Berzins, Kurt Spencer, and Edward Clarke finished fifth overall, and this week I spoke to coach Glenn Bates about the joys and challenges of coaching the crew, their trip to the Olympic course, and what their first taste of international racing was like.

Considering that when you first had the crew, all the athletes came from different rowing backgrounds and schools, how did they go in terms of fitting together?

The boys did really well. Most of those that have rowed in representative crews would know that there is a period of adjusting that you go through, adjusting to different techniques, different ideas and different personalities. I take my hat off to the boys on this one, as I felt that they remained patient and worked through any issues with a great level maturity.

What was the biggest set-back in your training before heading overseas?

The biggest set back we faced leading up to our departure was a little illness about two weeks out of the camp. We had been training well up to that point, but just after that ridiculous cold spell where we saw ice on the pontoons in Sydney, we had a few of the boys come down with colds and flu-like symptoms.

What do you think was the biggest strength in the crew?

Their ability to stay relaxed when the pressure was on. I have seen crews in similar pressure situations get on the water feeling like they had already raced three or four times already. The boys were always very relaxed around the boat park.

Most of us know how hard it is to gather support when it comes to fundraising, how did you find the challenge?

Brilliant– we were really lucky to have four Sydney schools behind us. We had a great dinner that raised the money needed and we also had great club support from Sydney Rowing Club. Big thanks to SRC, Sydney Grammar, St Josephs, Kings and Newington for their support through this campaign.

How was the training camp like?

We had our training in camp in Penrith and flew in to China 5 days before competition. Penrith was great – we made great improvements and were able to put the final adjustments on our boat so we were ready to race in Beijing.

You had the great opportunity of being the ‘test regatta’ for the Olympics, how did you find the new course?

Amazing, it really is a great place to compete. Obviously we are all fond of SIRC as it was our Olympic venue but the course for the 2008 Olympics has some really amazing features and design ideas- it really is world class.

Did you have specific race tactics going into the regatta?

The main thing that concerned us going into Beijing was our start, and that was something that we really wanted to improve. After that we had to make sure we had a good first 1000m as we had seen in our lead-up races on the course that the crews that settled first were the crews that went out the back. Our repacharge was a good example of this, but unfortunately in the final our start didn’t fire as well as we would have liked and we gave the top crews too much of a lead.

You ended up racing three times, in a heat, repacharge, and then the final. Out of all the races, which do you think you executed the best?

Our repacharge was a great race – we executed exactly what we wanted there. We had a great start, great third 500m and a great sprint. I was really happy for the boys that they were able to go out and put together a performance like that. It was very rewarding.

What was the best aspect of the regatta?

The experience that the boys have had because for most of them (including myself), it was their first international regatta. These boys received an education that no one in NSW is able to receive and I know given the opportunity again they will race and prepare so much better.

What will you do differently next time you get a national crew?

I guess like most Aussie crews going overseas 3 months after the domestic season, I would want to do more racing in our preparation. I felt that we rowed technically better than any crew in our class but we lacked a little of that competitive edge that the Europeans, who had only just finished their domestic seasons.  They were really able to sit there and “grind” out a result.

Given a choice, would you pursue a senior B or A crew, or stick with juniors for a while?

I would really like another opportunity to go to juniors again; I feel that I have some unfinished business there. Time will tell I guess, but I am already starting to put plans in place to get crews up and running with the 2008 Junior Championships in mind.

You have recently moved from UTS to Sydney Rowing Club, how have you found the transition?

It has been a bit like coming home, I was a Sydney member through school and first learnt to scull here (yes I know I was a coxswain). Sydney have been brilliant throughout this campaign and are very keen to see me do it again next year with more Sydney Rowing Club members.  

What has been the most rewarding aspect of coaching your first batch of juniors at an international level?

The experience and the knowledge that I have gained is unbelievable. As a coach your highest level of achievement is to win gold for your nation and after getting my first chance at this I am really hungry to do it again and take another step forward. I am really excited about next year and putting together squads to trial for next years team.

 Verena Stocker.

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