As the fireworks settle down, the top universities and clubs will be thinking about their last bit of winter training before the racing season begins. The January highlight will be the squad trials, where invitees will be expected to race 2km twice in a time trial format and then complete two rounds of multi-lane racing. Many of those not competing will be heading to a training camp in Sevilla in early February, where they’ll focus on making their top crews as fast as possible for the coming season.
First Years
Starting in the novice events, most crew selections will be finalized after the National Erg Champs in December. After putting out such a dominant performance in the first-year eight over the last few years, Nereus will be expected to perform strongly, as their new talent will surely be well-prepared. Laga delivered a very strong performance at the Erg Champs, rowing a mature and steady race for novices, winning by nearly ten seconds. The big question is whether they can maintain this mature pacing when the pressure builds on the water. As for the rest of the field, the gates are open to everyone, as Triton, Gyas, Nereus, Ageir, and Theta all finished within five seconds of each other.
Club Events
De Hoop can once again be expected to lead the charge in competitive club rowing as they continue to develop the rowing scene for graduates looking to stay active. They’ll compete against the top universities throughout the year, but the so-called “Big Boy Eight” always have their eyes on The Thames Challenge Cup, where they finished just behind Thames Rowing Club on Sunday for the last two years.
Sculling
Sculling crews seem to be coming from Amsterdam this year, as Skoll and Nereus both have their senior rowers training in singles out on the Amstel. How these scullers will transition into crews is currently unclear and will likely depend on the outcome of the squad trials later this month. The scullers will focus on the NK Klein, where the winner will be crowned national champion. Only after that will it become clear which boats they will move into for Henley Royal Regatta.
Men’s Eight
The rivalry between Nereus and Laga looks set to continue in the elite eight. While Laga has a dedicated group of older athletes who helped build such a strong eight last season, Nereus has had an influx of world-class juniors. This only adds to their squad size and gives the coaches a greater range of options for selection. Many other clubs will struggle with numbers, especially as individual athletes focus on breaking into the squad. Many athletes could therefore return to their club programs later in the season after the squad selections. This could throw a spanner in the works as smaller clubs get their top athletes back.
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