The schoolgirl single at this year’s IGSA regatta draws only a small field, most likely due to entry restrictions in place. Several athletes familiar with the single scull take to the course again, alongside some new additions to the circuit.
Lucy Yabsley (Ascham School)
Lucy Yabsley continues her stellar season in the scull at the IGSA regatta, and it’s fair to say she has the schoolgirl single title fairly well wrapped up before she even hits the water. The entry restriction at this event, requiring only one entry per rower, eliminates many top schoolgirl sculling contenders from the race due to their commitments in crew boats. Regardless, without any interstate competition, Yabsley’s ability in the scull has been made well known across the last few regattas. It’s likely the Glebe-Ascham young gun will claim the sole qualification spot in the NSW Sprint Eliminator.
Arabella Turner-Smith (Wenona School)
Wenona’s Arabella Turner-Smith is a member of the ever-growing Mosman junior women’s squad, having done a few laps of the course in the scull this season. Turner-Smith has a few extra years of scull racing under her belt than most schoolgirls would be expected to have, racing in the Year 9 and Year 10 single sculls as she’s moved through the age groups. She’s most regularly appeared in the schoolgirl quad with her Mosman compatriots, some of whom will be lining up against her in the scull this weekend for their respective Lower North Shore schools, which will surely bring close racing between the training partners.
Catherine Walsh (Monte Saint Angelo Mercy College)
Representing Monte Saint Angelo and another member of the Mosman juniors, Catherine Walsh has been racing alongside Turner-Smith in quads for most of the season so far. Seeing the training partners face off against each other over 2000m should result in an interesting race for the minor placings. Walsh raced the schoolgirl Year 10 single for Monte at the 2024 Head of the River, and as Monte’s representative numbers are still growing, she’s likely gearing up to go again at the penultimate race of the season only two weeks away.
Predicition
Ascham’s Lucy Yabsley almost certainly has the gold medal already wrapped up this weekend. At the top of her age group, and off the back of a successful state championship campaign, the IGSA title will be another achievement for the up-and-coming junior athlete. I expect the race for minor placings to come down to both Mosman squad athletes, with Turner-Smith getting ahead over Walsh with a few more years of racing experience, particularly in the scull, to her name.
About The Author
Discover more from JRN
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
