Soweto rowing club benefit from masters rowing

The World Rowing Masters Regatta has wrapped up in Tshwane, South Africa and the Soweto Rowing Club has benefited through the Masters Fund for youth development.

The masters regatta supports junior rowing by donating “1 euro per seat”. This is collected by World Rowing’s Masters Commission and with 308 races taking place, a tidy sum was raised the help the Soweto club.

The money will be used to buy four Concept2 ergometers for the club and the masters regatta local organising committee has pledged to top this up to reach the goal of four ergs.

Soweto Rowing Club is a Gauteng Province-based development club that focuses on its youth section and also has masters rowers who participated in the World Rowing Masters Regatta.

“The club is doing excellent work under challenging circumstances to introduce children in Soweto to the sport of rowing, so they are an important vehicle for rowing development and transformation in South Africa,” says Colleen Orsmond, Event Director of the Organising Committee.

The club stood out to the Masters Commission as the right choice for the fund, but for this year it came with an indoor rowing twist. The fund was linked to the World Rowing Masters Commission’s request to introduce a fun indoor rowing competition to the World Rowing Masters Regatta.

“The club doesn’t have any ergs and currently drive through to Wemmer Pan once a week to use the ergs there,” says Orsmond. “They have a massive need for funding in general to service their boats and pay the running costs of the club.”

“We used the opportunity of the indoor rowing competition to bring the Soweto Rowing Club juniors through to Roodeplaat (Roodeplaat Dam, venue for the Masters Regatta) to not only participate in the indoor rowing competition, but also to experience an international rowing event.”

Soweto Rowing Club long term coach and manager Jacob Phela says the club continues to grow in numbers and the donation will be a relief for the many challenges they face.

“We are inspired and motivated with this donation to develop more of our community and especially our youth,” says Phela. “On behalf of the club I would like to thank the masters organising committee, Rowing South Africa and all the clubs who were there to help us with equipment when in need.”

“We would like to thank the World Rowing Masters Commission for agreeing to divert from the normal application of the Youth Fund in order to make this equipment donation possible,” adds Orsmond. “It was part of our vision for the event to leave a legacy for the local rowing community, and this contribution certainly helps us to achieve that goal.”

The Soweto Rowing Club was established in 1987 and Phela says it has stood the test of time in continuing development. “We help get youth off the street and avoid them getting involved in drugs. Also we get the parents involved in the sport and then their children follow.”