National Junior IRC 2008 Report
Battersea Evolution Centre, London, 5 March 2008.
NJIRC venue - Battersea Evolution Centre
Over the course of the day nearly 1300 teams and individuals from age 11 to 18 took part in various Indoor Rowing races. Individual races were split into age categories and each race was fiercely contested and very audibly supported by students and teachers. Throughout the day, a variety of other activities were taking place in the centre, including circus acts, student painting and rock climbing to name but a few.
Towards the start of the day, Oxford and Cambridge University presidents announced the line-ups of who would be rowing in the Oxford and Cambridge boats at this year’s boat race.
For more information about the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race visit their site www.theboatrace.org/article/newsandmedia/latestnews/crewsannounced
Both presidents stayed to present prizes to the winners of the first races and, over the course of the day, all crew members remained in the race area to give the competitors plenty of encouragement and inspiration.
Competitors came from all over the nation, with large school presences from the South East, South West, the Midlands and the North East. One competitor came from even farther a field, making the 11-hour trip from Madras in India to compete on the day in Battersea. The only international entrant to the competition enjoyed the event with her family as support and she came bearing gifts from her rowing club in Madras.
In the event, Fazila Husian had a great race, posting a distance of 1000m over the 4-minute race, coming 2nd in her heat and 8th overall in the Year 9 girls section.
The Boat Race was not only limited to the 2 Universities however. The last race of the day was the Boat Race relay, a gruelling 6780metre row shared across 8 team members. 10 boys’ teams and 7 girls’ teams competed in the event and although the competition was fierce it came down to who was quickest in the changeovers. Both boy’s and girl’s races went down to the wire: Reading Blue Coat School taking the boys’ title and a Nottingham and Teeside combination narrowly beating Great Marlow Schools for the girls’ title.
Thank you for those who did attend. For results of where you or your school came in this year in NJIRC, or for further information about NJIRC, visit their website www.londonyouthrowing.com/events/njirc/results08
