St Patrick’s College celebrated another outstanding rowing season with its annual Rowing Presentation Evening, held on Friday, 2 May in the College’s Performing Arts Centre. Around 200 students, families, coaches, and supporters gathered to reflect on a season defined by not only results, but by personal growth, commitment and camaraderie.
The evening featured special guest speaker Jamie McDonald, an award-winning Australian rowing coach, who inspired students to focus on their development as athletes and young men. He reminded the audience that medals are only part of the story with each training session and race providing an opportunity to improve, and that discipline, organisation and technical focus were key ingredients to success in rowing and life.
Rowing Coordinator and Junior Coach Rebecca Gribble spoke with great pride about the junior program, describing rowing as “the ultimate team sport.” She praised the boys for their energy, mateship and ability to rise to the challenge at every regatta.
“There was never a dull or quiet moment when these boys were in the shed,” Ms Gribble said.
“The most pleasing thing was that they were able to bring that same energy and enthusiasm into their rowing on regatta days. Medals were won, lessons were learnt and some oars were broken, but there were always smiles on their faces as they left the rowing shed.”
Ms Gribble gave special mention to the College’s Year 10 Division 1 crew, whose achievements marked a historic season for the program.
“Our Year 10 Division 1 crew achieved some great things this season,” she said.
“They dominated the Ballarat Year 10 quad events, posted training times on par with national podium standards, and not only won their own year-level events but stepped up to take out the Open Division 2 quad at the Head of the Schoolboys Regatta.
“They pushed even further, securing a bronze medal at the State Championships in the Open Division 1 quad event against senior Melbourne school crews. Their final challenge was at the Australian Rowing National Championships in Tasmania, where they placed fourth in the Under 17 quad event—making them the fastest schoolboy crew in the country in that category. A phenomenal achievement and a first for our program.”
Head Coach David O’Doherty also shared reflections on the season, emphasising that the real value of rowing lies in the personal development of each student.
“Reflecting on the season, one’s thoughts turn to the outcomes for our rowers beyond just results,” he said.
“Tony O’Connor, coach of the Kiwi Olympic gold medal eight, put it simply: ‘rowing is just a great vehicle for kids to grow up.’ And from the first session in July to now, I’ve witnessed a tremendous amount of growth in our young men.
That growth was matched by a series of strong performances across the season.
“We recorded some firsts for our program, winning four events at the Melbourne Head Regatta, dominant intermediate results at the Carrum Regatta, and several bronze medals at Head of the Schoolboys,” he said.
“At the Head of the Lake, while we narrowly missed the premiership, most crews delivered their best performances of the season.”
He summed up the spirit of the team with a single word: earnest.
“If there is one word to describe this year’s rowing squad, it is earnest. Earnest in their efforts, their commitment, and their enjoyment of the sport. That spirit is what makes the SPC boatshed such a special place to be.”
He also extended sincere thanks to the coaching team and the parent group for their unwavering support throughout the season.
The evening included the presentation of Coaches Awards and Year Level Awards:
Coaches Awards:
- Year 9 Div 5: Jake Debrincat
- Year 9 Div 4: Henry Gilbert
- Year 9 Div 3: Archer Bolt
- Year 9 Div 2: Noah Connell
- Year 9 Div 1: Nic Ward
- Year 10 Div 6: Joshua Canavan
- Year 10 Div 5: Jasper Delaney
- Year 10 Div 4: Harry Bennett
- Year 10 Div 3: Charlie Saw
- Year 10 Div 2: Lachlan Cowell
- Year 10 Div 1: Blake Roberts
- Open Div 5: Patrick Buttler
- Open Div 4: Jett Florence
- Open Div 3: Cameron Belleville
- Open Div 2: Harrison Grant
- Open Div 1: Lachlan Belleville
Year Level Awards:
- Year 9 Paul Myers Award: Jack Stringer
- Year 10 James Marburg Award: Lachlan Cameron
- Year 11 Christian Ryan Award: George Charles
- Year 12 Brian Vear Award: Henry Reinehr
The College extends its congratulations to all award winners and to every student who contributed to the rowing program this season. Their dedication, spirit, and sportsmanship continue to uphold the values of St Patrick’s College and inspire the next generation of rowers.
