Getting to know ROCC's Junior Squad

At the beginning of the 07/08 season RiverCity's first Junior crews took to the water. One of our bright young paddlers Hannah, recorded her thoughts on their first outrigging experience. (below) I am sure in the next season there will be many more stories from our Juniors

Amidst the racing, splashing and generally having a ball some of the young ROCC'stars put pen to paper and wrote a song for RiverCity which the group sang for the Gubbi Gubbi Regatta crowd at Kawana Lakes recently..

ROCC Club Song Verse 1 Em             C Ridin the waves in an OC6 Em                C Paddlin hard till we get sick G Skimming cross the water C Passing our competitors Chorus G                        C Coming Home, Winning Gold Em  C        G              Em C      G For River City, Yeah for River City Verse 2 Em                            C Adrenalin pumping feel no pain Em                         C Commin home to win gold again Em                     C No distractions, time is short Em                 C We all know battle well fought Chorus Verse 3 Em                            C R.O.C.C stars that’s what we are Em                   C We are here to paddle far Em                            C      Red white and blue, we will defeat you  Solo (all instruments) Chorus x2

The Junior ROCCstars’ Sprint Debut by Hannah Rienks

The ROCC Juniors made their debut on to the sprint regatta scene at Lake Kawana on the 26th of April 2008. Having only been in one other regatta, we were unsure of what to expect, but we knew we had big shoes to fill. The crew for the 500-metre race headed out bright and early, as we were the first race of the day. The lake looked calm and the weather fine; ‘we can do this,’ we thought. Shivering, excited and jittery, we headed to the canoes along with the big names in juniors - Mooloolaba and Panamuna. Before we knew it we were lining up with paddles set. “GO!” was the call, and we were off. With Rusty’s coaching somewhat fresh in our minds, we paddled our hearts out, but unfortunately didn’t place. But never mind - there was still another race to come! The crowds built up as the morning got on, so when it was time for the 250-metre skins style sprint, we were pumped.

Both junior crews were in the same heat, so we headed to the canoes together, ready to show everyone what we were made of. Waiting at the starting line was nerve-racking, it seemed as though the starter would never be happy with the canoes! But when the flag dropped, both crews gave it their all, all the way to the finish. Due to some unintentional help from one of the steerers (who will remain unnamed!), one of the crews was disqualifies. The second crew made it through to the second round, but after a good race was unfortunately knocked out. But hey – we had gone there to paddle our best and have some great fun, and that’s exactly what we did. We enjoyed cheering on the adult crews, and at the end of the day, although we didn’t win any medals, we came away with the most important thing – a great experience.

So look out next time – the Junior ROCCstars will be back, and better than ever!