Walking on water after their wins

"JUST add water" was the running joke between four Ballarat rowers who proved they could still mix it on the world stage.They are calling on more potential masters athletes to follow their lead.Lee-Anne Martin, Grada Richards, Tim Wright and Pat Gabb arrived back home this week with a swag of medals from the World Masters Games in Sydney - despite having no water to train on in Ballarat.Richards said they were proud to represent Wendouree-Ballarat Rowing Club amid a field of crews from across the world."It just goes to show you don't need water," Richards said."The competition was very much still competitive."With the age groups, some rowers were not long out of elite racing and we were rowing with and against them."Martin had not been in a boat for 16 months before the Games.She captured gold medals in the women's B division quad and double skull and reached the final of the women's A single skull.Her training regime was based on group fitness at the YMCA where she is an instructor.Martin said she still had plenty of unfinished business with two days' racing abandoned due to strong winds at the Penrith Olympic regatta complex.Wright has been training on the Yarra River with a Melbourne-based rowing squad.His efforts earnt a bronze medal in the men's A pairs.He also contested the A coxed four, and the A, B and D division eight.Richards and Gabb were out in force across a range of skulling events.Wright said the beauty of the Masters' Games was that anybody of any ability could compete.All four are tempted to be on the water at the 2013 World Masters Games in Turin, Italy.