THE ROARING sound from the Ballarat Clarendon College ‘spit crew’ spurred its crew to back-to-back Ballarat Associated Schools Girls’ Head of the Lake glory.
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College girls’ rowing captain Lucy Joyce said the cheering kept driving her crew and ensured College held off strong favourite Loreto in the final 250 metres at Lake Wendouree.
“I could hear them and I could see Loreto coming at us. We just kept pushing,” Joyce said. “It was so exciting.”
College’s ‘spit crew’ chanted Joyce’s name when the girls – Alice Coltman (bow), Julia Kittelty (two seat), Georgina Jackson (stroke) and coxswain Eliza Millen – stepped up on the podium to accept the Patterson Shield. Joyce said whole victory and the excitement surrounding it was the best feeling.
All five crews stepped up to the firsts this season and had experienced the winning buzz in support of the schoolmates last year.
Joyce said the girls felt no pressure in defending College’s title. They wanted to do it their way. “We just wanted to do the best row we could for ourselves,” Joyce said.
College girls firsts’ rowing coach Ross Henderson was much more nervous this time.
The crew is young, sporting three year 11s, and with a fair bit of learning still to be done.
“I thought this year that I had a crew that could win it – I felt that pressure on myself,” Henderson said.
Henderson said Head of the Lake was getting harder to win, particularly with the rising strength of Loreto.
College made a good start and led at each 500m check, first from Ballarat Grammar, then from Loreto.
The College girls held form and technique in challenging choppy and windy conditions, to clock a winning time of eight minute, 29 seconds with a 5.42-second margin on Loreto.
Grammar was third with Ballarat High School fourth.
Head of the Lake marks a big month ahead for the College girls, who take added confidence into the Head of Schoolgirls and national rowing championships.
