Head of the Lake schools will have to make room for new colours on the water.
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For the first time in 15 years, Damascus College rowers will take to the water in the Head of the Lake regatta next Friday.
Sporting navy, maroon and gold, Damascus will enter five girls crews and one boys crew into the Friday’s boat race that will compete in year nine girls division three and five, year 10 girls division four, girls open division four and five and boys open division five.
Through the Wendouree-Ballarat Rowing Club’s Adopt-a-School initiative last year, the Damascus rowing program was born and Peter Moon was appointed Head of Rowing.
The crews trained over the summer holidays in preparation for the event, completing the summer regime with a rowing camp on one of Ballarat’s scorching weekends in early February.
Moon said he expected to enter a Damascus girls firsts crew blue ribbon event by next year and a division one boys’ crew in 2016.
“We have a lot of enthusiastic students who are eager to commence rowing later in the year,” Moon said.
“We hope to double the number of Damascus crews competing in next year’s Head of the Lake.”
Year nine and 12 students have been training their voices and will act as the school’s spit crews.
The regatta is to be contested over 28 races by 105 crews representing St Patrick’s College, Ballarat and Clarendon College, Ballarat Grammar, Ballarat High School, Loreto and Damascus.
Several crews have competed in regattas across the state since October.
The year nine girls crew won their section of the coxed four division at Dimboola Regatta in November last year, beating Melbourne Rowing Club.
Damascus also had wins at the Hamilton regatta in December and a BAS regatta earlier in the season.
david.jeans@fairfaxmedia.com.au