Oarsome racing back in a big way

BOAT trailers from across Victoria flocked to the shores of Lake Wendouree last weekend for the annual JG King Wendouree-Ballarat Regatta.

Held over two days, the racing action featured open-age and junios, with about 2000 scullers and sweep-oar athletes competing over one or two kilometres of the rowing course.

Organiser John King is WBRC’s president, a coach at Ballarat Clarendon College, and the operator of sponsor, JG King Homes.

He said the two days of racing were some of the biggest the Lake’s seen in the last decade; an unexpected success after a 2020 mostly free of rowing.

“We got a real surprise. Liaising with Rowing Victoria, we thought we’d get within 10 or 20 per cent of the previous year’s entry figures, but when they closed, we realised it was going to be a big regatta,” he said.

“Boat trailers were all the way down to St Pat’s Point, all the races have had good numbers in them, and we had a great crowd here supporting all the rowers. We had about 3000 spectators on the Saturday, and 2000 spectators on the Sunday.

“I’ve been involved in this for seven or eight years and it’s one of the biggest years I’ve seen.”

Approaching the 2021 Head of the Lake, competition events like WBRC’s are key in the crew selection process for Ballarat’s schools.

As rowing returns later in the year after the winter break, Mr King said one of Ballarat’s brand-new but popular racing events will come back.

“The lap-of-the-lake has a number of short-style sprints around. That’s in December.

“A few western district clubs came in last year, and I think it will grow over the years. It’s something that a lot of people showed interest in,” he said.