Townsville All Schools Rowing Association:
TASRA

The TSARA was first formed in 2000, and the Committee comprises a representative from each of the member schools; a representative from Townsville & JCU RC and Riverway RC; and the Head Coach of Townsville & JCU RC.

Rowing is a non-contact sport that builds team work and provides a good base of aerobic fitness. Participants develop a team spirit and are able to work closely in a group. School rowing provides supervised training sessions and the ability to compete at local, regional and state regattas. The TASRA manages the Schools Regatta program throughout Terms 2 & 3. Parents are actively encouraged to become involved as volunteers during the TASRA Regatta season.

The TASRA comprises six schools in our own regional schools competition calendar, with five of the following Schools training out of the Townsville & JCU RC Shed:

• Ignatius Park College (all boys)
• Pimlico State High School (co-ed)
• St. Margaret Mary’s College (all girls)
• The Cathedral School (co-ed)
• Townsville Grammar School (co-ed)
• Ryan Catholic College (co-ed) (based at the Riverway Rowing Club, Loam Island, Upper Ross River)

The Townsville & JCU RC is actively involved in the TASRA Regattas and the annual Head of the River Regatta with the provision of equipment/facilities, regatta management staff, and safety equipment.

The school rowing season is Terms Two & Three each year; many of the school take the oportunity to conduct L2R sessions in Term One and the holidays.  Many of the schools use the Term Two holiday break to run a rowing camp - three > five days of intense rowing and coaching; often schools invite outside coaches to provide specialist coaching - in the past years Hardy Cubasch, Duncan Free, Jenny Gilbert have been guest coaches at various camps.

Several schools keep training their senior crews in Term Four (4) to compete at the RQI Schools Championships Regatta; for the past 5 years, The Cathedral have also trained limited numbers over the Christmas Holidays and into Term One to compete at the Australian Rowing Championships - in the past two years alone, they have won several Australian Championship titles.

All TASRA schools own at least one boat, with three schools (The Cathedral School; Townsville Grammar School; Ignatius Park College) owning their own trailer and fleet of boats to compliment the Clubs fleet. 

TASRA Season 2008

2008 TASRA Regatta Dates:

• SMMC / IPC Regatta - Sunday 11th May, 2008 - Results
• PSHS / RCC Regatta - Sunday 25th May, 2008  - Results
• TGS Regatta - Sunday 15th June, 2008 - Results
• TCS Regatta - Sunday 27th July, 2008
• TASRA Head of the River - Sunday 24th August, 2008 - Results

This year The Cathedral School have sent a squad of senior rowers to compete at the Royal Henley Regatta in the UK.

Head of the River 2007

On Saturday 2nd September, the 8th TASRA Head of the River was run on the Ross River over the 1000 meter four lane course between the Nathan Street Bridge and the TRC pontoon. This regatta is the last and the pinnacle of the local regatta series conducted over terms two & three.

For a complete listing of crews and results of the 2007 TASRA Head of the River, click here.

For many this is the “regatta to win” as it is the only local school regatta to award medals and pendants; as well as a trophy oar to each of the winning girls and boys open eights and trophy oars for the most successful (aggregate points) girls and boys programs.

The 8th HOTR was contested by:

• 6 schools
• 200+ athletes from grade 8 through to grade 12
• 7+ hours of racing
• 150+ family and friends
• 70+ volunteers
• Mixture of Club owned and School owned (and a few private boats) equipment