This week, ten of the Eastern Capes top junior U19 schoolboy rowers left for Germany to compete in the North German Rowing Championships to be held on 24 and 25 September 2022 in Hamburg, Germany. The event is hosted by the German Rowing Association.

The team representing the Eastern Cape Rowing Association (ECRA) is made up of Joe Kroon, Connor Moorcroft, Max Estcourt, Aiden Wood and Jared Hayes from St Andrew’s College in Makhanda. Isemihle Nonquane, Brynn Rawlins and Haydn Thompson from Selborne College in East London and Thomas Hobson and Duncan de Klerk from Grey High School in Gqeberha.

The team will be managed by Ms Janique Klingelhoeffer from Selborne and coached by Mr Edward Goodier from St Andrew’s College.

ECRA’s tour coordinator Mr Murray Chandler explained that “In 2019 the idea of the tour first came about when the Eastern Cape Rowing Association (ECRA) was approached by the Department of Sport, Recreation and Culture (DSRAC) to coordinate an exchange programme between the Eastern Cape and Niedersachsen LandesSportBund(LSB) from Lower Saxony in Germany.

Unfortunately, Covid 19 got in the way of the planned tour in 2020 and it has only been over the last few months, with the relaxation of Covid restrictions that the tour started to gather momentum again. Part of the twinning arrangement will be that young German Rowers will participate in the Buffalo Regatta in East London in 2023. “ Mr Chandler also noted his huge gratitude to both DSRAC and LSB for the amount of time and effort that has gone into organising the tour.

This inaugural tour is seen as the start of many to come over the years and will expand in scope and diversity as more experience is gained.

It’s a huge opportunity for young rowers and administrators to be exposed to a world-class event such as the North German Rowing Championships. In addition to this, the collaboration that will take place between South Africa and Germany is incredibly positive for the future of rowing in this province.

The excitement of participating in this regatta is a welcomed injection of enthusiasm for our sport. This opportunity for building a broader rowing community and networking with people of common interest through sport gives greater value and meaning to a sport that athletes and coaches alike dedicate so much time and effort to in addition to the great life experience gained by those on the tour.

Mr Edward Goodier, the team coach said: “ECRA has the responsibility to promote the transformation and growth of the sport of rowing in the province, in future we hope to make a strong case to ESRAC for the inclusion of a women’s squad as well as developing our own selection pathways by setting up a development and selection process. This is key to the sustainability and widespread benefit of this partnership.”

The main benefit of this tour is to expose the best junior rowers from the Eastern Cape to a high standard of competition and insight from our German counterparts which they would then carry into the following season of domestic competition, raising the standard of rowing in the Eastern Cape.

In addition to pushing these individuals to greater heights in such as trialing and selection for the SA Junior national team. This exchange tour is perfectly positioned to assist ECRA in enhancing our purpose-centred development strategy. The most important objective of the tour will be in the form of skills transfer to the broader Eastern Cape rowing fraternity.