Gairloch girls are crowned Scottish rowing champions

The new Scottish Indoor Rowing Champions from Gairloch High School

A team of young rowers from Gairloch High School have returned home victorious after winning the 2014 Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships.

The Championships were held last Friday at Scotstoun Stadium, one of Glasgow’s premier venues. The event was a high-octane environment with races going on throughout the two days where individual competitors race up to 2,000m and teams up to 3,000m in the quickest possible time. The competition provides a stage for indoor rowing enthusiasts to test themselves on a national level and assess their own performance and progress.

Gairloch S2 pupils Scarlet Pickering, Amber Drummond and Emily Morrison with Eilidh MacDonald and Sara Johnston from S3 have been busy training after school with teacher, Mrs Johnston, for several weeks in preparation for the competition in Glasgow.

The team travelled south on the Thursday evening after school in order to take part in the Scottish Schools events last Friday ( 5th December).  By early morning Headteacher John Port was delighted to receive a call to say that Amber and Scarlet had achieved Silver and Bronze medals in their races and that all five girls competing had achieved personal bests in their races.  

By lunchtime the girls had gone on to become S3 Scottish School Indoor Rowing Champions,knocking an incredible 9 seconds off their previous personal best and 27seconds off their first try at the distance a few weeks ago. The teams they beat were Glasgow Academy, George Watson's College, George Heriot's School, High School of Glasgow, Lomond School, St Ninian's High School and Falkirk High School.

The next day Emily, Sara, Amber, Scarlet were back in action in the Open Competition.  They won again and became Junior 14 Scottish Indoor Rowing Champions.  Teams they beat were made up of rowers from Loch Lomond Rowing Club, Castle Semple Rowing Club, Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association, St Andrew Boat Club and Inverness Rowing club.    

Sara also won a silver medal in her Junior 14 4 minute individual race adding to the two medals already won the previous day.

Headteacher John Port said: “I'm immensely proud of these girls.  They have been training after school since shortly after the summer holidays thanks to the coaching of Mrs Fiona Johnston.   Mrs Johnston organised and supervised the trip to Glasgow and will be very pleased with their performances.  

“The girls are a great example of what we try to instil in all our pupils.  If they work at something and follow the advice of their teachers they can succeed at the highest level.”  

He added: “Indoor rowing started several years ago in Gairloch with an idea that was supported by the Great Wilderness Challenge when they agreed to fund the purchase of 3 Concept-2 indoor rowing machines for the school. I am still very grateful for that help.  The machines have brought a great deal of fun and activity in the lead up to this national success by the girls.”

The girls with their awards