WELCOME TO RV E-NEWS

The new Victorian rowing season is officially underway this weekend, as Lake Eildon Rowing Club host the Grand Ponderosa Cup!

The excitement continues to build as crews return to the water in preparation for a huge few months of head racing.

Read more below.

Rowing Victoria

       UPCOMING REGATTAS

AUSTRALIAN INDOOR ROWING CHAMPIONSHIPS

 The Australian Indoor Rowing Championships are back - and bigger than ever!

This year’s #AIRC25 runs from Oct 25 - Nov 2, with a brand-new nine-day event window giving you more chances to set your best time. Race on a Concept2 from home or join the action at one of the official hubs around the country, all results feed into the same national leaderboards via the Row Nation app.

From juniors to masters, para to lightweight, relays to sprints - there’s a seat for everyone.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now until Sept 15.

LEVEL 2 COACHING ACCREDITATION

Are you Level 1 accredited and ready to take the next step?

To gain your Level 2 Coaching Accreditation you need to:

The next series of in-person workshops will be:

Discussion & Problem Solving
Thursday 11 September from 5:30-8:30pm @ RV Office, 31-33 Aughtie Dv, Albert Park

Rigging
Sunday 14 September from 9am-12pm @ The Geelong College Boatshed
 
If you are interested in attending these workshops please contact delwyn@rowingvictoria.asn.au. Places are limited!

HEAD OF THE YARRA - WIN A CONCEPT 2 ERG

Compliments of Head of the Yarra sponsor Concept2 Australia, you have a chance to win a Concept 2 RowErg, complete with PM5 monitor and device holder!

The Head of the Yarra 2025 lottery is free to enter - participants just need to provide their first name, surname and email address, no HOTY entry required.

The prize will be drawn at the 2025 Head of The Yarra.

SALTWATER CHALLENGE - SILENT AUCTION

Essendon Rowing Club, in partnership with the Essendon Football Club Social Club, is thrilled to announce a Silent Auction for a rare and exclusive item – an Official 2025 Squad Signed Essendon Football Club Home Guernsey! 

⭐️ Framed and ready for display
⭐️ Officially licensed and AFL-endorsed (with Certificate of Authenticity)
⭐️ A must-have for fans and collectors alike!

🗓 6 September 2025, last bids at 3:25pm
📍 Upstairs at ERC during the 2025 Saltwater Challenge Regatta 

This is your chance to own a piece of Bombers history while celebrating an incredible day at the Saltwater Challenge. Don’t miss out – place your bid during the event!

BEACH SPRINTS REGATTA - ENTER NOW

Beach Sprints is BACK! As the sun begins to shine come September, it's the perfect time to try out the excitement filled new variation of our sport!

Everyone is welcome - whether you're an experienced rower or completely new to the sport.

You can register with a friend, or on your own and we'll match you with a partner.

Ready to hit the beach? Fill out the form below and join the action!

PPEP TALK - PERIODS, PAIN, ENDOMETRIOSIS PROGRAM

The Pelvic Pain Foundation of Australia is a not-for-profit dedicated to improving the lives of people with pelvic pain and the health professionals who support them. Through education and advocacy, they strive to build a healthier, more informed, and productive community.

PPEP Talk® Sports is an engaging, age-appropriate and medically accurate program. It integrates modern neuroscience of pain and connects menstrual cycle information with training, aiming to empower and educate young athletes. PPEP Talk® addresses the number one priority of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis – education and awareness.

This session is for post school rowers, senior school rowers, parents, & coaches.

🗓 Thursday 4 September 2025
⌚️ 6:30pm - 8:00pm
📍 MUBC Blueroom

SPORT INTEGRITY WEBINAR - TECH-BASED ABUSE IN SPORT

Join us this National Child Protection Week for an important conversation on keeping our sporting community safe online.

The webinar Tech-Based Abuse in Sport - Exploitation will help coaches, administrators, and parents recognise and respond to harmful online behaviours such as grooming, unwanted contact, and doxing - and give you practical tools to protect athletes, especially children and young people.

🗓 Thursday 11 September
🕢 7:30-8:30 PM (AEST)
📍 Online

Don’t miss this session with experts Lisa Purves (Sport Integrity Australia) and Wayne Holdsworth (SmackTalk).

ESAFETY WEBINARS

Online Safety 101 for Community Sport Clubs

These sessions are for community sport leaders and volunteers who want tips to create safer online spaces and learn how to respond to online abuse.

📅 12 November 2025
🕧 12.30pm – 1.15pm AEST

Social Media Self-Defence for Athletes

These sessions are for state, national and pathway athletes (18 years and over) who want to set up safer social media accounts and learn strategies to respond to online abuse.

📅 26 November 2025
🕧 12.30pm – 1.15pm AEST

Webinars for parents and carers

eSafety also offers a range of webinars to support parents and carers in helping their children navigate the online world safely. 

REMINDER: BOW & STERN LIGHTS

It is important that ALL rowers on ALL waterways (and coaches on bikes and powerboats) between sunset and sunrise have adequate lighting for your safety and the safety of others. 

Rowing boats, in restricted visibility and between sunset and sunrise, are required by LAW to exhibit;

• Two all-round white lights - one attached to the boat at or near the forward or bow end, and one attached to the boat at or near the stern end.
• Bow light - A continuous white light is considered acceptable if it is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.
• Stern light - A flashing white light is considered acceptable if it flashes at least once per second and is visible in clear conditions from a distance of 1 kilometre.

Not withstanding the above, it is considered acceptable for a light to be masked so as not to interfere with the vision of the vessel’s occupants, provided at least one light is visible from any direction (see diagram below).

BIKE LIGHTS

In addition to safely lighting our boats, it is important that coaches are also meeting requirements off the water. By law, your bike must be fitted with a rear red reflector, a bell, and at least one working brake.

When riding at night and in low-light, you must use a front white light and a rear red light. The light can be flashing or steady but must be seen from 200 metres away. It is also a good idea to use flashing lights during the day to help other road users see you.

SAFETY REMINDER

Rowing Victoria would like to remind all members the importance of using our equipment and waterways safely and appropriately.

Please follow traffic rules, including correctly using designated turning zones. Rules and maps for all waterways can be found on our Venues webpage. By following these rules, our waterways are safer for all. 

We have also been made aware of a number of incidents where rowing coaches have been sighted either riding without helmets, using megaphones at incorrect hours, or using mobile phones while riding (both in conversation or filming their crews).

For your own safety, to avoid fines, and to respect other members of the community, we ask that you please ensure you are obeying the law and not partaking in the behaviours above.

WATERWAY ACCESS & INCIDENT REPORTING

Could all waterway users please ensure they are acquainted with their local waterway rules; traffic direction, turning points, stationary obstacles etc.

So that RV, Maritime Safety Victoria and now, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority can support the community in providing safe waterways, please register all incidents via the RV Report an Incident tile on the home page of the RV website.

A consistent management of reporting will assist us in ensuring we are kept safe on the water and the chances of equipment damage is mitigated.