May has been a month full of energy, anticipation, and remarkable momentum at Mercantile Rowing Club!
All eyes are now on the international stage, with our Henley Royal Regatta crews on the cusp of departure. We’re proud to be sending three outstanding crews to compete: the Wargrave Challenge Cup (W8+), the Prince Philip Challenge Trophy (JW8+), and the Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup (W4x-). These athletes have trained with tremendous dedication, and we know they will represent Mercantile with distinction on one of rowing’s most prestigious stages.
We’re also proud to see our newly appointed Head Coach, Scott Rowe, already making an impact abroad as part of the coaching team for Australia A in Europe. We look forward to welcoming Scott back to Australia in early July, where he’ll bring valuable international insights back to our sheds.
Back home, I’m thrilled to announce two fantastic additions to our youth coaching team: Ed Ryan and Tom Creber. Ed has hit the ground running, and his recruitment efforts are already showing results — just last weekend we saw six men’s eights on the water! The energy and optimism this brings to the club is truly inspiring.
We’re equally excited to welcome Susie Franklin as our new Junior Development Program Lead. Susie brings a wealth of experience and passion for developing young athletes. If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at captain@mercantile.org.au or to Susie directly via juniordevelopment@mercantile.org.au.
Our Winter Training Program continues to thrive, with over 80 athletes participating and more than 14 boats on the water every Sunday. This level of consistency and commitment is what builds not only champions, but the strong sense of community that defines Mercantile.
To all our coaches — new and established — our dedicated volunteers, and every athlete who continues to show up and give their best: thank you. Your passion and effort make Mercantile the special club that it is.
Row hard. Row proud. And let’s get behind our Henley crews!
Alex Clarke – Captain