Mercantile Rowing Club is proud to announce our official partnership with Rowing Australia from 2025 to 2028. This milestone positions Mercantile as a Rowing Australia Pathway Club, one of only ten nationwide. This partnership provides crucial funding and development opportunities and aligns us directly with the national high-performance strategy. Our Head Coach, Scott Rowe, will lead this program in Victoria for the 2025–2026 season.
As part of our 2032 Strategy, we continue to invest in a comprehensive athlete pathway that supports long-term development and provides meaningful opportunities for rowers to grow beyond the school system.
Rowing Australia defines athlete development as a long-term process aimed at building physical capacity, athletic skill, and overall well-being. Their model focuses on fostering a broad base of movement quality—mobility, control, coordination, and resilience—while encouraging lifelong engagement in the sport and reducing injury risk.
Athlete development, however, takes time. As Kim Brennan OLY, Olympic Gold Medallist, once reminded me: “You don’t know what you don’t know.” When I made the 1993 Australian Team just two years after I started rowing, I was strong and full of potential—but still ‘green’. That year, I was lucky to be in a women’s four with Kate Slatter, Megan Still, and Courtney Johnstone, who mentored me through my first campaign. We placed sixth at the World Championships in Racice, Czech Republic—an experience that taught me more than any single race result ever could.
Our mission at Mercantile is to provide that same opportunity for today’s young athletes, to see rowing beyond school and into national and international competition.
The Victorian school system plays an essential role in introducing athletes to the sport, but many students still view their final year as the end of their rowing journey. At Mercantile, we’re actively shifting this mindset. We’re offering tangible, structured opportunities—similar to a rep basketball or footy team—that allow athletes to continue competing both during and after their school years.
Under the leadership of Alex Clarke, Anthony Bergelin, Jordan King, and our Athlete Development Coach Susie Franklin, we’re proud to offer a tiered and inclusive pathway:
- Winter Training Program
An 8-week program run during Term 2, giving school athletes a chance to train at Mercantile. This year, over 80 boys and girls participated under the guidance of our coaching team. - Junior Development Program
Designed for school athletes to train at Mercantile while still playing other sports. We’re also expanding into non-rowing schools to unlock untapped talent. This initiative is led by Susie Franklin, who brings experience from the UK’s talent ID programs. - Junior Performance Program
Targeted at Year 11 and 12 rowers aiming for U19 national selection or international competition, including opportunities such as racing at the Henley Royal Regatta. - U21 and U23 Programs
Pathways for post-school athletes targeting state and national representation. These programs are led by Tom Creber (Women) and Ed Ryan (Men), under the direction of Scott Rowe. - High Performance
Our long-term goal is to develop athletes for Australian teams and transition them into the National Training Centres in Penrith and Canberra—hubs for elite rowing in the country.
This year’s campaign to Henley Royal Regatta was a highlight. We sent three crews and a travelling party of 23 athletes, proudly flying the Mercantile flag on the world stage. Racing overseas gave our athletes invaluable international exposure—something that simply can’t be replicated on home soil.
We’re incredibly proud of the groundwork laid so far in support of our 2032 vision. With Scott Rowe and Noel Donaldson providing strategic coaching leadership, we’re well-positioned to deliver outstanding outcomes in the years ahead.
Finally, I want to thank committee members Alex Clarke, Tom Courtney, and Jordan King for their dedication to building these athlete opportunities. Their time, vision, and commitment have been instrumental in this progress.
Gina Peele – President
