State Championships 2017 – Day 2
Another outstanding performance by all who attended yesterday, winning four medals across the five race categories that we competed in –
500m
Women’s Tens – Bronze
Mixed Tens – Bronze
Open Tens – Bronze
1,000m Turn race
Mixed 20s – Bronze
Big thanks to –
• Stella
• Ian
• Tania
• Michelle (volunteer Day 1)
• Celeste
• Brad & Deb for towing boats
• Chris for hauling gear & people
A very special mention to our women who won their first Women’s Tens medals. It was fantastic that the women came to the Coaching Panel expressing a desire to compete as a team. With limited training sessions as a crew, the increased attendance at trainings, improved performances at two regattas and an improvement in “belief” has been outstanding. Keeps the momentum going!
Well done all our men with continued commitment and dedication to each other and the club. With limited number of men and an aging list we continue to “punch above our weight” across various categories of racing. Recruitment of several younger men is essential for progress.
Congratulations to all involved in our club for the 2016-17 racing season.

Fantastic effort by the 23 people who attended the first day of State Championships for 2017 today.

We did some outstanding racing with “very creditable” results, some highly competitive performances, great teamwork and support all day.

Our Tens Mixed placed third wining Bronze medals –

Heat 1 – 3rd 3.4 seconds behind 1st

Heat 2 – 1.78 seconds behind 1st

Heat 3 – 4th 2.00 seconds behind 1st

Our Open Tens placed third over the day winning Bronze medals –

Heat 1 – 4th -4.54 seconds behind 1st

Heat 2 – 3rd 4.4 seconds behind 1st

Heat 3 – 3rd 2.84 seconds behind 1st

Our Women’s Tens –

Heat 1 – 4th 2.23seconds of 1st place

Heat 2 – 5th 4.3 seconds of 1st

Heat 3 – 3rd 4.77 of 1st

Our Mixed 20s –

Heat 1 – 4th 0.56 second behind 1st

Heat 2 – 4th 1.2 seconds behind 1st

Heat 3 – 4th )no time recorded)

In the Mixed 2,000m racing we placed second winning Silver medals, only 2 seconds behind the winning time, imagine what it could have been if we had not been held up on the last turn, not being able to overtake a slower boat for the full 80m of the turn. This race was the outstanding performance of the day for Forza.

Given the quality of the opposition all our racing was an outstanding result.

Big thanks –

Ø Bred & Deb for hauling boats to Champion Lakes

Ø Chris for taking heads, tails, drums etc.

Ø Merinda, Orlando & Neville for assisting with coaching

Ø Michelle for being our volunteer

Ø Everyone who drove competitor to & from the regatta.

See everyone at training this week as we prepare for Day 2, 1,000m and 500m racing.

Thanks to the Bunbury Herald for covering our Twilight event!

The Inlet was turned into a race course with the help of 135 competitor and 17 volunteerss on Sunday. Using a format that involves “match racing” teams had to beat their best 200 metre time set during the 2016-17 dragon boat racing season. Whilst the competition was intense and fair everyone found time to make fiends and have some fun. Forza would like to thank everyone who was involved and assisted in making the event a success.

In an effort to make the concrete ramp safer for everyone Forza has commenced work on installing some FRP (firbreglass reinforced plastic) grating to the end of the ramp to eliminate the step. This should make transfer of all boats easier and eliminate the trip hazard that currently exist. Big thanks to Brad, Chris and Neville for completing stage one. Stage two to occur very soon!

A Big thanks to everyone who contributed to our fundraiser run from our shed. The best burgers and sausage sizzle in town. Special thanks to Deb, Brad, Ali, June, Linda, Neil, John, Neville and everyone who contributed to the successful afternoon. We claimed the area along the wall and had the best seats in the house for the fireworks after the hard yakka!

As part of Forza’s ongoing commitment to Choose Respect we have been helping them with promoting their cause by placing “silhouettes” with messages written on them by locals near the Lower Koombana Inlet this past week. Big thanks to Neville McNeill and Leanne Maher for all their hard work cording this fabulous initiative, and to our club members who assisted.