ARC Update - 12th March 2026
- Mar 12
- 7 min read
In This Issue:
President's TED Talk
One of the best things about our Club isn’t just what happens on the water — it’s what happens around it.
ARC runs on the passion and energy of our Members and supporters, and - in particular, their generosity in time, money, action, expertise and thought.
Like most volunteer sporting clubs, we don’t have a magic back office or a paid army behind the scenes. What we do have is a community of people who care. People who give what they can, when they can, because they believe our Club is worth supporting.
What’s always struck me is how this generosity shows up in different ways. Some people give time. Some give resources. Some roll their sleeves up and get things done. Others notice when something needs fixing and quietly make it better.
All of it matters.
All of it counts.
All of it makes our Club a better place, and somewhere we all can belong and take pride in.
So THANK YOU to our many volunteers, donors, supporters, committee members and all the contributors who chip in - even if it's in ways that don’t always get noticed or named. Whether you’ve contributed recently — or over many years — please know that your efforts and contributions are greatly appreciated.
If you’re thinking about getting involved, even in a small way, there’s always room for you to contribute in meaningful ways that suit your circumstances - whether financially or through volunteering. There are several upcoming opportunities where we need every bit of people-power that we can muster:
Boat maintenance working bees on 12th & 19th April
Building works, starting with Project Da Vinci (21st March to 2nd April)
Regatta volunteering on 21st March, 11th & 18th April, 2nd May - please reach out to Celia
Working the bar for functions, including Crows Central events from 20 March onwards - reach out to Tim Santin
LTR & Winter Programme coaching - please reach out to Josh Lasscock
In other news:
Plenty of exciting racing opportunities coming up locally, with several Sprint and Master's regattas to round out the season. The Women's Premiership is looking to be a tight tussle, and every point will count!
Just a week and half to go before Australian Rowing Championships - 15 ARC rowers will be racing in 32 crews at the beautiful Lake Barrington from Monday 23rd March!
Some new ARC merch items are available for purchase through the ARC website, with links at the end of this update!
The Annual Dinner is coming up so be sure to block out Saturday 9th May in your diary - tickets will go on sale shortly!
Learn To Row Block 2 (12th April-10th May) - 4 places left, if you know anyone who is interested, get them onto it ASAP.
Winter Programme registrations are solid - the Year 8/9 programme is 50% sold out after just 1 week.
For those who have an interest in this weekend's SA Schools Head of the River - good luck to your crews!
Let's get after it ARC!
Mitch
Welcome & Thanks
Welcome to the newest members of Adelaide Rowing Club!
Rai Sils
James Sobey
Thanks to some of our amazing volunteers & contributors for their efforts behind the scenes!
Tom Merrigan - Overhaul & re-furb of the Adelaide VI
Josh Lasscock, Celia Cowan & Simon Lane - manning our pop-up info stand at the recent Pembroke regatta
A double thanks to Simon & the Lane Communications team for printing our new Corflute signage!
ARC Members Selected in the 2026 SA State Team
Massive congratulations to the 13 ARC athletes and 1 coach who have been selected to race for South Australia at the 2026 Interstate Regatta on Sunday 29 March at Lake Barrington!
Well done and best of luck to all - race hard knowing that the whole of ARC is behind you!
Nell Slater Trophy | Women's Single Scull | Ella Bramwell |
President's Cup | Men's Single Scull | Mitch Reinhard |
Bicentennial Cup | Women's Youth Eight | Grace Barrera Tamara Bates Sasha Humble |
Noel Wilkinson Trophy | Men's Youth Eight | Ren Anderson Alex Lee Tom O'Mahony Sam Stunell Igor Zarubin Tom Merrigan (a/coach) |
Victoria Cup | Lightweight Women's Coxless Quad | Ella McKay |
King's Cup | Men's Eight | Alex Hill Angus Dawson Mitch Reinhard |
New Sculling Oars Inbound for ARC
We are pleased to announce that a new set of Croker sculling oars will arrive in the West Lakes shed in the next few weeks, for use by our Senior Women's squad! This purchase arises from an extremely generous donation made to the Club by Phil Mangelsdorf through the Australian Sports Foundation.
Thanks Mangs - you're a true ARC legend!
"Project Da Vinci" starts 21 March
The ARC Renaissance is getting underway & we need you to be a part of it.
We're asking members to help prep, paint and roll the ceiling of our Sistine Chapel (the ARC Clubrooms) from 21 March thru 2 April.
There's a tight window to get the job done in-between functions, so all hands are needed to contribute to the masterpiece! No special skills required - just a can-do attitude and a willingness to make our Club a better place.
Please get in touch with Mitch if you can assist over this period.
2026 NSW State Champs Wrap
ARC's emerging talent produced a truly inspiring campaign at the 2026 NSW State Championships, overcoming weather delays, lightning disruptions, and reshuffled race schedules to deliver a string of medal‑winning performances & four Championship victories!
Tamara Bates and Grace Barrera powered to gold in the Women’s Under 21 Pair after a composed heat win and an even stronger final. Their confidence and rhythm in tricky conditions set the tone for the weekend.
Not long after, Igor Zarubin delivered one of the standout individual rows of the regatta, dominating both his heat and the final to claim the Men’s Under 21 Single Scull championship.
One of the most electrifying victories of the regatta belonged to the Women’s Under 23 Coxless Four, where Grace & Tamara combined with Caroline McNally (AUBC), and Emily Pittman (Swan River) to steal victory in the last 2 strokes of the race. It was a heart‑stopping finish and a defining moment of the regatta - pure grit!
ARC’s success continued with another gold for Grace & Tamara in the Women’s Under 21 Quad Scull, along with Sasha Humble and Adelaide Uni’s Felicity Cox combined to deliver a beautifully executed race and secure the championship in commanding fashion.
The Men’s Under 21 Quad—featuring Igor, Tom O’Mahony & Alex Lee—added a hard‑earned silver in one of the deepest fields of the regatta.
Beyond the medal winners, these Championships also showcased promising performances from ARC’s developing athletes, many of whom embraced the challenge of interstate travel, disrupted race schedules and difficult racing conditions. With Nationals only a few weeks away, ARC now heads into the final phase of preparation with confidence, momentum, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Committee Update
A couple of updates and focus areas for discussion from the March Committee Meeting:
A new Membership & Equipment Usage Policy has been endorsed to update and clarify our approach and expectations for several topics, including
Updated membership categories
Membership renewal process, including RowingSA rego
"No Pay, No Play", Pro-Rata, Visitors & Trial Periods
Junior Members
Safety & Risk Management
Use of ARC Equipment
Regatta Entry
Started preparation of a draft budget for FY27
Preparations for the Annual Dinner on 9th of May
2026 Year 12 School Leaver recruitment & LTR/Winter Programme progress
Upcoming building project works and boat maintenance working bees
Project Da Vinci - 21 March to 2 April
West Lakes Boat Maintenance Working Bee - 12th April
Torrens Boat Maintenance Working Bee - 19th April
Coxing Equipment Fundraising Appeal!
Many, many thanks to those who have made generous contributions already - we've reached over 1/3 of our goal!
It takes village to run a rowing club, with many hands making light work. But if you're not in a position to donate time, then please consider getting behind us by making a tax-deductible donation instead. All donations over $2 made through the Australian Sports Foundation are tax-deductible.
Be Safe, Be Seen - Get Your Lights On!
It's getting dark in the early mornings, and soon evenings will also start to shorten - it's essential that all boats are clearly visible on the water in low-light/low-visibility conditions.
Boat lights must be visible from 360 degrees at a distance of 1km
It is the crew's responsibility to provide their own lights.
Strictly, no lights = no rowing!
At West Lakes:
Lights must be used when the red light on the judge's tower is on.
No rowing before 6am Mon - Sat, or before 7am Sundays & public holidays.
As a Senior Club, ARC always want to be leading from the front and setting a good example for the rest of the rowing community. To facilitate, the Committee has agreed to stock safety lights for ARC Member's to purchase, via the ARC website.
By purchasing in bulk, we hope this will keep the costs as low as possible for members.
Each ARC boat will be fitted with dual-lock mounting points on the bow and stern canvas to attach these lights.
Reminder to Lock Up
We've had 3 instances over the past 6 weeks of our sheds being left wide open over-night - twice at West Lakes, once at the Torrens.
If you are the last person to leave the shed, it's your responsibility to do a quick sweep to make sure the shed is secured with doors locked and latched before you head off!
Members Facebook Groups & Squad Chats
Are you keeping up with the latest happenings at ARC? Check out the invite links below to ensure you are informed about who is doing what at ARC!
Crow's Central returns for Season 2026
We are pleased to welcome the Adelaide Crows Supporter Group back to ARC again for the 2026 AFL Season, with the first Crows home game on Friday, March 20.
Crows Central opens 3 hours before the first bounce serving great food and drinks -without the Adelaide Oval prices...
Regardless of which AFL team you barrack for, make ARC & Crows Central part of your pre-match routine, knowing that with every dollar spent is directly supporting our rowing activities.
What's Coming Up at ARC?
PROJECT DA VINCI
Repair & Painting the ARC Ceiling
21st March to 2nd April
New Merch Arrivals
Check out this new ARC merch which is available for purchase!
