ARC Update - 26th August 2026
- Aug 26
- 5 min read
In This ARC Update:
President's TED Talk
In case you missed it, the 2026 World Rowing Championships are on this week, with five ARC members representing Australia on the Bosbaan! Whatever the outcomes this week, we are immensely proud of their inspiring achievements at the pinnacle of our Sport! Our very best wishes to:
Oscar McGuiness - Men's Double Scull
Sam Stunell - PR3 Mixed Double Scull
Ella Bramwell - Women's Eight
Angus Dawson & Alex Hill - Men's Coxless Pair
You can keep up to speed with the results via socials, the World Rowing livestream or Kayo Sports!
Grace Barrera & Tamara Bates recently competed as the Australian Women's Coxless Pair at the 2026 FISU World University Rowing Championships, placing 2nd in the B-Final - an encouraging result for young athletes against strong & well-credentialled competition. Well done ladies!!!
On the home front, our Winter Programme has finished up for 2026 after an active and energetic 12 weeks, and we are now starting to wind up for the 2026-27 Season proper.
The Senior & U21 Squads are getting some solid miles in on Friday mornings - Uni might be putting more boats out, but the ARC boats are often doing twice the distance each session...
Our Sunday Social rowers have been out in force on Sunday mornings and enjoying some spectacular water in recent weeks.
The 90s Comeback Kings are getting fitter each week, although it does seem like a like a bit of weird medical experiment at times - testing the hypothesis of which side is more at risk of getting a hernia! (If you're wondering, the early data is pointing to bow-side!)
Thursday Night Socials are still strong despite the curse of the Torrens Lake closures. A packed ergo room at ARC is a wonderful sight, as are Iron Chef Greening's schnitzels.
Another Learn to Row programme starts this Sunday (temporarily relocated to West Lakes), and we soon hope to see some recent LTR graduates in a reformed Intermediate squad very soon too!
Finally, our AGM is this Sunday, 11:30am at the Torrens. Please come along and contribute to the fabric of our Club. There will be some exciting updates, announcements and a post-democracy sausage sizzle!!! If you can't make it, please ensure we reach a quorum by assigning your proxy to another Member.
Let's keep at it ARC!
Mitch
Welcome's & Thank You's
Welcome to our newest ARC Members
Samuel Thornton
Our Club relies on its volunteers - without them, nothing happens...
Tim Santin - last week saw the last Crows home game for the Home & Away season - well done Tim for managing every Crow Central event!
Simon Lane - Printing copies of the Annual Report for the AGM
Our Building Sub-Committee of Alex Silz, Chris Greening, Joyce Jollands & Nathan Bowden - another step forward on our building project - find out more at the AGM!
Our Winter Coaching Team - 12 weeks of awesome coaching
Tom Merrigan for arranging fabrication of a new rigger rack at the Torrens, as well as the ARC Men's Shed team who installed it (or who watched others install it!)
2026 AGM - 11:30am this Sunday 30th August
Can't make the AGM? You can still make your vote count by appointing another Member to act as your Proxy. Please complete by 6pm this Saturday.
Winter Programme Wraps Up for 2026
Last Sunday marked the conclusion of ARC's 2026 Winter Programme, and I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved in delivering what has been an outstanding season.
As my first opportunity to be involved with the Winter Programme, I have been genuinely impressed by the effort, planning, logistics and professionalism demonstrated by the entire ARC team. What has stood out most to me is the commitment to quality over quantity, with a clear focus on providing a safe, fun and vibrant rowing experience for junior athletes above all else.
Running a 12-week programme for more than 75 young athletes is no small undertaking, and its success is a testament to the commitment of the entire ARC Winter coaching team, along with those who helped behind the scenes. Whether faced with rain, hail or Torrens Lake closure - the team consistently found ways to keep the programme running and the athletes engaged. It was also heart-warming to see each Winter athlete receive an ARC Zooty during the last few weeks of the programme - a well-earned memento that reflects the connections made over the past three months.
ARC is currently the only club in South Australia offering a programme of this kind, and this is for one very simple reason - our people! Our sincere thanks go to Josh Lasscock, Simon Lane, Tom Merrigan, Annie Size, Harrison Lindner, Andre Pistotnik, Charly Mason, Ella McKay, Sam Williams, Claire Rogers, Alex Lee and Emma Venus for their time, energy and enthusiasm in making the 2026 Winter Programme such a success.
Mitch Oliver
President
Head of the Yarra Calling
Great to see our Head of the Yarra squads forming up - there are only a seat or two left in each of our Men's and Women's boats! If you're keen for a great racing weekend at Australia's premier head race, please get in touch with our Captains!
Torrens Lake Closure Status
Unfortunately, the Torrens Lake remains closed to rowing until further notice due to poor water quality. Council have indicated that the next update is expected on next Wednesday 2 September.
Torrens Active members may continue to use boats at West Lakes for the duration of the closure period, with Full Active members having priority in case of a clash.
Changes to the 2026 Riverland Regatta
This year's Riverland Regatta is shaping up to be a great one, with some exciting new changes to the regatta format, focussing on big boats and a consolidated racing format which will see Open, School, Grade & Master's all racing together over a 1000m course and with an exhaustive, full progression system!
Find out more about the changes (and why) here - 2026 Renmark Regatta - Rowing South Australia
Be Security & Safety Aware at ARC
Unfortunately, we've had a few incidents over the past month:
Theft of two recycling bins at the Torrens ~$250 of damage/loss
Multiple used syringes found on the grass at the Torrens
A medical episode requiring first aid
Trips & slips in the shed at West Lakes
Please look out for yourself & each other when in and around our boatsheds:
Be aware of your surroundings with respect to hidden hazards.
Secure our locked areas when not in use - including changerooms & locked cupboards.
Keep the sheds tidy and organised, with walkways clear of obstacles.
We have stocked first aid kits at each boatshed as well as a defib at the Torrens (RowingSA also has a defib at West Lakes)
If you see something that isn't right or an accident happens, please let a committee member know or fill out an incident report.
ARC In Action - July/August
