Former Shepparton Rowing club member Sophie Reinehr has taken a giant stride in her rowing career with outstanding performances at the Victorian rowing titles at Ballarat.
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Reinehr spent three seasons at Shepparton under coach David Schier. She won four state title medals in that period and was twice the club’s most outstanding female rower.
She moved to Melbourne to study at La Trobe University and is rowing for the high profile Mercantile Rowing Club.
Early in the program on February 29 — before wild weather struck the next day — she won two silver medals in the Mercantile under-21 coxed eight and coxed fours.
However, it was her performance in the higher class open women's eights that has caught the attention.
Rowing in the crucial stroke seat of the Mercantile eight, Reinehr's crew was matched against Melbourne University over 2000 m.
At halfway the crews were locked together with Melbourne University — which had won a week earlier — expected to move away.
Reinehr had other ideas and a powerful surge by the crew with 800 m to go behind her inspiring stroke rate pushed it to the lead.
Despite an intense stroke-for-stroke battle, Reinehr’s crew won by three seconds and was jubilant in taking the gold medal.
Schier described her performance as the stroke of the winning crew as sensational.
“She becomes the first Shepparton rower to win an open grade state title since the reformation of our club. We are so pleased for her,” Schier said.
Reinehr had no rest last week as she had been selected to trial for the Victorian representative women’s youth eight at the Kings and Queens Cup and national rowing championships in Sydney on March 29.
“There are 13 rowers left in the squad vying for a position in the eight and Sophie must have a great chance,” Schier said.
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