All smiles: Shepparton Rowing Club’s Tom Nalder after taking out the silver medal.
Shepparton Rowing Club members have stacked up medals and accolades at the Rowing Victoria State Championships in Ballarat, with a number of rowers having races to remember on Lake Wendouree.
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Gale force winds set the scene for the two-day event, with a number of early morning and late afternoon events cancelled due to the weather.
Young gun Tom Nalder, competing in the under-15 single sculls, had a rocky start to his race before finding his rhythm halfway through the 1000m course.
A strong finish had him take home the silver, missing out on gold by a fine margin.
Nalder was pleased with a well-deserved medal, considering his shaky start in tough conditions.
“I was nervous before the race; it was so rough and I felt like I was going to tip out while rowing out to the start line. I kept focus on my balance and smooth strokes,” Nalder said.
Nalder’s teammate, Patrick Sharp, also enjoyed his morning events to win a heat of the C-grade single, narrowly missing out on a medal in the final to get home in fourth.
Due to the conditions, the doubles sculls were cancelled, with Nalder and Sharp due to team up for that event.
Shepparton product Hamish Kerr had a successful day’s racing, competing for Melbourne Grammar School on the Saturday, collecting a gold and silver medal in his events.
His crew won the School Eight Open Division 2, and collected second in the under-19 eight event.
The club is back training preparing for events at Footscray and Essendon at the end of the month.
Atop the podium: Tom Nalder (left) with his fellow under-15 singles medal winners.
