Rowing Squad Shines At Regional Rowing Championships

Last month, the Irlam and Cadishead Academy (ICA) Rowing Squad showcased their athletic prowess at the Warrington Youth Indoor Rowing Championships.

Since the start of this academic year, the ICA Rowing Squad made up of ten Year 8 students have been representing the academy. During their weekly training sessions, students have been hard at work preparing for the Championships, completing three-minute recorded test rows. At the Championship itself, all ten students impressed with their rowing abilities, each achieving a personal best in their individual three-minute race.

The standout performance came from Year 8 student Layton, who finished 4^th out of over 100 boys. Following this, he has been selected to represent the Greater Manchester Youth Rowing Squad at the National Junior Championships held in London, where he will be competing against the best rowers in the country for his age group. Having taken up rowing only four months ago, Layton has a very bright future ahead of him in the sport.

Speaking of his success, Layton said:

“I’m really proud of my achievement at the Warrington Youth Indoor Rowing Championships. My passion for rowing started just four months ago and I feel I have discovered something I’d potentially like to pursue as a career in the future. Thank you to Mr Divver for his encouragement, John and Kaleb for their training and support and lastly Dave for believing in me.”

During the Championship, students also took part in a boys and girls relay. Out of 26 schools, the ICA Boys Relay Team finished 5^th (2^nd in the Greater Manchester Area) and the ICA Girls Relay Team finished 12^th (3^rd in the Greater Manchester Area).

Tom Divver, PE Teacher at Irlam and Cadishead Academy, said:

“Congratulations to the ICA Rowing Squad on their excellent success at the recent Rowing Championships. The best part of the day for me was seeing the students take the new skills and confidence they have gained through their training sessions and apply them in a competitive environment. All of us across the academy are incredibly proud of them and can’t wait to see what the future holds for our Rowing Squad.”