Hard work and dedication at a four day training camp paid off for Gunnedah native James O'Brien and his fellow rowers from The Armidale School who competed at the Taree Summer Regatta earlier this month.
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Collectively, the school's rowers returned with nine medals: three gold, three silver and three bronze.
Over the three days of competition the squad's 20 rowers and coxswains took to the water in 15 events in varying conditions.
O'Brien was part of both the First VIII and First IV.
The eight made a podium debut at a regatta, the team of O'Brien, Yann Garrivet, Henry Pitman, Nick O'Neil, Lucas Cotterell, John Moore, Jack Sewell, Oliver Kearney and cox Lily Etheridge crossing the finish line in second place in the final of the Men's C Grade Eight over 1000m.
The First IV meanwhile secured gold in the Men's C Grade Coxed Four (1000m) and took bronze in the Men's U19/U21 Four (2000m), while the TAS Second IV (Yann Garrivet, Henry Pitman, Nick O'Neil, Lucas Cotterell and cox Lily Etheridge) won gold in the Men's D Grade Coxed Four (1000m).
Achieving a bronze medal in the Men's C Grade Coxed Four and a silver in the Men's D Grade Coxed Four (1000m) were the TAS Third IV (Alex Hall, Stewart Williams, Rocco Louis, Oliver Cook, cox Bronte Dagg)
Bringing home a gold medal in the Women's D Grade Quad Scull were the TAS girls crew (Hannah Neilson, April Draney, Eliza Ward, Eli Cotter (O'Connor Catholic College) and cox Sophie McRae). The crew also secured a silver in the Women's C Grade Quad Scull and a bronze medal in the Women's D Grade Four.
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In another first, TAS also fielded a crew in a Mixed A Grade Eight but was unplaced.
"While all the rowers should be well pleased with the results, more importantly was the way they developed through the week, both technically and leading and supporting each other as a crew," the school's rowing coordinator Mr Will Caldwell said.
The regatta was preceded by an annual rowing camp on Oxley Island as the guests of the Croker family whose business manufactures and exports oars around the world.
TAS crews will next to take the water in competition at the Sydney Rowing Club Regatta on February 22.
The TAS rowing team who went to Taree: Nick O'Neil, Jack Sewell, Oliver Kearney, Henry Pitman, Oliver Cook, Yann Garrivet, Alex Hall, Rocco Louis, Lucas Cotterell, James O'Brien, John Moore, Eli Cotter, Eliza Ward, Bronte Dagg, Hannah Neilson, Sophie McRae, April Draney, Bronte Garcia, Stewart Williams, Lily Etheridge, assisted by staff members Will Caldwell, Anthony Russell-Thomas, Henry Hughes, Sebastian Scott, Karen Hutton, Sam Wright, Ben MacDougall and Tim Scott.
