15 November 2016

Rowperfect is holding a new RowingChat on 29 November between 8 and 9 p.m. (GMT) called “Women’s Rowing in UK”, with interviews of Joanna Toch, Pauline Peel and Kate Grose. In an invitation Rowpefect writes:

The advancement of British Women’s rowing and their leading world status today is very recent. RowingChat interviews three of the athletes who were instrumental building the foundations for today’s successes.

Joanna Toch
Joanna started rowing at Weybridge Ladies when she was 16 and went to the Junior World Rowing Championships in a Weybridge Ladies club crew in 1979. She then went into the GB squad system and was in the GB women’s eight for the 1980 Moscow Olympics and was the youngest member of the GB Olympic team when she was still at school. She stroked the women’s eight in 1981 placing sixth in the world and represented GB in 1982, 1983 and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the women’s four. Joanna was in the first women’s crew to row at Men’s Henley when demonstration races were put on in 1982.

In 1984 Joanna coached the women novices at UCLA and then after a break from rowing for 20 years coached juniors at Bewl Bridge in 2011. In the last few years, Joanna has started Masters rowing. This year she won at Master’s Henley in a pair and at the World Championships in an eight.

Pauline Peel
Pauline started rowing at the age of 11 at Weybridge Ladies rowing club and joined the (senior) National Squad at the age of 16. She raced at five World Rowing Championships and two Olympic before ‘retiring’ at the age of 23. During that time she achieved one fifth place and two sevenths in a double scull with Astrid Ayling.

She continued rowing while studying for her degrees and came back to international rowing in 1986 for the Commonwealth Games and World Rowing Championships with Fiona Johnstone in the pair. They won silver at the Commonwealth Games and came sixth overall at the World Rowing Championships. Pauline has continued rowing and now regularly races at FISA Masters Championships.

Kate Grose
Kate’s rowing career began at Cambridge University when her college, Trinity Hall, introduced the newly admitted women to their already successful boat club. She was recruited to the University crew for the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race in which she competed three times. Attending British selection trials at Thorpe Park, she joined the squad and was a double Olympian, racing in Seoul in 1988 in the women’s eight and then in the pair in Barcelona 1992. Kate never sold her single scull and returned to competitive masters rowing when she was 45 and has enjoyed a new lease of life as a veteran international.

UK (GMT) – 29 November at 8 p.m.
USA/Canada (PST) – 29 November at 12 Noon
USA/Canada (EST) – 29 November at 3 p.m.
NZ (NZST) – 30 November at 9 a.m.
Australia (AEST) – 30 November at 7 a.m.

Register free here.