Rowing champion gets set for forthcoming competitions
One of Scotland’s female rowing champions has begun another backbreaking competition schedule, starting with the Scottish Indoor Rowing Championships last Sunday (1 February).
Judith Herbert (22), from Aberdeen, is one of the newest cohort of RGU: SPORT scholars at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, and, as well as being dedicated to rowing, she hopes to graduate with a degree in Computer Science this year. In addition to being crowned a Scottish Champion in 2008, Judith has won the Scottish Universities Championships in various boat types every year since 2004. She also came 5th at the British Universities Sporting Association (BUSA) Women’s Lightweight Championship in 2008 and sees this as one of her biggest achievements, given that she was up against the best Women’s Lightweight scullers from universities across the UK.
After taking on Scotland’s best in the Women’s Open Lightweight section of the Indoor Champtionships, Judith will get ready for the Aberdeen 8’s Head of the River on February 8 (which she has won twice before), the City of Aberdeen Universities’ Boat Race on February 28, followed by the Scottish University Championships and Strathclyde Park regatta in April, and then the BUSA Regatta in May.
She has been selected to benefit from the prestigious sports scholarship for the first time this year and benefits from a support package of tailor-made programmes devised to support their individual needs, sports discipline and academic course requirements. She also has access to a £10 million plus state-of-the-art sports facility, RGU: SPORT, in the heart of the University’s Garthdee campus.
Judith explained: "The nutritional advice, anthropometry and weekly strength and conditioning sessions have been particularly helpful elements of the scholarship so far. This year, I’m also looking forward to attending the major national regattas with the support of the scholarship, such as the Women’s Henley and the Metropolitan Regatta in Eton. I have been unable to attend these in the past due to the huge financial costs."
Having spent her secondary school years at Aberdeen Grammar School, Judith started rowing in 2003 as a member of the Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association. She received her first Scotland cap in the summer of 2004 and began to pick up various other medals at the Scottish Championships and Scottish Schools Championships, and reached finals of the National Championships and the National Schools Championships. Now an experienced and talented rower, Judith hopes the coming weeks will bring success. She said: "The Aberdeen Universities’ Boat Race on 28th of February will be the most fun part of my forthcoming competition schedule. I am President of RGU’s Rowing Club and will be participating as part of the 1st crew – I really hope we can steal the crown back from our rivals!"
