GB Rowers sign up for Movember
London 2012 hopefuls from the GB Rowing Team will be turning more heads than usual on the water this month after signing up for Movember.
Rowers from across the men’s, women’s and lightweight squads – including 2010 World Champion Richard Chambers, Beijing Olympic silver medallist Alex Partridge and two-time Olympic silver medallist Debbie Flood – have agreed to grow and groom moustaches of various shapes and sizes or sport fake ones throughout November to raise funds and awareness for The Prostate Cancer Charity.
Last year more than 112,000 ‘Mo bros’ and ‘Mo sistas’ took part in the UK and raised £11.7 million. The rules are simple. Participants start clean shaven on November 1 and groom their moustaches for the rest of the month. Women can take part by supporting the cause in any way they choose.
“I am letting anyone who sponsors me £5 or more draw their own artistic tache on me in permanant pen for a day’s worth of training,” said Flood.
“Movember helps raise 60 per cent of the total yearly income of The Prostate Cancer Charity so hopefully everyone will be inspired to get involved with the fun.”
The rowers who have signed up for the month-long moustache-growing contest are also lining up a cross-team competition with the heavyweight men’s squad taking on the women and lightweights in the fundraising stakes.
Chambers won bronze in the lightweight men’s four at the 2011 World Championships in Slovenia and has convinced his medal-winning crewmates – Rob Williams, Paul Mattick and Chris Bartley – as well as his younger brother and fellow GB lightweight rower Peter to take part in Movember.
Richard said: “Movember is a great way of raising awareness of prostate cancer which can affect so many men around the world.
“This is my first year taking part and I’m looking forward to the challenge of growing something terrible and competing against the other guys in the squad.”
To see which rowers have signed up, and to donate to the cause, visit the GB Rowers page on the Movember website.
You can also follow their progress and see photos on the GB Rowing Team Facebook page.
