Join the rowing revolution at NJIRC 2014!
The Olympic Legacy lives on at the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships, where athletes aged 11-18 are set to compete in the world’s biggest indoor rowing event for juniors on 21st March 2014.
Organised by London Youth Rowing, and co-hosted by British Rowing and the Boat Race Company, the 8th edition of the annual event will be the biggest yet, with more than 2000 young rowers expected to take part in the presence of Olympic Champions.
There has been a huge uptake of people wanting to try rowing since London 2012, following Team GB’s unprecedented success at the Olympic Rowing Regatta at Eton Dorney. For thousands of new juniors who take up the sport, NJIRC provides a fantastic opportunity to try out new skills, and gives many young rowers their very first opportunity to race. They are truly coming to ‘Join the rowing revolution’.
London 2012 rowing medallists Katherine Grainger CBE, Mark Hunter MBE, and members of the 2014 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race crews will all be there to support the competitors. NJIRC is not just about winning; the competitors will also be aiming for ‘personal bests’ and the satisfaction of beating their own previous records.
“The level of competition we saw in 2013 was just outstanding and for many of the competitors it is not just about winning,” said Olympic gold and silver medallist Mark Hunter. “It’s equally important for them that they are representing their club and school for the very first time. We hope they get the competitive bug and will be taking part in sport for many years to come. Who knows, there could be future Olympians racing at NJIRC this year!”
LYR’s Managing Director, Matt Rostron believes that NJIRC is central to the reason his organisation has been able to deliver a successful Olympic legacy. “This is the eighth year we’ve delivered NJIRC and for us it was about having a firmly established programme in place long before the Olympic Games arrived, and continuing to deliver great, fun, accessible events long into the future.”
“Indoor Rowing is a fantastic introduction to rowing for young people,” added British Rowing’s Chief Executive. “This championship event is held in East London, home to the Olympic Games in 2012. British Rowing is working hard to develop rowing here, as well as across the country. It’s incredible to see the excitement and determination of all the young people taking part, many of them inspired to take up rowing after our successes at Eton Dorney.”
The 2014 NJIRC will take place on Friday, March 21st at the Lea Valley Athletics Centre in London. Entries open on February 1st. For more information, visit www.londonyouthrowing.com/njirc.
