Inverness and Fortrose teenagers called up to row for Scotland
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TEENAGERS Sam Roxburgh and Shay Hammock have been called up to represent Scotland at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta at Nottingham on Saturday.
The Inverness Rowing Club duo have been selected to represent their country in singles competition in their respective age groups against top junior rowers from across Great Britain.
The boys are both set to compete outside of Scotland for the first time in their careers and are ranked among the top junior rowers in the country.
After being successful in rowing competitions across Scotland, they are both keen to find out what the standard is like in the rest of the UK.
Both rowers impressed selectors when they were competing at a competition in Inverness last month and were called up to compete for Scotland at the JIRR this weekend.
It is the first time Scotland will be competing at the event.
Roxburgh (16) a pupil at Millburn Academy, says he is delighted his performances have resulted in him being called up for his country.
He is keen to find out what the level of competition is like in England and the rest of the UK.
He said: “Selectors came and watched us at Inverness and looked at our times.
“Neither of us have rowed against athletes from England before, so I am keen to see what the competition is like down there.
“We haven’t competed outside Scotland before and it will be interesting taking part.”
Fortrose Academy pupil Hammock (14) is also keen to find out where he stands in his age group after putting in some impressive performances across Scotland.
He said: “I am keen to see what I can do against athletes from England.
“I love the competitive side of rowing and I want to get more of these chances.”
The teenagers are the latest athletes at the club to go on to represent their country in international competition.
Among Inverness Rowing Club athletes who have competed at international level in the past include Alan Sinclair, who represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
He is also a European champion and has won medals at World Championships.
Imogen Walsh is a former world champion in the lightweight women’s quadruple scull in Rotterdam in 2016 and won European gold in 2015.
Both teenagers said that they would like to follow in their footsteps and achieve success like they have in the future.
Roxburgh said: “It is really cool that people from the club have done that and we have the same opportunities to do it too. It will be really cool if we could do something like that.”
Hammock said: “Rowers from the club have done really well and I would like to follow them as much as I can.”
Roxburgh got into rowing after restrictions were beginning to lift after the lockdown period.
He said with the support he has received from the club, he is realising his potential in the sport and is looking forward to see where his rowing career takes him.
Roxburgh said: “I got into rowing after lockdown when we still weren’t allowed to do inside sports but we were allowed to do outside sports.
“I had been on the canal and I had seen people rowing. I contacted the club about getting involved and have gone on from there basically.
“I do enjoy competing as I find it really fun and I am competitive person, so I want to keep going.”
Hammock says his family encouraged him to take up the sport and has never looked back.
He said: “My mum would go along the canal for walks and she thought it would be something that I would be interested in.
“I came down, gave it a shot and I loved it.
“I have never raced outside Scotland, so this is definitely the biggest race of my career.”
Inverness Rowing Club have recently undergone a £300,000 redevelopment of its clubhouse based on the shores of the Caledonian Canal at Torvean.
The development has seen the creation of a boathouse along with welfare cabins, changing rooms and a compound area complete with training room with indoor rowing machines.
The venue is seen as being a major catalyst to help boosting rowing in the Highlands as it is looking to increase more people getting involved in the sport.
Inverness Rowing Club has around 100 members, with over 20 of those currently in its junior section.
Inverness Rowing Club coach Heather Gordon said both Sam and Shay are leading the way in the success of the junior section at the rowing club.
She hopes that what they have already done and what they could do in the future, will inspire more youngsters to take up the sport.
She said: “These two have shown the growth that we have had at Inverness Rowing Club already.
“We have new members coming in, but for the new juniors coming in they have people already that they can look up to. It creates that’s pyramid that there is a way to achieve and they can follow in other people’s footsteps.
“It will keep spurring people on.
“We have a couple of others who are doing well and we organise a learn to row event annually at the start of the school year and they get inspired by what everyone is doing at the club.”
