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Concept2 creates the world’s largest indoor rowing event

• The Government’s Health Profile of England report released on Tuesday 10th October confirmed the obesity rate in the UK is the highest in Europe.

 

• The ‘Rugby Rowers’ team from Bristol who won the boys year 12-13 category submitted a time of 5 minutes 38 seconds which is six seconds ahead of Steve Redgrave’s best time of 5.45 and Matthew Pinsent’s best time of 5.42.

 

• Concept2 is holding the biggest indoor sporting event – the British Indoor Rowing Championship – on Sunday 12th November at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena where more than 1,000 school children are expected to race.

 

Concept2 creates the world’s largest indoor rowing event

 

More than 3,800 pupils have helped the Concept2 Schools Indoor Rowing League to become the largest indoor rowing event in the world.

 

This year’s league, launched last month, is an all-inclusive national tournament in which boys and girls form year group teams of eight race, in relay format, on one Concept2 Indoor Rower, for their schools.

 

Last year, 325 teams entered the competition throughout the six rounds to April. But this year more than 475 teams have participated in only the first round of competition with a further 450 registered to take part in round 2

 

Headline grabbers from the first round are undoubtedly the 'Rugby Rowers' from Colston’s School in Bristol who posted a remarkable 5 minutes 38 seconds winning time for the 2,000m challenge. Pete Thornley, the Director of Sport at the school was delighted with his team's performance and commented: “We have an exceptionally strong team and I have video evidence of our performance. My best rower is down to 38 seconds for 250 metres and I would be very happy for anyone to come and see us as two of my best rowers did not take part. I think we could get down to 5 minutes 36 seconds on a good day!”

 

Other standouts were the year 6 Boys team from Ruskin Junior School in Swindon who not only top their league but went faster than the leading year 7 Boys team; the Bruton School for Girls year 7 team who were 11 seconds faster than the leading year 7 Boys team and the year 10 Great Marlow School Girls team who were 10 seconds quicker than the leading year 11 team.

 

The top of the leader board in the girls events is dominated by the rivalry between Sir Steve Redgrave's former alma mater Great Marlow School and Peterborough High, the two most successful schools from the 2005 league, both heading up two leagues apiece. Whilst newcomers this season, Bruton School for Girls in Somerset are exceptionally strong in the younger age groups, also leading two leagues.

 

Amongst the boys, the honours are much more broadly spread with no one school leading more than one league. Most pleasing is the wide geographic spread of teams with entries coming from throughout England and as far afield as the Isle of Harris in Scotland, Dublin and the Channel Islands

 

Concept2’s marketing director, John Wilson, is delighted with the success of the event. He commented: “This really is fantastic news. The schools league has really taken off this year and the number of entries has amazed everyone.

 

“Following the recent news stories about childhood obesity, we’re really keen to get as many school children to take part in the event as possible and I’m delighted it’s creating so much interest.”

 

The tournament consists of six rounds, three in the winter term and three in the spring. Each round has a different race format, and, for ease of use, each challenge can be completed within the time allocated for a lesson. Teams can join at any stage but results must be entered before the closing date of each round. Round-by-round and overall results are available for each league within seconds of each round closing.

 

Team personnel can change from round to round, to cover for injuries or absentees, and the challenges can be completed at any time during the month. At the end of the tournament, the winning team in each category win a league trophy and the top three teams receive gold, silver and bronze medals.

 

Rowing takes place within the schools, so there is no need to travel, and pupils can compete with other teams in their school and teams from across the country. Teams can register for free at www.concept2.co.uk/league, where results can be regularly uploaded by the teacher or PE instructor in charge.

 

ends

 

For further information, please contact:

Chrissie Walker or Wayne Swiffin

GBCS PR

Tel: 0115 9486901

Email: chrissie@gbcspr.com or wayne@gbcspr.com

 

 

Notes to Editors

 

About the Concept2 Schools Indoor Rowing League

The creation of Concept2 Schools Indoor Rowing League was partly to encourage more physical activity in schools, in a bid to try and tackle the growing problem of child obesity. It was also in part a response to the hugely successful Steve Redgrave Trust Indoor Rowing in Schools Initiative that has recently introduced indoor rowing into the secondary schools in Glasgow, Cardiff, Birmingham and Sandwell. 

 

To find out more visit www.concept2.co.uk/league.

 

 

Schools League Round 1 - League leaders

Boys

Year group	Team name	School name	Town	Time
Yr 6	Ruskin Rowers	Ruskin Junior Sch	Swindon, Wiltshire	4:27.0*
Yr 7	WMS B7	Whibbenhall Middle Sch	Bewdley, Worcester	4:30.3*
Yr 8	TRS	Judd	Tonbridge, Kent	3:50.5*
Yr 9	Colmers IRC	Colmers Sch & Sport Coll	Rednal, Birmingham	3:33.4*
Yr 10	Oakwood 10	Oakwood Park Sch	Maidstone, Kent	6:26.3*
Yr 11	Blake Boys 11	Blake Valley Tech Coll	Cannock, Staffordshire	6:14.2
Yr 12/13	Rugby Rowers	Colston’s	Stapleton, Bristol	5:38.8*
T/P	STAGS	West Somerset Comm Coll	Minehead, Somerset	6:13.0*

 

Girls

Year group	Team name	School name	Town	Time
Yr 6	Bruton Babies	Bruton Sch for Girls	Bruton, Somerset	4:40.3*
Yr 7	Bruton Babies	Bruton Sch for Girls	Bruton, Somerset	4:19.0
Yr 8	Becky’s Babes	Peterborough High	Peterborough, Cambs	3:49.2*
Yr 9	Riley’s Rowers	Peterborough High	Peterborough, Cambs	3:50.6
Yr 10	Yr 10 Girls	Great Marlow Sch	Marlow, Kent	7:18.3*
Yr 11	Beast	Dyffryn Taf Sch	Whitland, Carmarthen	7:28.9*
Yr 12/13	Yr 12/13 Girls	Great Marlow School	Marlow, Kent	7:04.0*
T/P	Birdies Team	Parkstone Grammar Sch	Poole, Dorset	7:42.8*

* Denotes new league records

 

 

Concept2 Schools Indoor Rowing League – 06/07 registered entries

Category	Boys	Girls	Total
Year 6	35	31	66
Year 7	83	61	144
Year 8	92	69	161
Year 9	92	73	165
Year 10	90	49	149
Year 11	78	48	126
Year 12/13	58	33	91
Parent/teachers	40	14	54
Total	568	378	946

 

 

Round	Years 10/11/12-13/Adults	Years 6/7/8/9	Closing Date
1 - September	2,000m - (8 x 250m)	1,000m - 8 x 125m	October 2nd
2 - October	3,200m - 8 x (2 x 200m)	1,600m - 8 x (2 x 100m)	November 6th
3 - November	4,000m - 8 x 500m	2,000m - 8 x 250m	December 4th
4 - January	6,000m - 8 x (3 x 250m)	3,000m - 8 x (3 x 125m)	February 5th
5 - February	8,000m - 8 x (2 x 500m)	4,000m - 8 x (2 x 250m)	March 5th
6 - March	16 mins - 8 x (4 x 30secs)	16 mins - 8 x (4 x 30secs)	April 2nd

 

 

About Concept2

Concept2 manufacture the Concept2 Indoor Rower, the world’s leading rowing machine which can be found in almost every gym and private health club in the UK. Concept2 also runs the annual British Indoor Rowing Championship each November, which is now the largest indoor sports event in the UK.