Sydney Catholic Schools’ (SCS) Rowing Foundation Program with St George Rowing Club is continuing to provide students with unique sporting opportunities to help develop their skills, both practically and emotionally.
Mark Featherstone, Director and Vice Captain of St George Rowing Club, is an integral part of the program, motivating and supporting students on their sporting journeys.
Beginning his rowing career in 1982, he competed at an open level for 29 years and was a part of numerous local, state, and national teams.
He has seen first-hand just how effective rowing is in developing the skills and confidence of young people. His daughters, alumni of Brigidine College, Randwick also assist in coaching with the program.
“I fully embrace the philosophy of what SCS is doing; providing new opportunities to students…the change in some of the students is remarkable and to be given the opportunity to maybe assist in their growth/development is terrific,” he says.
“It’s the little things in their growth, that many may not even notice, that I really enjoy.”
Beginning in 2021, the partnership was created with one key goal in mind: getting young people active and involved in sport.
Within the initial talks of collaboration, it was discovered that while St George Rowing had millions of dollars’ worth of boats but a declining membership, SCS had hundreds of students interested in rowing but lacked the resources needed to effectively create a successful program.
Featherstone explains that some students can’t get enough of the program, saying “I need to put the brakes on a bit as they want to be there all the time and can’t compete enough.”
Now in its fourth year, the program has seen dozens of highly dedicated students fully immersing themselves in the benefits of the eight-week, before-school program in both on and off water skills, such as foundational rowing skills, teamwork efficiency, and effective communication.
More than 200 students from 16 SCS Secondary Colleges have been involved in the Rowing Foundation Program to date, utilising St George Rowing Como and Wolli Creek facilities.
Featherstone says there have been some bumps and hurdles along the way; broken down buses, train strikes, equipment issues.
However, applying the skills learnt in rowing, such as perseverance and resilience, has enabled all involved to bounce back from setbacks.
“What has enabled us to deal with any challenge as it has arisen has been the utmost willingness of all concerned to make it happen,” he says.
“That’s from our great teacher/bus driver Paul Leary, to our fantastic coordinator Troy Moran; all the others I have dealt with at SCS; and all the people that have helped on the ground on a day-to-day basis.”
Mark hopes that the program continues on its path of success, seeing greater opportunities for more numbers of students to get involved with.
“If we can give more opportunities to students to try something a bit different, that is great…be more competitive and take on some of the bigger schools and clubs.”
“To me, it’s really important to have people that are good people first and foremost. To build on our culture of a social element in conjunction with hard work which brings people together; makes a stronger unit and makes you a better competitor.”
Reflecting on his sporting past, Mark explains that looking at the good and forming a solid foundation to fall back on is key in not only sport, but life in general.
“To succeed in anything, whether it’s study, sport or careers, you need a good foundation, resilience and determination. Sometimes it’s the knocks we receive that give us the determination to do more than we ever thought possible.”