Celebrating Jeppe Boats and Blades first year
A little more than a week ago, Dylan Kirby was once again doing his magic on the website. He casually reminded us that the Jeppe Boats and Blades website and for all intense and purposes the initiative went live on the 23rd of March 2020.
I must admit that this came as something of a revelation to me. I had automatically seen December 2020 as the end of what had been a spectacular year. In reality, with the Jeppe rowing community and the support of Jeppe, it had only taken 9 months to purchase a new world class 8+ and secured 14 other boats and their blades.
All this took place in the midst of a global pandemic is proves the Jeppe motto that for the brave nothing is too difficult!
As we look to the year ahead, we need to ask two important questions. What do these accomplishments mean for the club and how do we build on what has been achieved?
The answer to the first question, is that Jeppe Rowing now has the capacity to double in size and be sure that each oarsman will have the chance to train and compete. It also means that with better equipment, crews in all age groups are able to race competitively with both the crews and the club securing podium positions. The fact that this is now a possibility cannot be overstated.
Building on this, what are our plans for the next year? As a trust we have two primary aims:
- to equip Jeppe rowing and ensure it continues to make an impact at school and national levels;
- to build the Jeppe rowing community and ensure that it can support current and future oarsmen in every way possible.
How do we plan to do this?
- Pay off the remaining R180 000 for the 13 boats acquired on auction. This will be made possible through your generous donations , auctions and the Adopt a Boat initiative;
- CSI funding for 20 boys (R10, 000 each) for the 21/22 Season;
- Corporate sponsorships (with promotional opportunities). Simon Moore the Director of Jeppe Rowing has identified a number of requirements that the club needs to train and equip the athletes.
To find out more about the CSI and sponsorship opportunities please do contact us on trust@jeppeboatsandblades.co.za .
Lastly, we are very excited to announce that in conjunction with the Crew of ’64, we will be compiling a coffee table book on the history of Jeppe Rowing and the significant impact the club has had on rowing.
Looking forward to another great year
Greg
For the JBB crew
0 comments