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School sporting scholarships/recruitment

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CTPE

Nev Cottrell (35)
Grammar would walk away if it were out in the open - thats no reason not to have it but its a simple fact that the school has backed the historical meaning of a grammar school:
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.
The original purpose of mediaeval grammar schools was the teaching of Latin.

There is no will in the place to change the path they're on - sport is an adjunct to an education, probably as it should be - though not disrespected to the extent it has been.
Old boys have no say - "friends of grammar rugby" was basically told to stop operations, the school didn't want the money for scrum machines or whatever: they want what to control is spent in the sport and what it is spent on. Old Boys have less inclination to be involved because the academic selection process to get in excludes any reference to a family connection to the school so there is no certainty an old boy's son will get in.
I suspect High is in the same position.

Very interesting...they did win the HOR this year and rowing is certainly a sport that requires significant ongoing investment in rowing shells, equipment and especially coaching and other facilities. Did they "invest" heavily in this area?
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Very interesting...they did win the HOR this year and rowing is certainly a sport that requires significant ongoing investment in rowing shells, equipment and especially coaching and other facilities. Did they "invest" heavily in this area?

No more than anyone else from what I can tell - they had a very determined stroke: because rowing is really only a GPS sport its pretty hard for anyone to go and find the gun rower in the public school system so every now and then someone (other than joeys and 'view) can win one.
Without getting too far off the track: a lot of kids dont realise that if they put their sole into they can win an HOR - 77 SGS came last 78 SGs won 1st and 2nd VIIIs - 75% of all sport is mental I reckon. I dont know how sometimes a group of kids just go and do it. frankly thats what pisses me off about Grammar's attitude so much: the kids are almost taught to accept that they wont be as good so dont worry about it if you lose. I fail to understand what a defeatist attitude teaches a kid about life - if you gonna do something try to be the best at it..give it a go because you just never know what a human being can achieve until he or she tries to achieve it.
Its a question of control - the school insists on controlling everything and positively excludes old boys and parents from having a role
Lincoln - well its felxible, I guess: grammar has won its fair share but it was all a long time ago
There are old boys with 1 son who got it and 1 who didn't....at the prep schools!! I've never heard of a quota - maybe omine got in on the quota.
 
D

Dingdong

Guest
No more than anyone else from what I can tell - they had a very determined stroke: because rowing is really only a GPS sport its pretty hard for anyone to go and find the gun rower in the public school system so every now and then someone (other than joeys and 'view) can win one.
Without getting too far off the track: a lot of kids dont realise that if they put their sole into they can win an HOR - 77 SGS came last 78 SGs won 1st and 2nd VIIIs - 75% of all sport is mental I reckon. I dont know how sometimes a group of kids just go and do it. frankly thats what pisses me off about Grammar's attitude so much: the kids are almost taught to accept that they wont be as good so dont worry about it if you lose. I fail to understand what a defeatist attitude teaches a kid about life - if you gonna do something try to be the best at it..give it a go because you just never know what a human being can achieve until he or she tries to achieve it.
Its a question of control - the school insists on controlling everything and positively excludes old boys and parents from having a role
Lincoln - well its felxible, I guess: grammar has won its fair share but it was all a long time ago
There are old boys with 1 son who got it and 1 who didn't....at the prep schools!! I've never heard of a quota - maybe omine got in on the quota.


Seems to me like someone could do with some floaties right about now IS !
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
No more than anyone else from what I can tell - they had a very determined stroke: because rowing is really only a GPS sport its pretty hard for anyone to go and find the gun rower in the public school system so every now and then someone (other than joeys and 'view) can win one.
Without getting too far off the track: a lot of kids dont realise that if they put their sole into they can win an HOR - 77 SGS came last 78 SGs won 1st and 2nd VIIIs - 75% of all sport is mental I reckon. I dont know how sometimes a group of kids just go and do it. frankly thats what pisses me off about Grammar's attitude so much: the kids are almost taught to accept that they wont be as good so dont worry about it if you lose. I fail to understand what a defeatist attitude teaches a kid about life - if you gonna do something try to be the best at it..give it a go because you just never know what a human being can achieve until he or she tries to achieve it.
Its a question of control - the school insists on controlling everything and positively excludes old boys and parents from having a role
Lincoln - well its felxible, I guess: grammar has won its fair share but it was all a long time ago
There are old boys with 1 son who got it and 1 who didn't....at the prep schools!! I've never heard of a quota - maybe omine got in on the quota.

Having Rusty Robinson as coach and rowing as Drummoyne on a Sunday helped in 78 - remind me what subject Rusty taught?
Also, IIRC the 2011 Grammar stroke may have started at a different school in year 7 (but happy to be corrected - UPDATE - just checked the swimming results and, indeed, he did turn up in the U14s and was a key part of of a winning Junior team, along with the CEO of the ARU, that took the silverware on offer for the first time - so if I am not mistaken SGS had an import as part of a official AAGPS championship team - tuttutut. :)
Very high correlation between good swimmers and good rowers (4 members of the winning 2010 Shore crew were also part of the Championship swimming team beating the New team chockerblock full of imports who swam as their first sport) - point being - show me a great 14 year old swimmer and I will show you a potentially great rower.
I am drawing a long bow on this but one can make a case to show all schools seemingly have surprisingly good athletes turn up after year 7 (High in basketball). Even lily-white Shore where the boy who pulled the best GPS erg ever turned up in Year 10 (ps his dad also rowed in the 8 and was one of the 77 repeaters that lost the rugby).
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Having Rusty Robinson as coach and rowing as Drummoyne on a Sunday helped in 78 - remind me what subject Rusty taught?
Also, IIRC the 2011 Grammar stroke may have started at a different school in year 7 (but happy to be corrected - UPDATE - just checked the swimming results and, indeed, he did turn up in the U14s and was a key part of of a winning Junior team, along with the CEO of the ARU, that took the silverware on offer for the first time - so if I am not mistaken SGS had an import as part of a official AAGPS championship team - tuttutut. :)
Very high correlation between good swimmers and good rowers (4 members of the winning 2010 Shore crew were also part of the Championship swimming team beating the New team chockerblock full of imports who swam as their first sport) - point being - show me a great 14 year old swimmer and I will show you a potentially great rower.
I am drawing a long bow on this but one can make a case to show all schools seemingly have surprisingly good athletes turn up after year 7 (High in basketball). Even lily-white Shore where the boy who pulled the best GPS erg ever turned up in Year 10 (ps his dad also rowed in the 8 and was one of the 77 repeaters that lost the rugby).

Never rowed on a Sunday only raced: as any school was permitted to and did. Rusty was a consultant to the whole shed.
Dont think so - he went to the prep school, his mother is a teacher there and his father an old boy - I think he has a brother who is a swimmer who didn't last at the school for various reasons.
I guess that shows how rumours get spread....
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
Never rowed on a Sunday only raced: as any school was permitted to and did. Rusty was a consultant to the whole shed.
Dont think so - he went to the prep school, his mother is a teacher there and his father an old boy - I think he has a brother who is a swimmer who didn't last at the school for various reasons.
I guess that shows how rumours get spread....

Why did they row in Drummoyne colours rather than Grammar colours if it was allowed and I wasn't aware of other schools racing (which equals rowing) on Sundays in 78. Rusty looked to be coaching them (ie sitting in a tinny talking to them) from where I was sitting on the river.

Funny - the swimmer who came in year 9 has precisely the same name as the 2011 stroke, who btw repeated year 10 (why ffs??) http://www.rowingnsw.asn.au/regattas/11-12/
Imagine if his main competitor at Shore in swimming/rowing (a two year Australian U19 rep) had repeated year 10 and he hadn't. Replace a 6.05 erg with a 6.35 erg and vice-versa and bingo you have a 3-5 seconds turnaround over 2000 (the winning margin was 1.9 secs).
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Why did they row in Drummoyne colours rather than Grammar colours if it was allowed and I wasn't aware of other schools racing (which equals rowing) on Sundays in 78. Rusty looked to be coaching them (ie sitting in a tinny talking to them) from where I was sitting on the river.

Funny - the swimmer who came in year 9 has precisely the same name as the 2011 stroke, who btw repeated year 10 (why ffs??) http://www.rowingnsw.asn.au/regattas/11-12/
Imagine if his main competitor at Shore in swimming/rowing (a two year Australian U19 rep) had repeated year 10 and he hadn't. Replace a 6.05 erg with a 6.35 erg and vice-versa and bingo you have a 3-5 seconds turnaround over 2000 (the winning margin was 1.9 secs).

the deal was this (as I understood it) Rusty was employed by Drummoyne. I dont know who approached whom but the rowing premiership had been won by sydney rowing club since god was in the under 7s for jerusalem. Drummoyne employed rusty to win them a premiership. he had a car from a mitsubishi dealer I recall who sponsored drummoyne. he cooked up this plan to win the premiership by "consulting to SGS" and in return having us row as drummoyne club rowers in the club regattas - I recall going to a gym session in the SGS gym but I cant recall if there was some deal that Drummoyne could use our gym. there were only a few on sundays as i recall but I stand to be corrected (with evidence). we'd row for sgs in saturday morning regattas and in any school's championship races at penrith or in other regattas and then the senior/regatta crews would turn out for drummoyne in club races, so that drummoyne got the points in the pointscores: I dont think the school could amass points in the club premiership. the 2nd VIII would be a 3rd grade VIII or maybe a youth VIII if there was one and so on.
if you saw him a tinny on a sunday with the SGS VIII (love to know how you knew it was 1st VIII and not 2nd VIII since the 2nd VIII beat all schools 1st VIIIs except Newington and SGS at various points in the season) it would have been for a race - which might explain why you were there
Drummoyne won the premiership I think. he's not mentioned as the coach in the program, by the way
I checked with my son who well remembers him (the stroke of 2011 1st VIII - not rusty) at the prep school 5 years ahead of him
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
1979-Rusty-Robertson.jpg

Cannot see the cancer stick in his hand - he must have hidden it for the pic
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
Back to thread. I saw Josh V running around today for Randwick. One of the first to deny an invitation to a GPS rugby academy in favour of the superior education :) on offer at Narrabeen - he considered playing colts for Warringah was far more beneficial than a few GPS games and was part of one of the best CHS teams since 74.
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
I checked with my son who well remembers him (the stroke of 2011 1st VIII - not rusty) at the prep school 5 years ahead of him

To be fair I recollect he came to SGS senior school at the same time as his mum - but happy to be corrected - unusual that such an excellent swimmer (and "athlete") did not feature until year 9 in an age group at SGS that was not so strong (apart from one other) prior to his appearance, which was a big topic of conversation on the pool deck at the time and coincided with opening of a swimming facility across the road (may not be connected). IIRC he may also have suffered glandular fever in Yr 10 necessitating repeating.

I suppose my point is we need to be careful when dissecting the Kings U16 team as to why they are there. I am very encouraged to see at least 2 of them are rowing (including one of the high profile backs who apparently was not there in Yr7 and is presently sitting in the 1st 8) - good school spirit that is not so apparent in some of the other academies.
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
since the 2nd VIII beat all schools 1st VIIIs except Newington and SGS at various points in the season

A strong year indeed - which happens from time to time at various schools - Joeys 73 (albeit they lost to my brother's crew at State), Shore 09, and a couple of Ken's (RIP) crews at Kings in the early 80's to mention a few. And not a hint of scholarships in any :)
 
B

baldingwingforward

Guest
there are atleast 2, maybe 3 boys i know off who can be called imports. Riverview may not be as bad as other schools, but much like Kings they are very good at hiding it. They don't go out giving scholarships to many 6'6 islanders or magic indigenous boys or even NTS members, but they import never the less.

Can you give any specific names Random... As far as i know View are pretty clean on the scholarship count.
 

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
To be fair I recollect he came to SGS senior school at the same time as his mum - but happy to be corrected - unusual that such an excellent swimmer (and "athlete") did not feature until year 9 in an age group at SGS that was not so strong (apart from one other) prior to his appearance, which was a big topic of conversation on the pool deck at the time and coincided with opening of a swimming facility across the road (may not be connected). IIRC he may also have suffered glandular fever in Yr 10 necessitating repeating.

I suppose my point is we need to be careful when dissecting the Kings U16 team as to why they are there. I am very encouraged to see at least 2 of them are rowing (including one of the high profile backs who apparently was not there in Yr7 and is presently sitting in the 1st 8) - good school spirit that is not so apparent in some of the other academies.

that high profile back who was not there in year 7 had a father in the 1978 SGS 1st VIII - I know why he is at Kings: he's not on a scholarship - and a brother in the SGS 1st XV this year who made GPS 3rds(?)
 

lincoln

Bob Loudon (25)
I know why he is at Kings: he's not on a scholarship
Then it is most unfortunate that his name keeps getting mentioned in dispatches on this thread.

BTW You were probably at SGS at the same time as my close personal friend Brian Westlake, who was on an all-rounder scholarship and represented the school at every sport in the 1sts before doing Med at Syd followed by a stint at Oxford on his Rhodes scholarship.
 
G

G-78-XV-V

Guest
Very entertaining thread fellers....nice mix of discussion and reminissing....
Great photo IS love to get my hands on a copy.
(I assume thats the 2nd VIII in the background???)
 
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