Shepparton Rowing Club — in particular, David Schier — had a bit to overcome in its recently concluded domestic campaign.
The only masters competitor at Shepparton, Schier took part in his season-closing meet at Nagambie Lakes last weekend following a campaign in which his ability to train was severely disrupted.
It was a rowing season that took Schier all over the state and beyond, competing at regional locations such as Bendigo, Rutherglen and Hamilton, in addition to heading to Carrum on the Mornington Peninsula and crossing the NSW border to Wentworth.
He dominated wherever he went, though, turning eight competitive outings into six gold medals and two silvers.
The one venue that couldn’t reliably host Schier wasn’t on the tournament schedule, though.
He was forced off the water entirely at Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake for chunks of time around and beyond Easter due to weed-cutting operations.
With the ergometer picking up the slack on land, Schier continued his preparations as best he could for the state meet at Nagambie.
“It has been really tough, as nothing replicates the on-water experience,” Schier said.
Schier made light of the heavily hampered training schedule, though, once he hit the Nagambie meet.
He claimed bronze in the men’s 1000m state singles event, falling only to Nagambie’s John Strapps on his home territory and Corio Bay’s James Weatherly.
Leading rivals in the singles event became allies as Schier and Strapps joined forces for the masters double scull, claiming silver in an incredibly tight finish.
The event proved remarkably successful for Dookie local Wendy Cotter, representing the Nagambie club, after scooping three gold medals and a bronze in composite team events.