Chester-le-Street rowing club’s “best year” at championships

Youngsters representing Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club (CLSARC) returned from the British Rowing Championships with a clutch of medals.

This weekend saw the club have some great successes, emotional moments – and a viral sensation.

The club is run entirely by volunteers with an experienced team of coaches helping the athletes train five days a week.

Five boats brought home medals as the club gained three bronze, one silver, and one gold.

They ended the weekend placed 24th in the overall standings and 20th in the junior standings – both out of 550 member clubs, making them the highest ranking club in both standings.

Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club at the British Rowing Championships. (Image: Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club) The gold medallist, 14-year-old Dana Simpson, not only became British champion in her age group but she also broke the course record by 22 seconds.

In an emotional interview after the race, which has been viewed multiples times online, Dana said: “I was in third place for most of the race and then I heard everyone shouting and I remembered all the training I’ve done all year and how much I wanted it so I just pushed really hard.

“It means the world. It feels really good, and I know my younger self would be so proud of me.”

Dana Simpson after winning gold at the British Rowing Championships. (Image: Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club) Club captain, Arran Lewcock, 35, said: “We were confident that she had it in her and it was excellent watching her. Obviously we had a massive emotional outburst afterwards.

“From a young age Dana has been on quite a long journey where we’ve asked quite a lot of her – last year she was too young to compete so we took her down racing some kids a year older than her.

“She did that for 12 months and now she’s racing her own age. She’s done seven or eight regattas now and never lost a race.”

Dana’s family have had an exceptional weekend, as her older brother, 15-year-old Eden Simpson, won bronze in his category.

Arran said: “Her family have put a lot of time in and they deserve it. It’s a brother-sister success weekend.”

Junior 15 boys quad at the British Rowing Championships. (Image: Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club) Other bronze medal winners for CLSARC were Nick Twinn, Elliot Flood, Ben Hutchinson, and Scarlett Palmer.

The club’s silver medallist, Beau Gritton, had to manage an emotional trauma for her family as she unexpectedly lost her grandmother the week before the event.

Arran said: “She managed to get herself through the week and get it done, which is quite an impressive thing for a 15-year-old girl to do. She was excellent.

“Her grandad was there for her, so there was a big emotional celebration at the end.”

Beau Gritton at the British Rowing Championships. (Image: Chester-le-Street Amateur Rowing Club) Other squad members who took part in the races for CLSARC, contributing to the overall success, included: Lewis Allison, Megan Allison, Rosie Richardson, Laura Blanchard, and Jodi Reeve.

The club is now looking forward to next weekend’s international races, where another of their rowers, Susanna Youlton, will be representing Wales in the Home International Regatta.

Arran said: “We can’t wait to support her from the sidelines. It’s a bit of fun at the end of the season, because it’s a bit less pressure on the club coaches.”

She will be racing as the ‘A’ single sculler and in the Welsh national quad, as this is her second consecutive year representing Welsh Rowing.