Rowing: A special day at the Head of the Dee

Featuring 45 crews and a total of 265 athletes, the annual Head of the Dee took place on Saturday, 5 December.

The event was organised by the King’s School Rowing Club (KSRC) as a private fixture for the local River Dee rowing clubs and the Royal Shrewsbury School Boat Club (RSSBC) over a 4.2km course running from Ecclestone downriver to Chester.

The days’ racing was preceded by a special presentation at the KSRC boathouse, where Arnold Cooke (OKS 1959) and David Latham (OKS 1959) were joined by Philippa Alden, daughter of iconic KSRC coach, Robin Alden, to present a picture of the 1959 crew and to pay tribute to Robin, who made such a lasting impression on the students he coached and taught. 

The 1959 crew competed at Henley Regatta, an achievement made possible by the revolutionary changes that Robin Alden made to the coaching programme at King’s.

As one of the first coaches to introduce cross-training, he transformed the fortunes of KSRC, creating a truly competitive and highly regarded rowing club. Many pupils coached by Robin went on to achieve great things, including Olympic appearances. 

Arnold and David spoke movingly of the lasting impression that Robin had on them and many of their peers before presenting the club with the picture that will now hang in pride of place at the clubhouse. 

Director of Rowing, David Blackham, thanked them and Philippa. He said: “It was wonderful to hear from Arnold and David today about the legacy that Robin left at the club.

“Robin Alden is an important part of our club’s proud history and I am especially pleased that so many of our current rowers – 127 students in total – were present to hear Arnold and David’s memories and words of gratitude about Robin.”

It was a successful day for KSRC with the J18 VIIIs outperforming RSSBC in both the girls’ and boy’s divisions. 

The J16 boys also secured victory over RSSBC, claiming the top spot for the highest gold medal percentage. 

For the J14s, the event marked their first time competing against external opposition, and the furthest they had ventured upriver.

KSRC Captain, Matthew Walker (U6FOX), was pleased with the results of the day. 

He said: “Everyone has worked hard this term, both individually and in their teams, and that effort paid off today. 

“We can attribute today’s success to the culture of teamwork, accountability and resilience that we have at the club. I have no doubt that we can maintain the hard work and replicate today’s performance throughout the rest of the season.”

Assistant Director of Rowing, James Gray, was also impressed with the results. He added: “The absence of standout performances on a successful day for the club underscores the depth of talent we have and it is impressive to see every athlete performing at their absolute best.”

The gallery below includes photographs from the presentation, and photos of the race taken by Athol Hundermark, Director of Rowing at RSSBC. Click to browse the album.