By Community Correspondent Jack Claydon

The 2010 National Junior Scullers Head was held at Dorney Lake, the lake to be used at the 2012 Olympic Games as the rowing lake. The lake looked in fine condition, with building work still being carried out on a huge, red bridge spanning the entrance to the main racing lake from the warm up lake. I felt incredibly patriotic as our mini bus drove down the road towards the lake when I saw the many diggers and machines working together to build and finish the lake. It gave me pride to see how Britain is putting effort and labour into making the London Games special and showcasing the taste for excellence that has recently been divided from our country’s image.

The action was split over 5 divisions with boats ranging from quads to octos and J14s to J18s. this was truly a big event and we could tell that a reasonable expense had been used to rope off different section, bring in portable toilets and put up different tents for beverages and even blade repairs! The fastest crew there was the Maidenhead J18 quad and they won the trophy for the fastest boat from all divisions. From my school we had mixed success. My boat placed an excellent 6th out of 20 with only one prior outing as a crew.

The event also showcased the superpower that is Eton School. Dorney Lake belongs to Eton and we all got a glimpse at how much money and quality this school really possesses. Their two-storey boat house stood like a palace at the head of the lake and we were all told that if they wanted, Eton could put their whole school out at once. That’s how large their fleet is. This shows how much of a superpower this school is and how the wealth this school possesses is used to build buildings and amenities to the highest standard. This standard is so high that they can be used in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Overall the event ran smoothly, with crews boating swiftly and to schedule. The only slight disruption was two heavy showers that fell during the course of the event. This resulted in minor disruptions but was well handled by the martials and officials. There was also an appearance from two Olympians, who I like to think were there to check out the lake that they will be winning a medal on in 2012. These were Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter, our two gold medal winning lightweight doubles from Beijing. They were there to support junior rowing and must have been impressed with what they saw. This was a great event which showed me, among many, how much talent we have in our great nation.