When we met Dr Frank Dick OBE – former performance director of British Athletics and he told us that it’s never too early to start your post-season debrief and analysis. So here goes:

The highs and lows for British Rowing

• More Olympic rowing medals than any other country
• First British heavyweight womens medals
• First British lightweight womens medals
• More women win golds than men
• Strength in depth in the mens squad with medals across heavy, light, sweep and sculling
• Huge fan participation in the Dorney event
• Record numbers researching joining a local rowing club off the British Rowing website

So that reads like a paen of praise for the sport and its governing body. Yet there remain opportunities that are yet to be exploited:

• Deepening the involvement of British people with all sorts of rowing, indoor, coastal, traditional, recreational.
• Improving the competition structure so that new race formats are developed
• Broadening the membership ;of British Rowing to include incentives for recreational athletes to participate
• Educating clubs on how to structure and organise themselves to enable broader participation; afford new boats, buildings and paid coaches to get more participants rowing more regularly
• Building bridges with rowing manufacturers and retailers to help promote and advertise them to members
• Building dialogue with ordinary rowers – what do they want from British Rowing?
• Gaining a real understanding of how to keep talented juniors in the sport after school
• Raising the public’s perception of rowing as a sport for all ages
• How to increase numbers of umpires to supervise races

What’s missing?

Is there a big missing section of dialogue that you think British Rowing should be engaging with current members.  Add your suggestions in the comments below and we’ll send them off to British Rowing.