When SUBC made the plunge back into heavyweight rowing in 2000 we started with just four rowers fresh from school. Francis is the only one of these four still training. Francis and Tom Williams made in U23 Aussie eight in 2003 and won a Bronze Medal at the U23 Worlds. Also in 2003 Francis became the first member of SUBC to represent in the Kings Cup for over 25 years. In 2004 Francis tried for Olympic selection and missed out.In 2005 Francis and Matt Ryan both made the commitment to Senior A rowing again and in order to provide them with the best opportunities Coaches Randell and Rabjohns decided to matrix with UTS to provide the best pair combinations. This decision by the coaches and rowers was justified when the two composite pairs of SUBC/UTS of Francis with Tom Chapman and Matt with James Chapman fought a dramatically close contest in the NSW Elite Coxless Pairs with Francis’s pair prevailing by the narrowest margin ( about 0.3 of a second). Both pairs are now moving on to the National Titles and Selection Regatta in two weeks.
Francis has been a model of dedication to achieving success in his sport since he started at SUBC in 2000. He has served as Club Captain and through success and disappointment has trained hard and perservered. His success in winning the Elite pair and the Men’s Eight at the 05 Championship is a fair and fitting reqard for his dedication to training.
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