After seven years as Head of Rowing at RGS Worcester, we bid a fond farewell to Jane Sullivan. Jane has achieved a huge amount in her time at the School and her commitment to the cause has been unwavering, with countless hours spent behind the scenes preparing crews and boats for competition. One of Jane’s greatest achievements has been building a fleet of boats that ensures she leaves the RGS Boathouse in fine condition. She has encouraged both mass participation of the sport and encouraged the elite to ‘dream big’ and compete at the highest level. The impact that she has had on the development of past and present RGS rowers is very evident:

“Mrs Sullivan has encouraged, motivated and guided us to be the rowers we are today. Her commitment to the RGSW Boat Club is unmatched, the passion and ambition she brings to rowing, drives us as a team to keep training. Getting up so early, in all types of weather to drive the trailer to events, supporting us from the side of the river with a coffee in hand, even in these unprecedented times, Mrs Sullivan has gone above and beyond to ensure we make the most of what we can do, and for this I cannot thank her enough. The sense of camaraderie felt within the Boat Club is as a result of Mrs Sullivan fostering this ethos. She really is Resolute, Gracious, Selfless and Willing, which as the RGSW motto affirms, is exactly what a coach should be”.

Phoebe Ellis Tait, current Girls’ Rowing Captain

“I think above all, Jane made Rowing at RGS Worcester really fun. Many of my best memories from my time at RGS were either training down at the Boathouse or competing with my crewmates. In fact, competing at National Schools Regatta in my final year, and winning the C-final of Champ Quads, remains my favourite ever race in a rowing boat. Beyond making the sport enjoyable, Jane always pushed us to be the best athletes we possibly could be. Whether it was encouraging us to push harder on the rowing machine, or the hours she spent trying to teach us to ‘tap down’ properly whilst we were on the river, she was committed to get us to a level where we were nationally competitive. I am in no doubt that without Jane’s coaching, support and guidance, I would not have been able to ‘hold my own’ (Jane’s words, not mine) against rowers from bigger Rowing schools with better facilities whilst at university, and for that I am tremendously grateful”

Ben Thomson (RGS 2010-16)

We wish Jane well in her retirement and hope that she enjoys spending more time with her husband Bill and visiting her son in Dubai.

Mr Gareth Roots, Director of Sport