Promising rowing talent from Gippsland Grammar School (GGS), Ella Gerrand, has secured a distinguished rowing scholarship at the University of Alabama, recognized globally for its program. Gerrand serves as the captain of the Grammar rowing team and is a current participant in Rowing Victoria’s Pathway State Squad. A member of Gippsland Grammar’s Class of 2024, […]
Promising rowing talent from Gippsland Grammar School (GGS), Ella Gerrand, has secured a distinguished rowing scholarship at the University of Alabama, recognized globally for its program.
Gerrand serves as the captain of the Grammar rowing team and is a current participant in Rowing Victoria’s Pathway State Squad.
A member of Gippsland Grammar’s Class of 2024, Gerrand has shown great enthusiasm for the school’s rowing team since 2019 when she began in year seven.
Since that time, she has excelled in the sport, with her latest accomplishments including winning this year’s Head of Schoolgirls Regatta in Geelong in the division one quad and setting the Australian record for rowing a marathon distance (42 kilometres) on a rowing machine, alongside her fellow Grammar student April Harrison.
Gerrand is also a two-time Victorian representative and claimed the title of Victorian Schoolgirl single scull champion in 2023.
The scholarship for 2025 was announced last week, with Grammar Head of Rowing, Nick Bartlett, expressing his pride in Gerrand’s accomplishments and stating that the scholarship was well-earned.
“Ella has consistently taken the lead and has raced alongside older competitors, also serving as a remarkable leader to our younger rowers over the last two years, encouraging them to advance,” Bartlett remarked.
The esteemed coach has high expectations for his talented student’s future.
“Ella’s results and achievements are unparalleled; they rank among the finest we’ve ever seen from a female rower at the school. We wish her all the success and eagerly anticipate her future accomplishments,” Bartlett stated.
It was Gerrand’s outstanding performance that first captured the attention of the University of Alabama, leading to her interview and subsequent trip to the US later this year for an in-person visit to the university.
Gerrand is thrilled to be joining one of the premier programs globally.
“I chose to row at Alabama due to the team culture I experienced during my official visit; everyone got along well, yet they were competitive and motivated each other to improve. I’m incredibly excited about the journey this opportunity will take me on,” Gerrand expressed.
She continues the tradition set by fellow Old Scholar Billy Osborne from the Class of 2022, who is now studying at Seattle’s Washington University on a rowing scholarship.
Mr. Bartlett highlighted that the legacy of these international rowing scholarships is meant to inspire the school’s emerging rowers by showing them what is achievable.
Gippsland Grammar was the inaugural school east of Melbourne to launch a rowing program in the 1960s, and through the years, it has continued to thrive.
All students can experience rowing through an introductory program included in the year seven physical education curriculum before deciding to join 100 of their classmates in the full co-curricular rowing team, which competes in annual regattas held in Geelong, Nagambie, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Ballarat.
Gippsland Grammar Old Scholar Paige Barr (Class of 2019) even participated in this year’s Paris Olympics as part of Australia’s women’s eight, which narrowly missed out on a medal in the final.
After the Olympics, Barr returned to Gippsland Grammar in September to recount her experiences, inspire students, and express her gratitude to her first rowing coach, Mr. Bartlett, for first providing her an opportunity and aiding her in becoming a world-class athlete.
Barr shared her transition from Sale’s Thomson River to France’s Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, offering insights into her rigorous training routine and what it was like to compete at the Olympic level.
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced; there were 400 metres of grandstands lining the course, and the noise and media attention were just extraordinary,” Barr remarked.
She admitted that she felt overwhelmed at the starting line.
“The entire event was designed for television, making it such a unique experience to be part of, but when I felt overwhelmed at the start, I reminded myself to simply dip my oar in the water and push, which is precisely what I’m trained to do,” Barr said.
Gerrand participated in her final regatta for the Grammar over the weekend in Canberra, competing in the “B” grade women’s single event as well as alongside her sister, year eight student Jessica, in the “C” grade women’s double.
