The portion of the UCT Benefit Fund that Ullapool Active Schools received was mainly spent on bringing in two indoor rowing machines. This has been brilliant for the Ullapool High School as it has meant that more pupils can get involved with rowing and also enter into the Indoor Rowing League in the Highlands. This involves rowing for a set amount of distance in the least time possible. This event has taken place in both 2018 and 2019. Having these portable indoor rowing machines has meant that they can be placed in the school during the weeks of the competition and allows a larger range of participation in the school. David Lees and Charlotte Law (PE teachers) have been able to encourage further participation because these rowing machines were easily accessible, which meant we no longer had to rely on the sole rowing machine in the Lochbroom Leisure Centre.
This year there were around 10 pupils that travelled down to Inverness to take part in the final round of the indoor rowing league in the Highlands. This involved pupils from different schools taking part in races against each other. Ullapool had a great showing at the tournament including a couple of first and second place finishes. Having these machines has no doubt made rowing more accessible to the pupils and has helped to increase the participation in the indoor rowing league this year.
Ben Bruce, Active Schools Coordinator