Rowing
For all the success it has enjoyed lately on both national and international platforms, the fragile state of Scottish rowing at grass-roots level has been confirmed once again with the cancellation of today's Castle Semple Sprint Regatta at Lochwinnoch.
This cancellation, due to lack of entries, once again confirms that Scottish rowing's autumn sprint season is going nowhere fast. In the last few weeks Royal West of Scotland of Greenock abandoned their annual Jollyboat jamboree, Nithsdale were forced to re-schedule their sprint event for later this month due to lack of interest first time round, and Clydesdale decided to attend a members' wedding celebration rather than put on their sprint regatta when it was realised the dates clashed.
Meanwhile, club level crews and individuals who have come into the sport over the summer have had virtually nowhere to race, and now could well decide there is no real reason to stay in the sport over the winter months.
This latest cancellation body-blow is particularly devastating for the national governing body. Until the arrival of Strathclyde Park, Castle Semple Loch was home to the Scottish championships and the Home International event. Because it provided multi-lane racing over a straight course, the Lochwinnoch venue has seemingly always been a popular venue, hosting many of Scotland's biggest one-day events - until now.
Castle Semple have already had to cancel their summer regatta, so the basic, stark question for the Scottish Association is: how do we make our club events popular again? A quick answer is imperative for the health of the sport.
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