At 18, it feels pretty surreal to be picked in the under-23 teams. As one of the younger athletes, it is awesome to be able to row and learn from some of the older squad members who I used to look up to.
How long did you train in Cambridge with the national squad?
We trained in Cambridge for 11 weeks and headed to Italy last Saturday.
How are you finding Italy?
It has been a tough week so far. Getting used to heat up to 35degC has been very challenging. I am currently located at Lake Pusiano, north of Milan, where we are doing our training and final prep for the regatta. I’ve never been to Varese before but I know it’ll be hot and has an amazing view of the Swiss Alps.
You are in a crew with a good Oamaru boy, Logan Docherty. How do you guys work together as a team?
Logan and I haven’t rowed a double together before this season but have been in the Otago team together. Over the summer, we trained and raced together for Wairau Rowing Club in Blenheim. We get along well and both have that southern work-hard attitude which allows us to back each other up when it gets tough.
When did your rowing career really take off? You’ve dabbled in other sports?
I started rowing in the 2017-18 season at Otago Boys’ High School. I swept my first two years and was very small in my novice season, being not much bigger then the cox. From then on I have sculled, and just finished my first club season out of school. I first did rowing to get fitter for football and cricket, being in age-group reps each year, but as I got older, I was made to pick between football and rowing and I haven’t looked back since. I still played football for the first XI in my last three years at high school but rowing was the priority.
You’re also planning to head to Princeton University. How did you manage to make that happen?
The opportunity to go to Princeton came about after contact from recruiters after certain results and making teams throughout the season. After various early-morning Zoom calls with different US college rowing coaches finding out about rowing and studying in the United States, I really struck an interest in Princeton. There seemed to be a good balance in academic and sporting as well as a good culture within the squad. Normally, you would get to go on your official visit to the college before accepting but due to Covid rules at the time of applying, I could not do this.
What was it like when you finally got to visit Princeton?
After being named in the New Zealand under-23 team, I unfortunately got Covid-19. However, this allowed me to travel over to visit Princeton before my campaign began on my 48-hour official visit. The journey began in Dunedin with 24 hours of travelling before reaching Newark airport at 2am local time when the assistant coach drove me 45 minutes to Princeton, New Jersey. Unsure just how jet-lagged I was, I finally managed to get some sleep before starting my visit at 11am. I got to spend the two days being shown around by my new crewmates which included enjoying the all-you-can-eat buffets at every meal, going to see training, tour the college and even being dragged into some lectures. I got to meet the only other Kiwi at the college, which was nice to hear a familiar accent. The university was amazing, and definitely something I couldn’t really believe until I was there. I knew it was going to be spectacular by photos online but it was truly remarkable. I got to see the Albert Einstein Lecture Hall and much more. Each day, there is no class from 4pm-7 pm to allow athletes of all sports to train, which I think was really unique in keeping both sports and academics separate. I’m yet to know what I will study but I am interested in studying molecular biology and psychology.
What’s the dream, the ultimate goal?
To represent New Zealand at the Olympics. However, I am still so young so I am in no rush other than to keep learning and enjoying the sport that has given me so many opportunities.
