In high school rowing seemed daunting and inaccessible. Only ever picked as a goalie in netball for my height, I had decided that team sports, and sport in general, wasn’t for me by age 13 or 14. When the opportunity came around to try for the rowing squad, I went because my friends were going, and I had nothing better to do that lunchtime. From that day, I trained on and off the water almost every day until I left school and later relocated to Australia. I went off and tried some other things, including many ill-fated surfing attempts (why is it so hard to stand up??), climbing and hiking, but I missed having a structure to my training, and a community to support me.
I rediscovered rowing at Richmond RC via my uni three years ago, using it as relief from my hectic degree. At first I took it pretty easy, training a few times a week at most, not attending competitions. Over time I gained more strength and fitness which coincided with a new wave of students joining the club. Unfortunately, covid locked us all indoors, during which time I trained daily. Yes, I was definitely one of those people doing bicep curls with 2L bottles of milk – my family ended up drinking a lot of milk! When we emerged from our houses at the end of 2020, I was raring to go, jumping straight into a fast-paced preparation for the regatta season which our coaches guided us through, and ended with my first ever competition medal.
Meet our Team: Marcus Rossi
My rowing experience began when I was 15. A few of my friends chose rowing as their school summer sport the previous year and suggested that I join them at their pre-season gym sessions. The next thing I knew I was rowing in the eights on the Yarra! It was a little...
Meet our Team: Ainsley Raggatt
I began rowing at my school at St Catherine’s in year 8. I originally started rowing just to prove to my older sister that I was better than her. But like most people, I was addicted to the sport within the first few weeks. After leaving school, I took a year away...
Meet our Team: Harriet Lowe
If you've ever rowed with us in London, you've probably met (or at least emailed) Harriet. She joined our team in 2018 when our London Putney location first opened. It started as a summer coaching job after she graduated from university and before a winter working as...