Unofficially Thames Rowing Club

Three years ago I was part of a crew that won the women’s coxed four event at Nat Champs.  It was also a commonwealth year and the club had been aiming for a coxless four to qualify for commonwealths and a coxed four to qualify (through champs) for Home Countries and England selection – I state these aims insofar as athletes ever know what the club is aiming for.  I was in the coxed four, and we knew what we had to do, because a number of Thames women had been through the system in recent years: to race at Home Countries you had to win at Nat Champs.

In 2006, we were very excited about the prospect of racing in England colours.  Unfortunately the selector was under the impression that we weren’t eligible and had offered the second place crew the place before we’d had a chance to even introduce ourselves.  We had a very long discussion with them, when we did manage to identify them, but unfortunately they felt unable to alter the decision.

A year later, and another winter’s training, and I injured my back a few weeks before Henley, and missed out on a seat in a boat for the summer.

Last year I took some time off.

This year I was back.  Over the last few years I have won a medal at HWR, raced at HRR, won the club pennant in the wehorr and elite pairs in pairs head… as well as having won nat champs in 2006.  I have been lucky enough to be in some really strong crews and I’ve achieved quite a lot, bearing in mind that I was also working full time.  I’ve been through the usual tribulations of seat racing, injury, coach changes, and know that nothing is ever certain until you’re actually sat on the start line.  I understand that and think that it makes boats go faster, so we just get on with it.

After the disappointment of 2006 though, my main goal for the season was to race for England.  One of the reasons it’s so important to me is because of my family.  They are very supportive of my rowing, but having had nothing to do with rowing really before, they don’t necessarily understand Henley or the head races.  They do understand what it means to represent England.  And I’m sure it does mean a lot to those who are asked. It isn’t the kind of opportunity that everyone has, and while it might not be GB rowing, it should still be significant.

As a goal it is quite difficult for many reasons – not least because Henley is the focal points for most crews and so to either end up doing a coxed four there or being able to find one in the interim is often not really in our hands as athletes.  As this season went, however, we did end up doing coxed fours and also an eight.  Both went well, although the two fours perhaps didn’t have as much time together to fulfil their potential at HWR as they might.  We took the 8 to HRR and got through a round to race on the Saturday.  And, we entered an 4+ for Nat Champs.  There have been some really strong crews around this year for the event, so it was going to be a big challenge to get the crew across the line first.  We were up for it though and looking forward to some good racing, and the possible reward in the shape of Home Countries.

That is where we were yesterday.  Our coach arrived at 8am yesterday morning, and told us that he’d had a phone call from the England selector about whether one of our lightweight scullers might want to race at Home Countries.  They discussed that, then our coach asked about the coxed fours.  He was told that they wouldn’t be using the coxed fours for selection this year, and that they were going to use some of the girls from the under-23 squad and pairs from Nat Champs.

So, that was the end of that goal.

My point is, to represent your country is a big deal, and if that is what this is supposed to be, then there should be published selection criteria.  My experiences tell me that unless you have already got your foot in the door – have met the selectors or already been involved – then the whole process is luck.  You have to hope that you’re in the right kind of boat, at the right time, in the right place… and even then you have to know that the system exists, in order to go and find the selectors (who you won’t know) and make known your availability and eligibility.  I think the Home Countries Regatta is a great idea, it should be a useful and meaningful stepping stone for those who aren’t yet to the point of being involved in the Great Britain squads.  At the moment it isn’t, maybe it isn’t intended to be, but there is no way for anyone to know either way.