Elite athlete scheme
Taking to rowing like a duck to water
Ben Rowe, BSc (Hons) Sports Therapy, started rowing at the age of 12 and won his first national title two years later. Since then Ben, who is on our elite athlete scheme, has gone from strength to strength, winning numerous titles and competing on the international stage. Here he talks about his sport and dreams for the future.
Meet some of our other elite athletes.
How did you get started with rowing?
I was at school and me and some friends got involved because we thought it looked like good fun.
I started competing and virtually straight away I was beating people who had been doing it quite a while, so I started to enjoy it more and more.
Is it difficult to continue to compete at the top level?
It is hard and it takes a lot of motivation. During winter I have to get up really early to go on the cold river with the wind and the rain, but I know, come the summer, I’ll be contributing towards representing my country - it doesn’t get any better than that.
With me a being a lightweight rower, which is all about power to weight ratio, I have to race at just under 11 stone, which means I must watch what I eat, but at the same time eat enough to keep the training progressing.
How helpful has the elite athlete scheme been?
The scheme has been a big help. I joined the University just after my gap year and was just getting back to fitness, so to have them say ‘we support you and we believe in you’ was a real big help.
It’s been great to talk to Matt Wright, the Sports Development Officer, throughout the year so he can check on my progress and help with any questions.
And what are your plans for the future?
Well, I’m no different to any other British athlete at the moment – I’d love to make the 2012 Olympic Games in London. That’s why I’m here. There’s no point in doing the training and making the sacrifices without getting to the Olympics.
But rowing is different to other sports, as there isn’t really a mark as to how long you can keep going, so there is quite a range of ages in which rowers hit their peak. Take Steve Redgrave for example, he won his last Olympic gold in his 40’s.
London is a big thing to try and achieve in what will have been just four years of training properly. The majority of guys going for the London Olympic Games have been training for seven or eight years, but you have to try and take down the big guys.
