Woman of the Oar

How did you get started rowing? I began rowing at the University of Victoria in my first year. I fell in love with the sport as soon as I set foot in a rowing boat – something about the rhythm of the stroke, the physical challenge and the unbelievable teamwork required drew me in and has kept me going. Is this your first Olympics? My second Olympics–my first was in Athens (I raced the pairs with Buffy Williams, placing fourth). Your boat is favoured to medal in Beijing. How do you deal with the pressure? To be honest I’m already incredibly proud of what our boat has accomplished over the past six months, and so don’t really feel any pressure. I think we’ve developed some confidence with our racing in Europe in June and we've kept the momentum going. The Olympic Qualification regatta was a great experience and taught us a lot about expectation and performing on the day. What are you looking forward to most in Beijing? I‘m really looking forward to how close the racing will be! It is such a thrill to be racing side-by-side with several other crews, where you have to focus internally and where you know that each boat has to give their very best effort. Having never been to China, I’m excited to take in the culture, the cuisine and the many sight-seeing opportunities around the city – after the rowing competition is completed, of course.