About

I designed this website in order to share and discuss what I have found to be effective training on the Rowing Ergometer.

I have been a rower for more than 65 years. In 1974 I represented Australia in the single scull at the the World Rowing Championship at Lucerne. At that time, winning a World Championship eluded me and, for Australians, the costs of competing repeatedly overseas for more experience were prohibitive not only financially but also in terms of family obligations and career advancement. However, in 2021, I finally became a World Champion and, in fact, set a World Record in my age group for the 2k twice!

Here I was finally able to realise some of my international ambitions: in 2018 winning two quad scull and one double final at the Henley Masters and a Silver medal at the British Masters in the single scull. That year I also rowed to victory with the Upper Thames Veterans VIII at the Head of the Charles in Boston.

Now a retired academic, I compete in the Masters category, both indoor and on-the-water, rowing for the Gold Coast Master Rowers club at Varsity Lakes, Queensland, Australia. And, over the last few years until the Covid crisis, spent the Australian winter at my daughter’s house in Henley England where I rowed for the Upper Thames Rowing Club.

Somehow, in my old age, I have finally managed to find the best conditions for both on and off the water rowing in Australia and in the UK.

My peak rowing achievement has now been to set a World Record for the 2k in the 75-79 age group at the World Rowing Indoor Championships in 2021.

Because of the Covid crisis, these Championships were conducted remotely online for the first time. Competing at midnight in my own living room, I rowed the 2k distance in 7:07.9, a better time than I had rowed in ten years! This has prompted me to share my experience of the systematic self-paced training that has worked for me.

The value of a long Foundation and effective Peaking on an Erg is clear. My time was .8 sec faster than the Australian 2k Record I set when I was four years younger but only training in a boat!

I had already broken the 75-79 year 2k record at the Australian Indoor Rowing Championships in October 2020 in a time of 7:11.7 beating Paul Guest’s 2015 World Record of 7:13.2 by just 1.5seconds. Four and a half months later I was able to carve another 3.8 seconds off my time to set yet another World Record.

Encouraged by this, for four more weeks I revved up my sprint training to sharpen up even more. However, the night before lining up for the CrashB, I came down with a fever – one peak-up too many perhaps.

Evidently, I had learned how to extend my capacity with systematic overload but not with enough caution. The lessons of such experience, both sweet and bitter, I hope may also be of value to others.

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