Lyla & Greta take on the world at Junior World Championships!

Photo: Art of Rowing NZ (Vera Bucsu)/Rowing Australia

What do you get when you combine two Queenslanders, three West Australians, a Filippi, some Croker oars, and a sprinkle of Green and Gold? 

One hell of a campaign.

Lyla Fievez (16, Fremantle RC), Greta Spencer (17, Swan River RC), Georgia Montague (17), Minaya Bishop (17, both University of QLD BC) and coach Mark Beer (Swan River RC) first came together as a group in April this year, on the calm waters of the Nepean River, just prior to Junior Selection Trials. The QLD and WA pairs had performed exceptionally (silver and bronze respectively) at the Australian Rowing Championships, and their coaches (Mark, and legendary UQBC coach Philip Bourguignon) brought them together to give them a chance at selection in the four. 

Mark says "it was clear from the first row that the combination was able to generate good raw speed. It was great to see how adaptable they were, and as a result were selected for the World Champs."

Fast forward four months - through multiple training camps, a challenging academic load, and 22 hours on a plane - the crew found themselves sitting ready at the catch on the start line of the Under 19 Women's Four, Heat 2. Just shy of seven minutes later they crossed the line second, missing automatic qualification into the A Final and instead earning them a spot in the Repechage. The Repechage was hot competition and our girls booked the Final they didn't want. But Mark's summary of their attitude to racing is more than just about winning or losing:

"Everytime we race, we want to be the best version of ourselves. Do your job, and do it well!"

So they went on to crush the field in the B Final, leading from the first stroke and winning by over a length.

Photo: Art of Rowing NZ (Vera Bucsu)/Rowing Australia

What better way to recap it than to hear it straight from the crew? Greta says:

"The whole experience was one to remember! The lead up to the regatta once we were selected was tough with months of training and many bumps in the road but the improvements that we were making as a crew were really encouraging and positive.

When we arrived in Italy for our pre racing camp in Gavirate, Varese was personally a highlight of the campaign. Being able to live in an environment that we were able to train and recover easily was very different and so enjoyable. We also had free time to hang out and of course make many gelato trips with the other Aussie crews, who were a great group.

Arriving in Paris and finally seeing the regatta centre for Worlds was a mix of excitement and nerves. It finally kicked in that we were truly racing the world’s best, seeing the size and talent of the athletes that we were up against, was intimidating. Getting to hit the water was good fun despite the challenging weather conditions that each day of racing would throw at us. With the help of our amazing and experienced coach Mark Beer, we learnt to be adaptable and calm in each race, as we focused on the immediate challenge and prepared for anything.

Missing the A Final was hard but we pulled ourselves back together and felt super proud and happy when we smashed the B Final from start to finish. Then just like that the racing was over and it was time to pack up the boats, swap some of our team gear with athletes from other countries and travel back home to reality."

Remarkably, Greta made it back to Perth in time to compete at the All Schools State Championships - she's won either the Open or Year 10 Mixed Coxed Quad for the last four years running, and wasn't about to let that slip. Turns out training like a madman and racing against the world's best is quite good preparation for a 1000m race with your friends. 

Lyla has been catching up on family time and making the most of the European summer by going on holiday to Lake Como - well deserved R&R. 

Mark is back this week and those rowing at Canning Bridge can expect to see him & his Cambridge jacket out on the water very soon.

A huge congratulations to this crew and all who supported them on their journey.