Thank you for your interest in rowing. I am attending the National Rowing Championships to represent the Swan River Rowing Club, and I am excited at the prospect of the competition. I will compete in the single scull and the double with Sally Newmarch.
Although I have competed many times at a National Championships, I know this one holds added significance because it marks my return to competitive rowing.
It has been eighteen months since Athens, and like a number of Olympians from rowing, it has taken me a long time to feel like getting back into competition. In returning to the elite level of rowing I have needed to overcome a number of challenges, including injury and illness. The challenge of overcoming the experience in Athens has taken more time as there were many factors contributing to my performance at this event. With the support of the staff and athletes at the Western Australian Institute of Sport; Rowing Australia; Rowing WA as well as my family and friends I feel confident that I can fully resolve these issues and remain convinced in my ability to achieve future goals.
I am taking a planned and structured approach to setting my future goals. The first step was starting training again, another step is competing in the National Championships.
Attending the Nationals at Lake Barrington is an important step in assessing my progress to date and my aim is to give it my best. I will also be able to gauge how my return to the boat is progressing against the best rowers in the country. I need to take this step to confirm that I am ready for the challenges of rowing at the international level.
In relation to selection to the National team, this is an ambition I still hold. My plan is to consolidate my performance this season, and over the next few years begin to make myself available for National selection. For me personally, I will need to demonstrate the level of performance that warrants selection: I will need to train and prepare for the challenges that the selection process will present.
To do the right thing by my team mates and the other athletes competing, I do not wish to make any public statements or respond to any media questions until the conclusion of the National Team selection events. I would be grateful if you would assist me, and the other competitors, to focus on performing to the best of our abilities by respecting this request.
In this regard, I plan to attend the media briefing to be conducted by Rowing Australia at 1.00pm on Wednesday 8 March at the Championship venue where I will respond to a limited number of questions from the media.
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