JRN Down Under: Our Team in Australia

When JRN was founded in 2013, our goal was simple: to preview junior rowing in the UK. Over a decade later, our ambitions are far bigger, and as we look to scale our work, our team has looked to key territories outside of the UK to grow our coverage. The US and Australia are two of the most exciting, both being critical areas of focus for JRN in the 2023/24 season.?

In line with this ambition, we've developed a small JRN team in Australia to cover the season's highlights, with a view to expanding operations in future seasons if our initial work is successful.

We spoke to a member of the new team to understand their experiences with JRN so far and how their involvement in rowing media has shaped their outlook on rowing more broadly.?

JRN: What first prompted you to pick up an oar and try rowing?

I was drawn to rowing because I honestly had little else to do, and my dad suggested it when I was about 13 (I think). I'd always liked being near/on the water and had little success playing football, so I figured I'd give it a go. I was tall for my age, so the club was happy to have me. After about six months, I was hooked, and after almost a year, I never looked back. I loved that rowing is a sport where - by and large - if you put the effort into your training, you'll get the reward.?

JRN: You now spend your free time talking and writing about rowing - has thinking about the sport in this way always been a passion?

I think I've always been passionate about talking about rowing, especially from a junior and university perspective; there's so much excitement and energy in these areas. In Australia, however, there was no real voice. Having appeared on The End of The Island podcast, I knew JRN did a great job of giving these groups a voice, so I was keen to see if it was workable over here.?

JRN: How have you found JRN so far?

So far, I've really enjoyed the experience. Writing about something I'm interested in is never dull, and it's a chance to put down thoughts about rowing and provide a service I think was missing over here. I will say that it's challenging having a full-time job, trying to do my training and produce content, but JRN has been very supportive.?

JRN: Can you briefly describe the differences in rowing in the UK and Australia?

I grew up in a club environment at York City where we mostly did sculling in quads. Currently, I'm working at an independent school in Victoria, so there are some fairly significant cultural differences. One of the biggest ones is the concept of summer and winter sports. Rowing is a summer sport, and the season runs from October to March. Students are traditionally expected to play a winter sport like netball or AFL from April to September. This has a fairly significant impact on being able to rack up enough mileage and finesse the technique, which I think hurts Aussie junior crews when they come over for Henley. Some schools know they can't do Henley because students prefer playing AFL to going overseas.?

Another big difference is the approach to national team selection: when I was a junior, I felt like everything was tailored to getting good rowers into the national setup. At least in Victoria, this is not the case, and it feels as though clubs have to actively persuade students that going to junior worlds is a good experience. One student I know of actively decided not to trial because they already had their US scholarship, so getting a national team vest wasn't necessary. I find this so strange.?

What's been the most exciting part of working with JRN?

Just seeing how rowing media operates from the other side has been really interesting. Being part of the start of JRN in Australia has also been exciting, and I'm hopeful it can continue to grow and develop over the next few years.?

I'd love to see things develop like in the UK and for JRN to become a staple of the Australian junior rowing scene where people can read and discuss ideas about rowing in the different states. I'm particularly excited to be able to contribute information about the Australian crews travelling over to Henley, as I believe that is the pinnacle of junior rowing wherever you are in the world.