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INTERVIEW | Gearoid Towey
"Rowing is a discipline which has always been at the forefront of sporting life in Trinity."
(...Continued from page 58) definitely hard because we had exams in the middle of the World Cup season. I’d be away in Germany or Austria or wherever racing and I’d have to come back and sit exams,” he explains.
Rowing is a discipline that has always been at the forefront of sporting life in Trinity. The college has been one of the top clubs in the country for generations, and Towey attributes much of this success to the bond among members. “There is an incredible social life in university rowing. They travel together, train together and within rowing clubs in universities there is definitely a sense of belonging, they work hard and play hard. Rowing is a sport which gives people a lot of structure. Trinity is always very strong, as are UCD and NUIG. Irish university clubs are generally among the best in the country. You get to enjoy your first couple of years rowing without too much pressure when you’re in university. It’s a great scene.”
While the life of an international athlete isn’t best suited to that of a student, Towey is fulsome in his praise for the college authorities. “I did geography in Trinity and they were very supportive of me, they helped me out whenever they could, shifting exam times for me and that kind of thing. They were very good to me in that regard. As well as that, when I was heading off across the Atlantic, I did that in the middle of the academic year and they were totally cool with that as well.”
What Towey casually refers to as “heading off across the Atlantic” was, in fact, the Trans Atlantic Challenge, one of the most incredible tests of courage and stamina in the sporting world. Towey, along with Ciaran Lewis, set off from the Canary Islands in November 2005 aiming for America. After 40 days and nights at sea, rowing two hours on-off constantly, they capsized in Force 8 gales. They were eventually rescued by a passing trawler, having genuinely come within hours of death.
“It’s something I think about every day,” admits Towey. “It was a very close call and it has an influence on everything I do now to a certain degree. I think about everything really in terms of that. If there are any hard decisions to be made, well… you realise that they’re not that hard at all.”
Nothing hard, then, except the life of a rower, which Towey takes in his stride. Having been a senior international since he was a schoolboy of 16, the Cork man is preparing for life on terra firma from September on, when he will enrol in a drama course in London. For the training, meanwhile, nothing was left to chance.
“We’ve just finished a training camp in Italy. We were there for three weeks and we had a massive block of work there that we had to get through. I suppose everybody dreads it, but it’s the same for all the rowers in countries all over the world. Reading blogs and things like that, everyone is in the same position, counting down the days and getting the hard work done. Now it’s just a matter of getting acclimatised, getting some speedwork in to sharpen us up and then we’re ready to rock.”
Having taken a break from rowing last season due to burn-out, Towey was adamant that he feels as strong and fresh as ever going into the Games.
“This last Olympic cycle hasn’t been orthodox at all, it’s been very up and down, but I feel I’m in the right position now,” he says. “If I had continued rowing last year, I wouldn’t have made it this far. I would have stopped eventually. Now I feel relaxed and ready. Initially when I came back I was tired and getting injured a lot because we were training hard. I suppose I’d taken such a long break that my body wasn’t used to taking the hardship, but now I feel really good. I feel strong in training and motivated. It’s very important to feel like that – if you don’t, you’re fighting a losing battle.”
(Photo captioned: Gearoid Towey, 3rd from left and his team-mates at the final Olympic qualifying regatta in Poland during June. Despite a valiant effort, the Irish team were denied in their bid for Olympic Gold.)
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