News

Posted: August 31, 2016

Three Scottish rowers aim to build on the best season yet for Scottish Rowing when they compete in the 31-strong British team at this weekend’s FISU World University Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland (2-4 September).

Robyn Hart-Winks (University of Edinburgh, Kirriemuir) will compete in the lightweight women's single scull, Cameron Buchan (Northeastern University USA/Dunipace) in the men's eight and Melissa Wilson (University of Cambridge/Edinburgh) in the women's single scull.

The trio began their rowing careers at university and have since all made astonishing progress.

“The World University Championships is what I’ve been aiming for all year,” said 22 year old Hart-Winks, who graduated from the University of Edinburgh this summer.  

“To be selected for the team we had to go through the same trialling process as the GB senior and under 23s.  And because there are only three seats available in the women’s lightweight there was a lot of testing involved.”

A former Highland dancing world champion, Robyn Hart-Winks became World Indoor Rowing Champion earlier this year, before winning the women’s singles at the Henley regatta.

It says much for her commitment to the sport and to the University of Edinburgh, the UK’s go-to rowing university and home to Scotland’s first High Performance Programme for the GB Rowing Team.

“The university training programme is amazing and over the last few years the standard of rowing at Edinburgh has got so much better,” explained Robyn, who is supported by Scottish Rowing, the sportscotland institute of sport and Winning Students.

“When I started it was run by volunteers, but now there is more investment we have professional coaches and it’s been amazing to see how the club has grown.”

When 23 year old Cameron Buchan headed to the States four years ago, his intention had been to earn a basketball scholarship.

But a chance meeting with a rowing coach set the former GB under 20 basketballer on a completely different sporting path.

“The coach said one of his rowers had just left so he had a space for me if I wanted to join them,” said Buchan, who jumped at the opportunity.  

“I took to the sport, and then another coach from Northeastern University came down to training and liked what he saw.  

“From there I progressed, did well at freshman year, then came to Henley and almost beat the second GB boat.”

The only way has been up for Buchan who has since competed for the GB Rowing Team at under 23 level and also won at the Henley regatta.

Having graduated last year he moved back home where he continued to receive support from the national lottery and Scottish Rowing, which provided “the best facilities and finding good people to train with.”

Realising he would only reach his best by applying himself full time he moved to England and now shares a house with Team GB Rio Olympian and fellow Scot, Alan Sinclair.

“Getting to know the senior GB athletes like Alan and other guys who have won Olympic medals and hearing about his experiences, really pushes you,” said Buchan.

“I used to feel it was so far away and out of touch but now it’s getting closer. It’s just right there.”

Twenty three year old Melissa Wilson, who will compete in the women's single scull at Poznan this weekend, took up rowing when she began an English degree at Cambridge.  

In her second year she had trials for the university team, progressed to competing in two Boat Races before competing for the GB under 23 team, going on to win a silver and bronze medal at World Championships.

Five years after taking up rowing, she is embarking on a four-year plan which she hopes will take her to the Tokyo 2020 Games.

“As soon as the men’s eight finished at Rio, I knew the Tokyo Olympiad had just begun so it was a case of let’s crack on,” said Wilson, who returns to Cambridge next month for a two-year law course.

“I want to take my rowing through to at least the next Olympiad and I’ll be continuing to do all the GB trials and hopefully compete at the senior Worlds next summer.

“But 100 percent, the next goal is Tokyo.”

As the new Olympic cycle begins, and with an eye on the Tokyo 2020 Games, Hart-Winks has just made her move south and will start a part time PGCE at the University College London next month.

“I’ll have finished uni in two years time, which gives me two years before Tokyo and hopefully I’ll be able to keep training full on,” she said.

“Before that I would be aiming to go to a senior world cup, or a senior world championships over the next year.”

Buchan and Hart-Winks have every reason to believe in their success.  The Scottish system of developing home grown talent into world class performers is working.

In 2016, its most successful year to date, 30 Scots across all ages competed for GB teams, 20 were world A finalists, 12 made podiums at world level and five became World Champions.

Lee Boucher, GB Team Manager for Poznan, said: “It has been another outstanding year for student rowing in Britain and the World University Rowing Championships will give our young athletes the opportunity to make an impact on the world stage ahead of the start of the new Olympic cycle.

"In 2014, Great Britain topped the medal table in Gravelines, France, with a team that featured Rio Olympians Karen Bennett and Stewart Innes. This year's team has a strong mix of experience and first time internationalists and we travel out to Poznan with plenty of optimism."

Full British team list for FISU World University Championship, Poznan, Poland
September 2-4, 2016

(Listed bow to stroke; university, hometown, date of birth)

OPEN

WOMEN

Pair

Anastasia Chitty (University of Oxford/London/07.12.93)
Sam Courty (University of Bath/Alnwick/07.01.93)
Coach: Phil Gray (University of London)

Four

Rebecca Edwards (Queen’s University Belfast/Dungannon/20.08.93)
Annie Withers (Oxford Brookes University/Kingston/22.02.93)
Ailish Sheehan (Goldsmiths, University of London/Limerick/03.01.93)
Gillian Cooper (University of Winsconsin Madison, USA/Oakham/14.02.93)
Coach: Allan French (Oxford Brookes University)

Single scull

Melissa Wilson (University of Cambridge/Edinburgh/10.06.93)
Coach: Peter Sheppard (GB Rowing Team)

Double scull

Rebecca Girling (Cardiff University/Fareham/03.12.89)
Emily Carmichael (Royal Agricultural University/Cheltenham/29.05.92)
Coach: Hugo Gulliver (University of London)

MEN

Pair

Alex Haynes (Newcastle University/Marlow/10.10.96)
James Robson (Newcastle University/Bury St Edmunds/06.08.94)
Coach: Hugo Gulliver (University of London)

Four

Oli Knight (Newcastle University/Addlestone/15.09.95)
Will Warr (University of Cambridge/Tunbridge Wells/12.03.92)
Tom Ford (Newcastle University/Holmes Chapel/03.10.91)
Morgan Hellen (University of California, Berkeley, USA/Maidstone/19.10.92)
Coach: Phil Gray (University of London)

Eight

Richard Clarke (Brunel University/Kingston-upon-Thames/06.11.93)
Ed Gleadowe (Durham University/Helford/01.11.93)
Jacob Dawson (University of Washington, USA/Plymouth/02.11.93)
Tristan Vouilloz (Imperial College/Lewes/22.09.93)
Cameron Buchan (Northeastern University, USA/Dunipace/03.12.92)
Robbie Massey (Oxford Brookes University/Shrewsbury/14.12.92)
Tim Clarke (Newcastle University/Henley-on-Thames/07.04.91)
James Stanhope (Oxford Brookes University/Hampton/02.09.94)
Rory Copus (cox) (Oxford Brookes University/Oxford/27.03.91)
Coach: Phil Bourguignon (Molesey BC)

LIGHTWEIGHT

WOMEN

Single scull

Robyn Hart-Winks (University of Edinburgh/Kirriemuir/07.10.93)
Coach: John Higson (University of Edinburgh)

Double scull

Suzi Perry (BPP University/Liphook/04.06.92)
Imogen Mackie (Oxford Brookes University/Exeter/26.03.95)
Coach: Allan French (Oxford Brookes University)

MEN

Four

Paul Jones (Imperial College/London/03.06.92)
Iain Mandale (University of Oxford/Surbiton/27.01.93)
Matt Bedford (UCL, University of London/Maidenhead/21.01.91)
Oliver Morgan (Oxford Brookes University/Henley/20.09.93)
Coach: Peter Sheppard (GB Rowing Team)

MANAGEMENT & TEAM SUPPORT

Team manager: Lee Boucher (Scottish Rowing)
Lead coach: Phil Gray (University of London)
Physiotherapist: Jaclyn Coleman