Ashburton’s Grace Wilson, a student at the University of Otago, is part of the New Zealand Universities Trans Tasman rowing team. Photo Erin TaskerAn Ashburton girl now attending university in Dunedin is getting ready to represent her country at rowing for the first time.

Grace Wilson, 20, is a part of the 2019 New Zealand University Trans Tasman team’s women’s eight to compete against Australian universities at Cambridge’s Lake Karapiro next week, and has spent this week in camp getting to know her fellow crew members.

Wilson, a second year student at Otago University, is just one of two girls from the university lining up as part of the women’s eight at the trans-Tasman event, with the other being Katie Bell.

It’s set to be the biggest challenge of her rowing career to date, and Wilson can’t wait.

“It’s the first New Zealand team I have made, so it’s pretty up there, I guess,” she said.

Wilson started rowing at the end of Year 9 at Ashburton College.

Her older sisters rowed, as did her friend Veronica Wall, so Wilson thought she’d give it a go, and she hasn’t looked back since.

Between them, Wilson and Wall ended up being forces to be reckoned with on the water.

Wilson said her career highlight is still the 2017 national secondary schools’ Maadi Cup regatta, where they won gold in the under-18 double and quad.

It was a huge achievement for both the young rowers, the school, and the Ashburton Rowing Club, with Ashburton being a relative newcomer on the rowing scene compared to some.

“When I started we got like 11th at Maadi and we thought we were awesome,” Wilson said.

With rowing having been a huge part of Wilson’s teenage years, there was no question as to whether she’d continue when she headed to Dunedin for tertiary study.

A talented young netballer as well, Wilson eventually gave that sport away but continued to row, swapping Lake Hood for the at times more challenging waters of the harbour in Dunedin, and getting her first taste of the eight boat.

Growing up in Ashburton, there was an eight boat, but they didn’t have enough people to crew it, and while the bigger boat has taken a bit of getting used to, it’s a boat Wilson is now more than comfortable in.

At the New Zealand Universities Championships earlier this year she was part of the winning crews in the varsity eight and quad, and followed that up with a successful trial for the national team, which meant there’s been no time to rest.

Rowing may typically be a summer sport, but the trans-Tasman event is being held in the middle of a New Zealand winter, meaning there’s been no let-up for Wilson and her crew-mates.

She’s been hitting the water three times a week – weather permitting – and even managed to get out on Lake Hood at the weekend, while she was home for a few days before heading to Cambridge.

The rest of her training has been done indoors, with countless hours spent on ergs, and Wilson hopes all of that hard work will pay off in the coming days.

Wilson and her New Zealand Universities team-mates have spent this week training up in Cambridge, before the Australians arrive ready to race in what is likely to be cooler conditions that they’re used to, next week.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 28 June 2019