Athlete’s Corner
Here you can find information profiles on some of our athletes, covering from their weight and height to why they started rowing and what USBC has given them.
George Glenister (Senior Man)
Age: 21
Height: 186cm
Weight: 79kg
I started rowing a year before joining the University of Surrey at Marlow rowing club. I had competed as a novice at competitions including MET Regatta and Marlow Regatta. When I joined USBC I felt very welcomed and quickly saw my fitness improving week by week. With the club, I have been able to compete at some of the biggest rowing races in the UK such as Henley Royal Regatta and Head of the River Race. This season we have a big Senior Men’s Squad – full of hard working and competitive athletes. This, combined with the resources that are provided to us by Team Surrey including strength & conditioning sessions and a sports physiotherapist, makes me extremely excited to see what we can achieve this year.
Maddy Brown (Senior Woman)
Age: 20
Height: 181cm
Weight: 76kg
When I started
University in 2017 to study Biomedical Engineering, I had never rowed before and just happened to sign up at Fresher’s Fayre.
This past year I have raced in BUCS events in a beginner’s 4+, and just missed out on qualifying for Women’s Henley in an academic 8+. It was still an amazing experience and has only made me want to succeed more. Over the summer I learnt to scull and raced at Peterborough regatta after stepping into a single a few days before. One of my highlights this year was attending the British Rowing BUCS camp and competing in the sculling festival in Nottingham afterwards.
I’ve also started to do some coastal rowing during the holidays in my home town of Southend as I couldn’t bear to be off the water for too long! My housemates might think I am a little weird for getting up so early and training so often, but it is always worth the hard work and blisters in the end!
I’m so glad I joined the USBC squad and I really hope I can continue to improve alongside the rest of the club in the 2018/19 season.
Ben Radcliffe-Brown (Senior Man)
Age: 19
Height: 202cm
Weight: 91kg
I started rowing four years ago and have loved it ever since. I competed at several high level junior rowing events including National School’s Regatta, School’s Head, and British Rowing Indoor Championships. When I joined USBC, the quality of training and performance was a massive step up under the coaching of Sam Tuck. I was immediately able to feel part of a high performing and friendly team.
I loved my first year at USBC. I was able to train at the wonderful facilities available both at Surrey Sports Park and Molesey Boat Club. The training ensured that I was able to perform to the highest of my ability under the well designed, high-performance programme designed by the team of coaches. In the men’s senior team, we competed and excelled at many prestigious races including Four’s Head, Head of the River, BUCS Head and BUCS Regatta. We ended the season by competing in one of the most famous rowing events, Henley Royal Regatta, in the Temple Challenge Cup.
My first year at USBC was incredible, and I look forward to the next season as the club continues to grow and raise its level of achievement.
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Lukas Schroth (Senior Man)
Age: 19
Height: 191cm
Weight: 69kg
I started rowing one year ago when I joined the University of Surrey for my Business Management degree. Joining USBC was never my intention prior to coming to the university, however after talking to the boat club at the active freshers’ fair I was sure that rowing would be the perfect sport for me to join.
Since then I have loved being a part of USBC, training with an amazing team of like-minded athletes and coaches who push you to become better. Even though training sessions are never easy, the hours spent doing so pay off massively when you’re racing against other teams. In the men’s development team we achieved constant top 5 finishes throughout the season, and ended the season off strong by racing in the Temple Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta.
My first year of rowing has been better than I could have ever imagined, and I look forward to the next season as I compete for the boat club and help it grow even more as part of the committee.
Jasmine Bone (Senior Woman)
Age: 25
Height: 172cm
Weight: 62kg
“I started rowing in Cornish pilot gigs when I was 12, then switched the sea for rivers and a sliding seat when I started my undergrad degree at Bath. Continuing with my postgrad EngD at Surrey, I couldn’t stay away from the water and signed straight up to USBC.
Rowing has always been a big part of my life, and Surrey has only increased my love for it. Training hard and competitive racing gives the chance to keep pushing myself. I was worried the training would be too full on with working full time at my placement sponsor, but it provides a great way to relieve stress and keep focus and organised. What better way to clear your head than on the water?
I’ve loved being a part of such a strong squad of like-minded girls, culminating in racing down the course at Henley Women’s Regatta. Although we just missed out on qualifying the eight this year, this has only increased my drive to push harder next year and achieve even more as a squad. I can’t wait to see what more we can do! Weekends would feel wrong without being in a boat with these girls.”
Megan Pearson (Senior Woman)
Age: 20
Height: 178cm
Weight: 78kg
I started rowing when I joined Surrey University in 2016. I came to university with the intention of trying a sport which was new to me and one which would challenge me – rowing is undoubtedly challenging. I have never challenged myself as much as I have done with rowing and there are no boundaries, you just keep pushing yourself until you cannot push any further. Consequently no training session is an easy one but success is never achieved with ease.
My first year of rowing has been incredible and has continued to get better as the year has gone on with many good performances and wins along the way. To top it off, at the end of the season we qualified for the Academic 4+ at Henley Women’s Regatta. This makes every stroke on the erg and every 5am training session worthwhile – the feeling of accomplishment I’ve had at each of these events is without a doubt one of the best feelings.
At USBC I have been pushed by both my squad and coach to achieve my potential and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I’ve had doors opened which I never knew existed, for example the GB Start rowing programme which aims to find the next generation of GB rowers. Looking back to this time last year, I never expected to be rowing, let alone trialling for a chance to train and compete with Team GB. This proves that anyone can be exposed to such exciting opportunities even without previous experience. I cannot wait to see where rowing is going to take me in the future and I will continue to push myself to maximise my chance of success.