Single sculler for Napier Girls’ High

This Maadi Cup Regatta began in a solitary fashion for the only Napier Girls’ High School sculler.
Sole qualifier, Ashlea Quirk, 16, was not just without team-mates – for the first few days, she did not have a coach, teachers, or parents with her either.
“It’s just me, by myself.”

Until her parents and coach arrived on Wednesday, she was supported by friends from St John’s College in Hastings.
They are all part of the Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club, so Ashlea is close to them and their parents.
Plus she can count on support from other Hawke’s Bay crews, and the coaches.

Ashlea has even switched from doubles to single sculls, a more solitary event, as her former partner pulled out.
It was a big adjustment, and Ashlea misses the motivational boost of training with someone else.
“I’ve just got to talk to myself when I’m in the boat, get me going.”
Fortunately, she has three years’ of rowing experience, including one Maadi Cup Regatta under her belt, and is absolutely committed to the sport.

But Ashlea would love to have an eight, or “even just somebody in the boat with me.”
During the club season, she had a lot of success as part of a quad.
She believed it helped get her to qualifying level for the Maadi Regatta – a silver medal in the U17 single sculls at the North Island Championships won her a place.

At Napier Girls’, where Ashlea is rowing captain, they are working on upping the number of rowers.
A recent expo brought in 46 possible newcomers, but Ashlea said the grind of daily training tended to put off hopefuls.

Her preparation for the Maadi Cup involved training every day except Friday.
Morning sessions were at six am, evenings at five pm, and each lasted between 60 and 120 minutes.
Through all those hours of training, she formed her friendships with other Hawke’s Bay rowers.
“You have that six weeks off during the summer, for Christmas and stuff, and then you go back to school and you’re like ‘I haven’t hung out with any of my friends’ because you’re just rowing every single day.  You’re just hanging out with all the rowing people.”
Her school friends are supportive, but rowing terminology and the commitment required can be hard to understand.
“They’re like ‘come hang out this weekend.’  I can’t.  I’ve got rowing… I just don’t have any time off.”

Even if the majority of her school friends and teachers at Napier Girls’ are not rowers, many remember that Emma Twigg rowed for Napier Girls’, and that puts pressure on Ashlea.
“They do have quite high expectations of you, especially when you’re in a single, like Emma was.  They’re like ‘oh, yep, see you when you get back with a medal.’”

So far, so good: she qualified for an U17 single sculls quarter final and an U18 single sculls semi-final in heats on Monday.
Unfortunately, a rib injury that she had surgery for after the last Maadi Cup has flared up again, so she is hoping not to be forced to scratch out.