& Co: Shane Quintus Hamilton Rowing Club
Shane Quintus is a committee leader for Hamilton Rowing Club, he shares his knowledge of the sport and what he has gained throughout his years of experience.
Hamilton Rowing Club Committee member, Shane Quintus, first started the sport at age 15.
He had no idea the significance rowing would have on his life at this age, and 27 years later he has shed not only blood, sweat and tears but also dedicated time, commitment and passion to his rowing career.
A simple suggestion to join the rowing team by his math teacher turned into a passion for rowing. “My math teacher kept kicking me out of class, so he told me to put my attention towards something more useful than distracting my peers” Shane says.
Though rowing can be both mentally and physically challenging, Shane had managed to find his happy place within the Hamilton Rowing Club. He enjoyed challenging himself and being able to surround himself with like-minded people.
As rowing is a team sport, relying on the crew is hugely important. “You need team members that are just as dedicated to the sport, that turn up to training and are prepared.”
Shane recalls how he met his current rowing partner, Byron Arnold, “Others would make excuses not to train, but he and I made the decision that rowing comes first and that everything else is built around rowing .” The two men became quick friends and with the knowledge that they both had the time management, dedication and willingness to succeed, they decided to become partners in 2013.
Quintus now considers the club his home and the people his family. They are constantly relying on each other for support, reassurance and motivation as rowing is a sport that requires a high level of commitment.
Shane recalls spending countless days in the training room and out on the water, “Depending on how much natural ability you have, rowing certainly takes up a lot of your time, weekends, after school, after work, basically any free time you have you’re either rowing or training.”
“Personally, the best part of rowing is being out on the water on a really still day and you’re in the zone with the boat flying through the water.”
Shane Quintus
Additionally, Quintus loves the adrenaline rush that comes from the lead up to the race, and sitting on the starting line ready to go, knowing that all the time spent training will be expressed. Shane shares that medals and podiums are not what’s important to him, it’s the self-motivation and drive to do better after every performance that makes rowing so thrilling.
