NSW Australian Athletes - Nick Baxter

Athlete Tracker: Nick Baxter

The path to sporting glory is not always an easy journey and while the expression ‘persistence pays off’ is common rhetoric, it is often much harder to stick around when things don’t always work, especially in such a demanding sport such as rowing. For Nick Baxter, the path towards Beijing has been filled with mixed experiences — from surprising success in qualifying the four in 2003, Olympic reserve in 2004, reserve 2005, and illness the following year. It seems that it has taken until this year for him to reap his well-deserved rewards, as a member of the Australian men’s four. Writing to me from Switzerland where they are currently training, Nick tells of the men’s sweep training, racing in the Amsterdam World Cup, and the excitement of racing at Henley. Nick really proves that a combination of persistence and a love for the sport could be the key to success.

The senior A team is going on slightly different tours, with the men’s sweep going overseas twice. Do you think that this is the best lead-up for the Worlds?

With the Olympics being in China next year the team is going to be forced to do the same kind of thing next year, but obviously the second tour will be to China rather than back to Europe. Doing the double tour this year means we can have a practice run and iron out any possible problems for next year. The double tour also gives us a much better opportunity to get more racing in, being in Australia we don’t get the same opportunity to race as most of the Europeans and any racing we can get is always a bonus.

How have you found relocating to Canberra despite the entire four including coach are from Sydney?

It has been good being in Canberra training with the rest of the sweep team, particularly with people such as James Tompkins. It would have been nice to come back to Sydney and train but it just one of those things you have to do.

Considering that not everyone can make it into a centralised program, how do you compare a centralised squad to club training?

The centralised system has some distinct advantages such as the ability to row with people from other states and the great facilities in Canberra. In all it is probably a better way to squeeze as much speed as possible from the group. The big down side is the fact you are away from loved ones and friends and the club atmosphere is lost. Clubs are much more enjoyable to train from and are more relaxed but the end goal is boat speed so the centralised system becomes pretty valuable.

You were the reserve for the Olympics in 2004, how have you changed your approach for the 2008 Olympics?

The main changes I have made are to move to Canberra to row in the centralised system and to spend a couple of seasons in the single scull in an attempt to break some bad habits. Hopefully they both work, I am sure we will find out in February next year.

You are racing your four tandem-rigged i.e., two bowsiders in the middle. For those who have less experienced in fours, how is this different to row?

The tandem is essentially the same when it comes to boat feel however there are some advantages in the timing between the 2 and 3 seat and the way the boat runs. The tandem shifts the forces in the boat so it naturally runs a little straighter and the bow man is more able to apply more force without turning the boat, thus resulting in a little more boat speed (hopefully).

What do you think your crew’s biggest strength is?

Our attitudes. All of us have a huge desire to win. We realise we have a lot of work to do in order to be competitive and we are all really driven to do that work and get the results.

You finished the World Cup in 8^th position, which is better than the eight. How prepared did you feel for the racing?

We all felt a little underdone. We hadn’t done much speed work in the lead in to the regatta and the effects of jetlag and long haul travel took their toll. We have been happy with the technical ability of the crew and realise we need to move into racing mode to greater effect for both Henley and the final World Cup in Lucerne. Despite the fact we are happy with the technical abilities of the crew we also realise we need to continue to improve and refine our action. The competition in the four is very strong and any improvements we can make are going to be really important.

Did you feel as though the crew improved as the racing went on?

Definitely, we learnt from the mistakes of each race and continued to get back into racing mode. The main focus for all the regattas is to learn more about how we race and what we can do to go faster and faster and it is important to improve from race to race and improve our results.

You are also about to race at Henley, is this the first time for you and how does the prestige of Henley compare to the Worlds?

I raced in a club eight at Henley in 1998. It was my first international rowing tour. Since 1998 I have been really keen to get back to Henley. The regatta is like no other, the people and the atmosphere makes for an amazing week. The prestige of Henley is a little different to Henley and many world champions go for years searing for an elusive Henley medal. I hope we come away from Henley with some silverware but it is still the world championships that hold the real prestige.

What is the crew’s feeling about the fact that you will race the Great Britain four, which has won the last 27 races they have competed in?

The GB four is a really strong crew and competing against them will be a huge challenge. They have managed to win a lot of races but haven’t been able to get these wins without working for them. Our aim is to be competitive with the GB four (and all the other fours) and really take them to the line.

What are you looking forward to the most?

Good results.

What do you get most nervous about?

Good results.

Is there anything that you hope to change from now until Munich?

Our consistency through the race and our composure coming into the line (amongst many other things)

What do you love most about rowing?

Racing. We spend so much time training and so little time racing. Every time I race I love the battle, even in the local club regattas the feeling is the same.

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