Jess Eddie

For most rowers, winter training is something to dread as cold weather and long training sessions make for an unpleasant combination. So how do our British squad rowers deal with it? TEAMTALK asked Jess Eddie, one of the more experienced members of the women’s eights group.

The answer, it seems, lies partially with the training group’s sense of fun and family. “It’s such a fun group of people. We’re all based in London and to get to where we have, we basically all have the same frame of mind.

“The eights groups, for example, is basically my group of friends. I’ve been in it since 2005 and Tash [Natasha Page] and I have been rowing together for six years now.

“We’re away on camp so much so we get to know each other well, especially with the early mornings. We spend all day and all evening together. We don’t just talk about rowing. We know each other’s lives inside out. It’s like work colleagues who work together all day but then go out together in the evening, and can talk about work and other things too.

“I think even when I leave we’ll all still keep in touch. We’ve been so much a part of each other’s lives.”

Don’t you ever need some space? “We’re used to it so we hardly ever need space. I live with Annie [Vernon – of the women’s sculling group] and Carla [Ashford] lives next door.  We spend lots of time together because of our schedules. It’s a lot like rowing at university when you row with your friends all the time, except now it’s harder work! But everyone knows how to deal with each other.

“To me how the team behaves in downtime is as important as how you are on the water. Sometimes medals are won by points of a second. With that difference, everything counts. We just support each other. At the end of the day you want the people you race with to be as fast as possible because you might be sitting alongside them in Beijing.”

It all sounds cosy but with GB not qualifying a pair at Munich, surely there must be added pressure on the women eights group? “There is pressure, of course there is. But it’s not really affecting anything at this stage. I know there are two girls within our group, and several combinations, capable of qualifying a pair.”

“And of course we’re all pretty damned competitive. Just the other day me and Tash, who is one of my best friends, came off the water shouting at each other. But we try to leave things on the water. We go home and all have a cup of tea together.”

And for the women who medalled in the eight, the warm memory of Munich will help in the cold months ahead: “We had had quite an up and down season, so we were pretty pleased with it to be honest. It wasn’t a surprise for us. I remember really clearly warming up and we could hear the British national anthem playing. We suddenly realised it must be for the men’s lightweight four, and we knew we had trained a bit with them. We knew if they could do it then so could we. It was a huge boost.”

Jess stroked the boat. “It’s a bit of an ongoing joke actually. In 2005 I was only 20 and I said I wanted to stroke. Then earlier this year John [Keogh, the women’s eights coach] put me there and I got stranded there! We got to Munich and I was like, ‘er, I’m still here’. But I loved it, I love the pressure of that kind of situation, I find it brings out the best in me.”

Then, unsurprisingly, Jess returns the conversation, and the credit, to the eights group in general: “But with our group of girls I really think anyone could have stroked it.”

So what does Jess herself bring to the group? “In 2005 we did an anonymous squad poll about individual strengths and weaknesses and do you know what I got? Best entertainer! I would have thought my enthusiasm would have been highest: I’ve been doing it since I was six years old and I love it, I love racing. My enthusiasm drives me. But clearly the girls think the eight is powered, not by my physiology, but by my entertainment! Oh, and my stroking skills, too…!”

And with that, still laughing, Jess says goodbye and returns to her crewmates and friends for another cold and challenging winter session.