Lucy Spoors
Lucy Spoors has dedicated her life to the sport of rowing since the age of 17 when shemoved up to Cambridge in her last year of High School and has never left.This was adecision that she has later regretted and wished she had enjoyed her time in Christchurch for longer before being fully committed to Professional Rowing. Spoor’s patience had been tested in her early years, with not being able to crack into the elite New Zealand squad. Lucy eventually made the transition and found herself as a member of the Quad sculls crew in their bid to secure a spot at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Having not securing their spot in the games the previous season, the Quad found themselves heading to the ‘Regatta of Death’ needing a top two finish. Fully confident that they were going to qualify, however on race day, things didn’t go to plan and had missed their last opportunity by finishing third.
Every day since High School had been dedicated to reaching the Olympics and it had come down to that six minutes. This was devastating for Lucy who was not sure how she was going to be able to pick herself up from this moment. The next year was a roller-coaster ride of emotions with winning and also wanting to quit, but something inside was still burning to not give up on her dream and thought she had come too far to give up now. With the pool of talent that Rowing New Zealand had, they were keen to create a Women’s Eight crew. This meant a switch from sculling to sweeping and straight away Lucy had a new focus and being a part of a bigger crew suited Lucy, who initially thought she would not enjoy it as much. An embarrassing showing at the 2018 World Championships with not even reaching the final was the wake-up call the women needed. They were determined to make amends the following year and not only won New Zealand’s first Women’s Eight World Championship but also secure a spot for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Lucy is now one step closer to realising her dream of winning an Olympic Gold medal. In this episode, Lucy opens up to host, Logan, about how she was actually feeling during her lowest moments; talks about how she regrets committing to Rowing too early; realising that she is addicted to the challenge of how Rowing tests her everyday; how the ‘Regatta of Death’ was the ultimate test; the year she was either winning or wanting to quit; how Lucy defines her success; the keys to building trust within a team; the feeling of finally qualifying for her first Olympics; The crucial role of the coxswain and shares advice for young rowers and athletes starting off in their sporting careers. Spoors journey of being a professional rower has come with a number of moments that has tested her strength as a person. She has managed to push herself through these times to gain valuable wisdom that she shares through this podcast.
Chapters
Covid lockdown period/Everyday on the Erg (3:51)
Childhood/Family influences/Why Rowing (6:59)
Transferring High Schools to row full-time (10:08)
Studying/Training/Living in Cambridge “The Sporting hub” (14:25)
First taste at the Elite World Championships/Choosing the right boat (17:00)
A usual training week for an Elite rower (20:24)
"Addicted to the challenge" - Lucy's Why (23:42)
Choosing the most random places in the World for Rowing Regattas (27:01)
Was there a time you wanted to give up? Not being able to break into the Elite women (29:57)
“Regatta of Death” missing out on Rio Olympic spot – Lucy’s lowest point (33:47)
How do you define success? (43:28)
Switching boats into the Eight – going from sculling to sweeping (48:05)
2018 World Championship Nightmare (50:45)
How do Olympic Rowers fund their careers (52:14)
Training for four years for the Olympics - What happens if you wake up feeling terrible? (55:13)
Pre race routine for Lucy and the Eight? (57:45)
How to build trust within a team (59:36)
The feeling of qualifying for the Olympics (1:00:43)
The role of the coxswain on a women’s rowing Eight (1:03:58)
How has Covid 19 change the preparations for the Olympics in 2021 (1:07:42)
Advice do you have young rowers and athletes (1:11:49)
Who is Lucy outside of Rowing? Where she will be in 10 years time? (1:15:18)
Rapid Fire Question (1:18:18)