For three years, Simone Archer was up well before dawn to take her son Matthew to rowing. She would sit in the car and snooze or do some work online. Weekends were spent volunteering at regattas, never imagining in a few short years she would be on the water herself, mastering a notoriously difficult sport with a group of like-minded women.
Fast-forward and Simone is now part of a group of females who beat the odds to become accomplished Masters Rowers. In November 2022, her team, the Flying Swans, travelled to Melbourne and won silver behind a group of hand-picked elite Australians in the 3.5km Melbourne Head Regatta.
The average age of the women is 54, and is made up of mums, career women, business owners and a grandmother-of-nine.
“There is nothing like having a group of supportive friends who love hanging out and learning together,” says Simone, 58. “It has been so empowering to lift other people up and feel that support back from others too. You don’t always get that in other areas of your life.”
Getting a crew together was the wild dream of the only experienced rower, Fiona Trevelyan, who convinced a group of mums she had met while volunteering at their children’s regattas to try the sport for themselves. After a Learn to Row course at the North Shore Rowing Club, the Flying Swans were on their way.
The Flying Swans (back row, from left) Catrina Scott, Emma Grant, Morven Booth, Megan Henderson and Sheree Wellington. Sitting, from left: Kath Johnson, Fiona, Claudia Mansell,
Jackie and Simone.
“It was an ambitious idea – a group of middle-aged women taking on this dream really was a leap of faith,” says Fiona, 57.
But the risk has paid off, with the team agreeing the experience has been life- changing.
“Before I took up rowing, I was overweight, always tired and work was a priority,” tells Simone. “Now I’m almost the weight I was in my thirties, and I feel stronger in mind and body. I plan to row for as many years as my body will allow.”
Jackie Quinlan-Dorbeck, 62, is a mum-of-six, five of whom rowed, and a grandmother-of-nine, and says the improved fitness has had a dramatic impact.
“I noticed a dip in my back down the spine,” she recalls. “I thought my back was sinking as I got older, but it turns out my spine isn’t deteriorating with age, it’s the muscles building up on each side.”
The ambitious women are unanimous that increased fitness and more energy have been fantastic benefits, but they rate the camaraderie, pride in themselves and strong friendships they have made as even more important. There has also been great joy in seeing how proud their children are of their achievements.
“When you’re in a crew, you can’t sit back,” explains Simone, who’s learned to push her physical and mental limits beyond what she believed was possible. “You can’t let your teammates down. I’ve felt the pressure of getting out of my comfort zone and in our team, there have been some tears but no tantrums. We are a very supportive group.
“We were all beset by insecurity when we started. The first time I rowed, although the boat bucked around and the blades weren’t synchronised, it was exhilarating. The sensation of nine crew members working together and mastering the art of rowing in a beautiful location is almost spiritual.”
However, not all rows go well. “I’ve been tipped out of the boat, which I thought would be my worst nightmare, and once a giant stingray took us by surprise and attacked the hull,” laughs Simone.
She admits her non-rowing girlfriends think she’s crazy for waking at 5am to train, but this hasn’t deterred her.
“Even in winter, when it’s cold, wet and dark, there is something special about being on the water and seeing the sun come up. If I hadn’t discovered rowing, I would have missed out on so many of these experiences.”
And those early mornings paid off when the Flying Swans crossed the finish line to take out silver in the Female Masters Coxed Eights in Melbourne.
The team in action in Melbourne.
“Just getting to Melbourne was a mission and we were so thrilled with our effort,” tells Simone, adding while the team has mostly coached themselves, they’ve also benefitted from the advice and support from Chris Brake, the father of rowing Olympian Michael Brake, and other Masters from North Shore.
“We knew it would be very competitive and we thought we were just there to get experience, so to come second to a hand-picked crew of elite rowers was amazing.”
Simone encourages other women to step out of their comfort zone and give rowing or another sport a go.
“If you ever have the opportunity to try something that you haven’t even considered before, just do it. What can go wrong? If it doesn’t fly, just find something else because life’s too short.”
To have a go at rowing, contact your local club and ask about their Learn to Row Programme.
