Rower preparing for big couple of years.
Growing up on a dryland cropping and cattle farm near Coolatai, Lucy Coleman didn’t spend much time on the water.
It wasn’t until the now World Cup 2 silver medallist began high school at St Hilda’s on the Gold Coast that she picked up an oar and began a career in rowing.
“I don’t even think I knew what it was or if it really crossed my mind to be honest, not too much water out that way,” Coleman said.
“I just went down for the learn to row in year eight and had a crack. I thought ‘this is pretty different. It is fun, we will see how it goes’ and I just fell in love with it.”
A lover of every sport, she ultimately chose rowing.
And it’s proved fruitful for the 24-year-old.
She’s worn the green and gold for Australia at World Cup and World Championship events, and earlier this year, alongside scull partner Anneka Reardon, rowed her way to silver in the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls Final in Poland.
Coleman admitted she was lucky enough to go to a school with the capability of having a rowing program which planted the seed.
She made the First VIII for the school when she was in year 10 and kept her spot for her final three years.
Outside of school, Coleman began single sculling. At the end of year 12, her talent was evident and she opted to pursue it.
She jetted off to college in Oklahoma in America for rowing and to study mechanical engineering but it wasn’t quite what she wanted.
“I actually loved my degree, I was doing mechanical engineering but I wasn’t loving the rowing so much.
“It was a lot of sweeping, a lot in eights. I thought ‘I love rowing but I wasn’t sure if this big boat scene is for me’.
“So I transferred my degree to the University of Sydney.”
“I think that was the turning point where I was like ‘I want to take rowing as far as I can. I really want to make the Australian team.'”
“That became a very clear goal at that point.”
She rowed at the Sydney University rowing club and was then invited to perfect her craft at the Hancock Prospecting Women’s National Training Centre in Penrith. It’s the base for the best of the best.
Coleman’s parents still run the farm near Coolatai but she doesn’t get back as much as she would like thanks to a busy training schedule and overseas competition.
But she’s hoping the sacrifices are worth it.
