‘Love the sport. Be part of a team. Have perspective.’ These 3 things allowed Debbie Flood to accomplish her greatest achievement: rowing for the GB team for over 15 years. With 3 gold World Championship medals and 2 Olympic silver medals around her neck, Debbie has experienced it all. Our Q&A consisted of questions ranging from how to overcome your weaknesses to creating the best culture within your rowing club. A true lover of rowing, Debbie Flood has so much to teach us, but the most important thing she left ingrained in me was that rowing is important, but life is bigger. We all want to win and be the best in our club, country, world but we can’t let our achievements define us.
10 years ago, she was the captain of Leander club but nowadays while continuing to live in Henley she devotes herself to her family and helps the women at Leander Club become the best version of themselves.
Love the sport. Be part of a team. Have perspective.
Debbie Flood
‘What is something that you did daily that allowed you to keep improving in the long-term?’ I asked, intrigued as to what she would say. ‘Smile,’ she immediately replied. When thriving or experiencing an obstacle, Debbie always tried to find something to smile about. She said, ‘There’s always something to be grateful for. Whether it’s being with your best mates or rowing into the tranquillity of the morning with the mist sitting on the water and the sunrise illuminating your way, every day I tried to smile because when you are tired everything seems that little bit harder.’ She emphasised on celebrating the little wins because ultimately it is all about the journey and we want to make this journey to achieving your goals as fun and thrilling as it can possibly be. Recognising that you will have some tough times but always ploughing through by finding something to be grateful will make you invincible to many setbacks.
Moving on to racing, I asked her what was one of her best and worst race performances and why was it so. Her eyes gleamed as she relayed her memory of the 2007 World Championships in Munich. ‘This was our best performance in the quad.’ Due to injury, the coaches had been forced to switch the combination so that Annie Vernon was at stroke during the heats. ‘This was a combination we had never raced in, so we did not know what to expect of the result. What we did know was that we would trust each other and leave everything out on the course. Usually, we know everything about our competition and even before the race we have an understanding of their tactics and rhythm. But switching the combination so last minute, erased that and this allowed us to focus on our performance and getting the most out of each other rather than focusing on the result and the expectation of us winning.’ Debbie’s quad completely dominated their heat and went on to win the final.
We all experience pressure to perform to the standard that we are expected. This is beneficial and healthy towards your performance only to the point where it starts becoming detrimental towards it. ‘It’s all about finding the balance,’ she said as we moved on to her worst race performance. ‘The 2011 World Championships in Bled. Qualifying year for the 2012 Olympic games. We were under a lot of pressure to win and qualify. We had been expected to win the heat but panicked and let the pressure get on top of us. We had been so worried about what everyone else was doing that we forgot about what we were there to do. We lost confidence in ourselves and in our crew.’
Stress is a subconscious thing that many of us feel like we can’t control. But there are so many things that one can do. Especially if it relates to race day. Routine. Train how you want to race. And breathe. When you’re on the start line and you feel your heartbeat rise, rise, rising, you need to breathe. ‘Over time you learn to manage your nerves. Working out what you need and telling your teammates what you do and don’t need takes time, but you need to be confident enough to know what you need to race as well as possible and allow your mind to translate what you want into actuality.’
When you’re on the start line and you feel your heartbeat rise, rise, rising, you need to breathe
Culture. How do you create the best rowing culture? When asked, Debbie quite simply responded, ‘input into your culture what you want to see. Be a leader and set an example that others can follow by working hard and well with your teammates and coaches, communicating and being the one to change your culture for the better. A culture flourishes when everyone within that culture adds something towards it. Be that person to make the change.’ While it is easier said than done, there is always something we can do to inspire those around us, whether that be being a role model or just simply being kind. We all want to train in a culture that thrives, but many of us forget that we are the ones in control. Be the first person to make the change and inspire others to follow you in the process.
Since I started rowing my goal has always been to represent my country. If this is also you, here is what Debbie has to say: ‘Be the best you can be; that’s all you can do. Be proactive. Learn from others. Target your weaknesses. Know that it will not be a linear progression but know exactly what you need to do to achieve what you want to achieve. Communicate with your coaches and clarify exactly what you need to do to complete your goals. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We need each other to improve.’
One of Debbie’s biggest strengths was being fearless of others. ‘I was confident. I loved racing. I was not afraid of ergs or other people. This lack of fear to racing helped me achieve what I was capable of.’ With a PB of 6:36 for a 2k, and being 5 foot 9, Debbie’s attitude proved to be the reason for her successes. Her confidence and enthusiasm to race whoever, whether they’d be Olympic champions or faster than her, allowed her to reach her potential. She went out with the attitude to beat everyone.
Be the best you can be; that’s all you can do. Be proactive. Learn from others. Target your weaknesses.
Debbie Flood
Many of us feel intimidated and put off by other athletes who have beaten us before, always using excuses to explain why we lost. Debbie, however, shows us something that we can learn. If we ever want to beat someone, we need to go into that race believing that we can beat them if not the race is already lost before it has even begun.
Rowing is hard, but not impossible. If you want to be the best that you can be, you must be patient and grateful. But most importantly, you must enjoy the journey. As Debbie rightly said, ‘It’s all about the journey and enjoying the little wins.’
I hope this interview inspired you to go out there and change your culture for the better, become a role model for others and be the best that you can be.
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