Ahead of the inaugural Youth Boat Race on Tuesday 26th March, we caught up with Nicholas Pritchard a PE Teacher and Rowing coach at Kensington Aldridge Academy School, who is preparing his students for this exciting event.
Kensington Aldridge Academy (KAA) is an co-educational secondary state school with academy status in North Kensington, London. Opened in September 2014 the school and local community was devastated by the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.
KAA has been rowing from Fulham Reach Boat club and will feature in mixed octuples in the first race against local rivals Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School. Here is what Coach Nick had to say about his journey into coaching and preparations for The Youth Boat Race.
How did you get into rowing and what makes it special as a sport?
I got into rowing in school when I was 15 years old, honestly, I didn’t really enjoy it for the first year as I was always scared of falling in. I found a love for it once I started to understand the technique and what makes the boat move faster, the feeling of moving in a boat with my best friends took me out of whatever stress I was feeling that day.
The peace that this sport gave me became even more important in my life when my mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer, the community and fulfilment that rowing gave me was essential, not just as a distraction from my anxiety but as a safe environment to practice resilience. My mum understood how important the sport was and pushed me to compete at the highest level I could, a few months after she passed away, I won gold for the junior GB team at Munich Regatta, the memories and coping skills rowing gave me makes it a special sport and something I want to try and help other people access.
How have you found starting your first role teaching and coaching rowing at KAA?
I was anxious at first trying to figure out exactly how I was going to upgrade rowing at KAA. Now, with a lot of help from friends I have made in the rowing community, It is clearer to me as to how I am going to embed a rowing culture in this school. Luckily, the students and school are very on board and I already see the impact rowing is having on them in every session we do.
What does it mean to the young rowers to have an event like the Youth Boat Race to compete in?
Most of these students have never raced on the water before, they are nervous and excited about their performance which is normal but I think on the day they will realise that the event is about so much more than winning or losing.
I am looking forward to seeing them experience this event, develop their understanding a lot more about rowing and the biggest rowing event in the world, the Boat Race, which takes place on the doorstep. In my experience there has never been an event like this before, so for them it is an incredible opportunity to take part in the inaugural Youth Boat Race.
How have preparations at KAA been going for the Youth Boat Race?
Honestly, it could have been better!
I think all the crews competing have been met with bad water conditions in the lead up to this race, however, what makes this event so special for a school like ours is the fact that all the crews competing have relatively the same level of experience and it’s a chance for them to experience the magic of The Boat Race at a time when they are starting their journey into rowing.
What do you hope the rowers will take away from the experience?
I think they will learn a lot about what it takes to race, both the students and myself will take these lessons to meet our training with more intent and the value of planning and preparation. These are all useful life lessons and a good learning opportunity ahead of the summer of exams these students will face. Most of all, I think we will also gain some special memories as this event is the first of it’s kind and, for many of the students, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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