Crunch time for Hill and 2012 cox spot
It is funny how things work out sometimes. Take Phelan Hill, for example, who stands on the verge of coxing the Great Britain men’s eight at this year’s Olympics in London.
As a 16-year-old, he took up the role simply to help out some of his Bedford School friends due to being sidelined by another sporting injury.
It was something he enjoyed so much that he carried on doing it, paving the way for a rowing career that has seen him competing on the global stage.
And Hill admits that at times it seems “a bit surreal” knowing that he could well be battling it out for Olympic glory in July when he looks back on how it all started.
“I couldn’t really do much so it was a case of helping someone out, and if I had thought about it then I don’t think that I would still be involved in the sport now or actually be at this point where I am now,” he explained.
“Through the years rowing has defined my life in a way, rather than rowing fitting around my life it’s the other way around.
“It can be a lonely role at times, but at the same time I find it an incredibly rewarding experience.
“One of the prime objectives is to steer the boat – you’ve got to take it straight – and on top of that you’re thinking about the tactics and really it’s bringing harmonisation to the crew.
“I always think of it as being like a racing car driver; the athletes are almost like the finely tuned engine, but then sometimes the engine slightly misfires and isn’t timed right, so that’s where the input is and why I’m there.
“It’s about trying to bring people closer together and harmonising what we’re focusing on, having that feel for the boat and saying to the coaches, ‘visually, it looks right, but it’s not right through the finish’. If something goes wrong you’re always the first one to be blamed as well.”
The build-up to this year’s games has seen Great Britain’s M8+ crew take silver in the 2010 and 2011 World Rowing Championships, with old rivals the Germans pipping them to the gold on both occasions.
There have also been some strong showings in the World Cup series, although Hill conceded it was still disappointing to finish second again and by a slightly wider margin.
The Australian and Canadian teams are also threats to Britain’s hopes of gold, but the 32-year-old does not believe that it will take much to overcome their rivals.
He said: “I always think our programme is designed to build through the years and this year, as a result, we will be the strongest.
“Personally, I think the crews like the Germans and the Australians don’t have much more to give; their personnel are quite fixed and the speed we have seen from them is the speed they have got.
“On the other hand, I think we have actually got a lot more speed to come. Undoubtedly there will be some changes in personnel that will bring a bit of freshness to it, and on the whole we’re in pretty positive shape. There is a really strong rivalry that dates back quite a bit of time and certainly the last three or four years it has been us or the Germans.
“We tend to turn up at the same regattas and we always seem to be on the podium together and that rivalry has really intensified.
“We’ve got to know the guys a bit more now because we always see them, but it’s us standing in silver and them standing in gold, so we’ll have to change that around this year.”
It is difficult to get away from the Olympics with less than six months to go before it starts, but between now and then there are still three World Cup events, with the first in Belgrade in May.
The upcoming Olympic test event at the Eton Dorney venue will also give the GB team a chance to perform in front of their home crowd, with Hill particularly looking forward to racing in front of his friends and family.
Nevertheless, he is well aware that his place in the team for the Olympics is by no means guaranteed and he is aiming to make sure that he secures the cox spot.
Hill said: “There are some other really good coxes who are still going for the seat. There are some guys who have previously been to the Olympics and have won medals there and at the world championships.
“Those guys are exceptionally good, so at this stage my view on things is that I’m certainly not safe until I’m sitting on the start line at the final when they can’t actually get me out of the seat.”
