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Feature: Simon Banwell on relocating to join the GB Rowing Team Start Programme

Simon and members of the Start Programme
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Natalie Broadbent 01 July 2010

While the Olympic Park takes shape and excitement builds around London 2012 preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro are underway.

The UK Talent Team (UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport), in partnership with GB Rowing and British Basketball launched Talent 2016: Tall and Talented in October 2009 in a bid to identify individuals from the British public, aged 15 to 22, over 180cm (female) or 190cm (male) tall, with the potential to be developed in time for Olympic glory at the 2016 Games. While height is no guarantee of success in the two targeted sports of rowing and basketball, it is certainly a good place to start when trawling the nation for otherwise hidden athletic potential.

Simon Banwell, 22, was one of 16 athletes to make it through two stages of testing and is due to join the GB Rowing Team Start Programme (sponsored by Siemens) in Cambridge in August. 35 other athletes from the second stage of testing will undergo a further assessment in August in a bid to gain a place on the Start programme.

It was Simon’s brother who first heard about the campaign.

“I heard about the "Tall and Talented" campaign through my twin brother who applied for it as well,” says Simon. “After hearing about it I was on the internet signing up for the first phase of testing.”

1500 applications were received for the initiative, and throughout January 2010 over 750 athletes attended and completed a phase one talent assessment in Bath, Gateshead, Loughborough, Stirling or London.

Simon tries out a sculling boat

“The first stage tests involved aerobic endurance, power, strength and agility assessments,” says Simon. “Stage 2 was a weekend in Nottingham at the National Water Sports Centre which involved the same tests and trying us all out in sculling boats. We had six weeks to train for the tests so it was a good opportunity for the coaches to see how much we had improved.”

After a rigorous selection process the team of coaches and talent identification scientists selected those with outstanding potential to take part in the next stage of the programme.

“I heard at the end of May that I got through the selection process and will be relocating to Cambridge,” says Simon. “I am extremely excited about the new challenge even though it means me leaving my job, selling my flat and leaving all my friends and family.”

Natalie Dunman, Talent Identification Scientist for the UK Talent Team, says: “The Tall and Talented rowing initiative was all about providing opportunities for those individuals who possess huge potential but may not have had the chance to connect with rowing earlier on in their sporting careers.

“Having the potential to be world class is one thing but actually developing that potential into world class performance is another which requires expert coaching, the right training environment, and outstanding determination and commitment, amongst other things.

“To give the athletes identified through Tall and Talented the best opportunity to develop their potential into performance some, such as Simon, are relocating to Start centres where they can access specialist coaching in the right training environments.”

Relocating as well as taking up a new sport is a big lifestyle change and so lots of support is put in place to assist the athletes through the process and make their transition as smooth as possible.

For many the move will mean being away from home for the first time.

Dunman says that support for the athletes starts early in the process: “The support started back at stage 2 of the assessment process when all athletes had an individual interview with a performance lifestyle expert to look at the most suitable future options available to them.

“The pathway to becoming an elite athlete involves many challenges and hard choices and relocation is one of those that almost all athletes will face at some stage during their careers."

Simon adds: “I’m a personal trainer at home so I’m hoping to find a similar job when I get to Cambridge. I’m also in the process of looking for accommodation with 2 other rowers who have been selected. I’m hoping to relocate in early August.”

Steve Gunn, GB Rowing Start Manager, says: "We are looking for the best talent to marry up with the best coaches.

"How the athletes handle relocating is very important. It is difficult and so we give them plenty of time and support; the Tall and Talented programme starts early so that the athletes have around three months to relocate."

Simon will join the rest of the Start programme training twice a day, seven days a week which he will fit around a part-time job.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I think I’ve got the potential, I’m confident; I think you have to be.”

Three athletes from the Start Programme competed in the Beijing Olympics (winning 2 medals) and currently approximately 30% (15 athletes) of the British team came from this programme.
Simon is hoping to follow in their footsteps.

“I had never rowed before apart from on the machines in the gym. I’ve always been inspired by the training for rowing; it’s one of the hardest to train for physically.

“My long term goal is making the GB team and getting into the 2016 Olympic squad and hopefully after six years of training this will be achievable.

“It’s a big commitment and it could all go wrong but at least I can say I gave it a go.”

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