Teen says his fast TSS rise is oarsome

MACKENZIE Branch didn’t make a crew in his second year of rowing.

Now he’s a member of The Southport School’s First VIII.

The 15-year-old is rowing above his years and is one of two Year 11s who have been selected in the school’s premier rowing crew.

“In Grade 9 I decided that I really wanted to take rowing seriously and have it as my main sport so I cracked down and went from there,” he said.

“Going from Year 10, where your coach and maybe a few other people were watching, to the First VIII, where you’re representing the greatest crew in the rowing shed, is very nerve racking.”

Branch has had to work hard to earn his place in the First VIII after never having raced in a sweep boat and never having raced more than 1500m before his debut last Saturday.

“Knowing that all the other boys had already had a year of sweep practice and I’ve only ever done quads was insane,” he said.

“Everyone else had spent a lot of hours in the gym but my body was nowhere near that so I had to work a lot on building up fitness and getting to the standard they needed me to be. “It was a huge jump.” Branch, who competes in triathlons to build fitness before each rowing season, comes from a family of rowers.

His dad has long volunteered for both TSS and St Hilda’s rowing sheds, and his sisters and cousin have represented their schools in the first division. The youngster has relished the opportunity to carry on the legacies. But he also hopes that TSS isn’t the only crew he represents.

“I’ve always wanted to go overseas with rowing,” he said.

“I want to (see) how far I can make it.”

Despite TSS finishing fifth at last weekend’s GPS regatta, Branch isn’t concerned.

“Now that we’ve seen how we’ve gone, we know what to work on,” he said.

“The competition is really intense and you have to challenge every part of yourself.”

TSS will return to Wyaralong Rowing Centre today for the second regatta of the GPS season.