Bosworth sits down with the big boys
Waipara’s Sam Bosworth is looking forward to a busy summer after moving into the top level of rowing.
Bosworth has been named as a coxswain in the Rowing New Zealand elite summer squad at the high performance centre at Lake Karapiro until February.
The 22-year-old hopes to go on to claim selection for next year’s world championship campaigns at the helm of the men’s eight, a selection that would put him on a much bigger journey.
This summer is the start of the next four-year Olympic cycle.
That means taking a seat in the elite boats next year is the first and significant step along his path to his ‘‘ultimate goal ‘‘, the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
His call up to the top ranks follows a good year calling the shots in the U23 boats.
He coxed the men’s U23 four to victory in the world champs in Rotterdam, which he calls the highlight of his sporting career so far.
‘‘We trusted our rhythm and our race plan and were able to work our way through the field and managed to pull through with gold,’’ Bosworth said.
‘‘It was a pretty exciting race to cox.’’
After the camp, Bosworth will cox for the Southern RPC at the National Championships in February under the watchful eye of the national selectors.
‘‘Following the champs is the trial for the elite squad so hopefully I can put my hand up.’’
The globe-trotting sportsman is set to finish his degree in environmental planning at Lincoln University, where last month he was named the Sportsperson of the Year, in 2017.
Bosworth started rowing while attending Christ’s College and has moved from the cox’s seat to the coaching boat there.
As coxswain he doesn’t do the grunt work, his job is to maintain rhythm, steer the boat and other technical parts – including avoiding being deadweight.
‘‘The minimum for men is 55kg and you wouldn’t want to race much heavier than that or you potentially affect your crew.
‘‘I must have a good metabolism because I don’t really struggle with it.’’
Fellow North Canterbury rowers Rio Olympians Eve Macfarlane and Alex Kennedy, are among the 56 athlete in Cambridge this summer, while Holly Greenslade was selected but is taking some time out of rowing.