Recently local rower, Ethan Davis was selected as part of the NSW Mens Country Pathway Eights team. Ethan traveled to Sydney where he competed at the interstate regatta on April 23-24 at the Sydney International Rowing Centre. 

The NSW Pathway Program has a specific goal of identifying and developing talented athletes and supporting them through the development pathway to achieve podium potential, with the ultimate goal being Olympic gold. 

Rowing NSW helped to fund the trip, which exposed Ethan and his seven crewmates to high performance training, competition and new friendships. On the final night, the boys attended a team dinner with all the other competing states. They heard from both high level coaches and previous pathways athletes, who had gone on to represent Australia.

As Ethans coach, I was also fortunate to attend the regatta and further develop my coaching knowledge and experience. Rowing NSW development officer, Alan Bennett, was the main instigator for the NSW country team and also happened to be one of my coaches when I rowed at Sydney University, so this was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and coaches.

The NSW Country boys crew finished 2nd in the B final, an outstanding result with very limited time for training as a crew. The regatta was also run concurrently with the Australian Underage Selection Regatta, which highlights the elite level that the program aspires to. 

This was a fantastic opportunity for Ethan to be a part of and his selection in such a high level program shows the potential he has to pursue rowing at an elite level and his promising future.

Kylie Duff