Many of the current students and Old Boys who have competed for Auckland Grammar School as part of the Rowing squad have taken part in the Learn to Row programme, a seven-month course designed to work with students and their other sporting endeavours to teach them the fundamentals of rowing. Senior rowers and coaches are always on hand to make sure students who are new to the sport maintain a good technique when using the erg machines.

Alongside fellow rower Miller Hawkesby '15, Jack Ready '14 also found his love and passion for rowing from this programme. "Rowing was completely new to me and I didn't know anyone involved in the sport, so I was drawn to it as something that provided a challenge and a chance to meet new friends."

Named as the Captain of Rowing and a School Prefect when he was in Form 7, Jack learned very early on that rowing is "the ultimate team sport" and that maintaining the physical strength and fitness necessary to drive the boat forward in the water - as well as good grades - involved planning and time management. "In order to row and do well academically, it is vital that you have a detailed plan for each week so that you know when any assessments or study needs to be completed as well as being able to train and compete to the best of your ability."

Jack had some great successes while a rower at the School. He received numerous medals at the prestigious Maadi Cup regatta (including one in the Under 18 Pair), he was selected for the Auckland Light Blues (a winter development camp for senior students) and the New Zealand Under 21 squad.

After leaving Grammar in 2018, Jack moved to Cambridge and has been enrolled full-time at the University of Waikato, studying a Bachelor of Business Studies, majoring in Finance and minoring in Agricultural Business and Supply Chain Management. His aim was to complete his degree by the end of 2021, but a rather important announcement in February has meant he will now split his final year of study over two years so he can concentrate on rowing.

Jack was named in the New Zealand Under 23 Rowing Squad, so all the early morning training sessions on the water, the days of missed school to compete in regional and national regattas, it was all worth it. "Making a team really makes all of the effort you have put in feel worth it. While making the team is an accomplishment in itself, it is very much the beginning of a whole lot of hard work to get the opportunity to compete on the world stage and win."

Jack is very proud to be a part of such a tight-knit rowing community and his greatest achievement in the sport to date is one that stands out the most. "At the 2021 New Zealand Rowing Championships, the Premier 8+ race was a new draft format and I was selected in one of the four Eight crews competing.

"Our crew won the Men's Premier 8+ event which meant I was presented with a Red Coat - this is only presented to winners of a premier event at a national event. It was amazing to both be presented with a Red Coat and get the opportunity to row in the same boat as some of the Elite NZ men."


Jack Ready '14 (far left) with his Red Coat

Because of current worldwide COVID-19 restrictions, the squad will be unable to compete at the World Championships in Europe. That doesn't faze Jack who is excited for what 2021 will bring. "The next 12 months will be an excellent opportunity to improve and get faster for the 2022 Under 23 World Champs." But the Olympics is the ultimate goal, "definitely something I am aiming to attend."

When Jack first started in the Learn to Row programme, he wasn't the strongest or the most athletic - "I could barely run 3km without stopping!" - but that did not stop him from joining and giving it a go. "You don't need to be super strong or athletic to start rowing, you can start at any year level and compete as a novice, competing against people who are also in their first year of the sport. So there is no excuse to not give it a go!"