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How National Schools Regatta shaped an Olympic and an U23 Champion

Fergus Mainland sat down with 2024 Olympic Champion Lola Anderson and triple U23 World Champion Miles Beeson to discuss how their first taste of championship competition shaped their journey to the international stage

“I remember feeling very nervous and very, very excited because I was proud to represent my school in the championship category.”

In 2015, Lola Anderson was lining up on the start line for the final of the Girls Championship Quads at the National Schools’ Regatta. Fast forward nine years and she’s doing the same thing on the grandest stage of them all ahead of the Olympic final at Vaires-sur-Marne.

“It was not every day at that point in my rowing career that I felt like I was in an elite section of rowing. So that National Schools’ was my first representation at championship level,” said the Surbiton High School alumni.

“What we did well as a boat then, and what I try to do at the senior international level, is to enjoy sport and the raw process of rowing.” – Lola Anderson

“The advice they gave me, not necessarily through words but through experiences, was to enjoy it and to enjoy the passion that you have for sport and not get too focussed on what the outcome would be.

“That year, we were ambitious and we were trying to get a medal but I can’t really remember any of my coaches or teammates putting that pressure or stress on myself or us as a crew.”

Surbiton kicked off their competition placing third in the time trial. Later in the day, they would back up that performance with second place in their semi-final behind Marlow Rowing Club before securing an outstanding bronze medal to finish off their day in style.

For Lola, a lot of similarities can be drawn between some of those races at junior level, and racing against the best rowers from across the globe at an Olympics or World Championships.

“What we did well as a boat then, and what I try to do at the senior international level, is to enjoy sport and the raw process of rowing.”

Three years later when NSR had moved to Dorney Lake, Miles made the long trip south to the venue that hosted the London 2012 Olympic Games. For a crew from Scotland, racing in the eight for the Child Beale Cup was the objective, with his pair and Robert Powell as an addition to the main project.

After finishing in an agonising fourth place in the eight on Saturday, attention turned to the small boat racing the next day. The two Scots led from start to finish in their final against a star-studded lineup of athletes.

“Winning that event was something no one from my club had been able to do before so we were very excited to be able to do that. Looking back on the people we were racing, they’ve all gone on to do really impressive things in the sport, explained Beeson, who went on to row at Yale University.

Enniskillen Royal Grammar School’s Odhran Donaghy and Nathan Timoney would take silver with the former winning the Temple Challenge Cup in 2022 and Timoney racing to sixth place for Ireland at last year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the pair. Cast your eyes to the bronze medallists and you’ll find Walton Rowing Club’s Matt Heywood himself also a Temple Challenge Cup winner and 2022 U23 World Champion.

Miles continued, “I think being able to say that you’re number one in the country is something that gives you a lot of confidence. It’s a very addictive feeling, and it’s something you want to feel again, you get a huge amount of pride from it.

“Whatever event you win, whether it’s the J14 octos or one of the champ events, they are all fiercely competitive.”

“The spectacle of all the tents and the noise that erupts from the 1km mark and sometimes even before that is unlike a lot of the very top-level races that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of.” – Miles Beeson

For both Miles and Lola, one of the standout memories from racing wherever NSR was held was the sheer volume of spectators who packed out the banks of the lake. From Surbiton to Scotland, and everywhere in between, friends, family and teammates created an incredibly special racing environment.

“I feel like in some ways, it’s better [than international events],” said Lola.

“The older you get and the more serious these regattas get, sometimes it’s quite hard to travel out and watch these races. When you’re racing in front of everyone’s friends and family, anyone and everyone who is cheering is solely passionate about the clubs, the children, and the environment that they are trying to make fun.”

“The spectacle of all the tents and the noise that erupts from the 1km mark and sometimes even before that is unlike a lot of the very top-level races that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of,” said Miles in agreement.

Both Lola and Miles are very proud to see the next generation of athletes coming through their respective home clubs. While Lola returned to Surbiton after her time at Newcastle University to coach, Miles was able to watch on as his brother, Alexander, win not just the J14 quads but also the J15 and J16 coxed fours.

“I think being able to race an event like that was very special and something I feel very proud to look back on and say I was able to do that,” concluded Miles.

All racing will be available to watch on the NSR livestream

You can watch both Miles and Lola race at the European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria from 29 May to 1 June. Racing will be live-streamed on www.worldrowing.com