Raynsford forced into retirement

She burst onto the adaptive rowing singles scene in 2006 and became a World Champion in her first ever international race. Helene Raynsford of Great Britain has retired from a short, but illustrious, rowing career.

Raynsford, 30, is the current Paralympic Champion in the arms and shoulders women’s single sculls (ASW1x) but earlier this year cardiac problems forced her to give up the sport that she has come to love.

Raynsford talked to World Rowing about her time as a rower and her retirement.

World Rowing: How did you first get involved in rowing?
Helene Raynsford: I was at Dorney Lake (2012 Olympic rowing venue) for work in May 2005 and it happened to be the same time as the Rowing World Cup that year. I had not seen rowing live before. After my work event I wandered down to the lake, came across some British adaptive rowing athletes and asked them how they managed to row. I went along to one of their clubs and had a go as a bit of cross training outside of the basketball season, but I had no intention of competing at first. The club convinced me to go to a regatta at the end of summer 2005 telling me I didn’t have to row very far and sold it to me as a fun weekend away. They lied... I had to row 1km when it was only my sixth time in a boat and I had to wear Lycra. Coming from wearing a baggy jersey in basketball, that was a shock! It was just as well they had convinced me to go as it changed my feelings towards rowing and where I wanted to go with it. 
 
WR: Do you remember what you thought of the sport after your first row?
HR: It was a long time ago now but I guess that I enjoyed it as it was a beautiful lake and I kept going back.

WR: Did you start off thinking you wanted to be a competitive rower, or did you look at it as more recreational?
HR: I started out doing it for fun. I would paddle a bit and take in the scenery. I had no intention of competing, but my first regatta changed that. I was very slow, but I was gripped by the buzz and vibe of a regatta environment. At the end of the summer I returned to basketball but I missed rowing hugely and in January 2006 I decided I wanted to aim for the World Rowing Championships in 2006.

WR: Did you always row in the single?
HR: I have always been in a single but have been in a double once for a bit of fun at my local rowing club in Guildford.

WR: Can you tell me the hardest rowing practice that you ever had?
HR: I think some of the hardest training sessions were before Beijing (Paralympic Games) when we were on camp in Banyoles in Spain. They were tough camps and when you have been away from home for a while, you are absolutely exhausted. You have to keep focused on the end goal and give everything to the next training session. I had a mantra before Beijing that helped me keep focused: “How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I am committed to?”

WR: What in your body hurts most when you’re racing 1000m?
HR: After racing I do not remember feeling much pain in the race, just extreme exhaustion. My perception of pain is altered owing to my disability which enables me to push myself, but that can also be quite dangerous. I suppose my equivalent is I lose my hand grip when I race hard and I especially struggle if it is raining, hence I was wearing poogies (gloves) in the heats in Beijing. It was pouring with rain, but winning was more important than looking daft!

WR: What is the most awkward thing about rowing?
HR: Repeatedly being sick before, throughout and after my Beijing medal ceremony in front of international media!

WR: Which race are you most proud of in your career?
HR: I think it was at a race in Banyoles, Spain, in February 2008. The men’s arms and shoulders single crews from Great Britain, Spain and France were racing, and I took part as the only woman. Following coming fifth in Munich I looked at every part of my training and life outside training and made a lot of changes. This was the first test if the plan was working. I went quicker than the world best time set in Munich and although we still had a huge amount of work to do over the next seven months it was a huge boost to me and my support team and a happy memory.

WR: When you worked on technique did you look to other adaptive rowers or did you learn off able bodied rowers?
HR: Before Beijing I looked to some of the Olympic crews, the British women’s double coach Miles Forbes Thomas taught me a lot about the shape of the stroke from videos of his crew and I would watch Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter in the lightweight double sculls too.

WR: I understand that health concerns have caused you to retire. Could you explain what this means? Is there a chance that you will be able to row again in the future?
HR: I became increasingly tired in the months before Beijing but we all thought it was because it was the end of the season. About 100m to go before I crossed the line in my Beijing final I knew something was wrong, as I felt absolutely terrible and I was unwell for two days after racing. In early 2009 I started to become unwell in the same way more frequently after training and my support team started testing me to try to find out what was going on. I was referred to ‘Cardiac Risk in the Young’ and I was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia. I was forced to take the rest of the 2009 season off as I had to get my heart well again. I have been unwell in the past but always got better and at this stage I did not consider for one moment that I would have to give up the sport I love.

I started re-introducing my heart to training in September 2009 but I could not manage the volume of training needed and I kept getting unwell. We tried everything we possibly could because if I was going to give up on my 2012 dream, I had to be able to watch the final in 2012 and not think ‘what if?’ It was an incredibly difficult decision to retire but after being ill for a year there comes a point when your health has to come first. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t miss the focus and drive for perfection, having spent my school years at the Royal Ballet School, the buzz of a physical performance is a big part of the person I am.

As for returning to racing, I would be lying if I said there is not a part of me that still dreams of being able to race on home waters in 2012. The reality is I am unlikely to suddenly get better. The cardiac drugs make me tired and to make up the performance lost even without the heart problem would be cutting it fine, so the chances are honestly next to none. That said, if you cannot have a dream, then what are we all living for?! I have not been in a scull since I retired, but three months on I am feeling much better and I am back on the water paddling in a kayak. The last year has been very hard but the same support team who were there with me throughout the journey to winning in Beijing were also the ones there helping me when it all went wrong last year. On the days when I feel down about it I have to remember: “12 outwardly fit and healthy young people die every week in the UK from undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmias.” So actually I am very lucky, and if it was not for my support team, then I could have been adding to that statistic.

I now hope to return to my career in Public Health and I am currently doing a post-graduate degree in Human Neuroscience. My key area of interest is elite performers (elite athletes and dancers) and how their brain activity is different from that of non performers. I am part of the UK anti-doping athlete committee. I will always maintain an active interest in the progress across all adaptive rowing classes. I would like to thank GB Rowing, UK Sport and GB Paralympics for supporting me throughout my rowing career. I would like to extend my thanks to the FISA officials running the regattas I have raced in and to my fellow competitors from other countries. It has been a privilege to have raced alongside you.

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