News Archive

Rowing for gold - an interview with UWA Sports Scholarship recipient Tim Widdicombe.

Name: Tim Widdicombe
Sport: Rowing
Scholarship: Convocation (2013 and 2014)
Club: UWA Boat Club

How did you first get involved in rowing and what age were you?

I first got involved in rowing when I was 13. My school, Hale, offered it and I hadn't tried it before so, with some encouragement from a family friend who was captain at the time, I gave it a go.

What competitions (national/international) did you compete in in 2013 and what were your results?

Well, nationally I competed for UWA in the Australian University Championships in Ballarat where we placed 1st in the Lightweight Men's Four and the Australian national Rowing Championships in Sydney with a 3rd in the Open Men's Lightweight Pair. Internationally, I had the Rowing World Cup #1 in Sydney with a 4th in the Men's Lightweight Four and World Rowing Championships in South Korea with a great achievement of 2nd in the Men's Lightweight Eight.

What were your main highlights for 2013 (personally, professionally and sporting)?

The silver at the World Championships was a massive highlight, being my first (hopefully not last) international medal. Having said that, I find it is always a highlight and an honour to be able to wear the Australian crest and green and gold. Professionally, I've managed to get my vacation work commitments organised over the summer. Fitting it in with a full training load has been hard, but it's a huge positive for me.

You were the recipient of the 2013 and 2014 Convocation Scholarship. How has this helped your balance your study with the demands of international competition/training?

The scholarship is very helpful, particularly in first semester 2013, when I was doing up to three 1.5-2 hour training sessions a day. By having the scholarship I was able to use the facilities at UWA to train between classes and the financial aid kept me afloat whilst I had no time or energy to do enough paid work.

How has UWA been able to support you as an athlete?

Along with the support listed above, the University has been very understanding of my commitments. Whilst I try to do everything I can to attend classes and participate, there are times when that is not possible due to travel. My lecturers have been flexible with due dates and weighting of assignments and exams to allow me to fit everything in.

What competitions and regattas are you competing in in 2014?

I have already competed in the Australian National Championships which were at the end of March. If all goes to plan I will travel to the Australian Team Selection Trials in April and then hopefully will be off to the World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam.

What are your long-term goals?

Rowing wise, the long term goal is definitely the 2016 Rio Olympics in either the Lightweight Double or Four. My other goal is to finish my degree and secure a job that lets me continue to pursue my Olympic dream. Personally, I would just like to get more time for myself and take a holiday and relax a bit.

What is your favourite personal sporting memory?

Hard question, there are many good memories from my time rowing, and luckily we always have a good laugh at the Boat Shed to keep us sane.

One of the best moments from last year was the Men's A Grade eight race at the WA sprint regatta (500m). It was my first race with the UWA Boat Club guys after Worlds and we hadn't had a training session with the eight guys to be in the boat. Two hours before the race we completely jumbled up the seating and set up of the boat to just see what happened. After falling slightly behind off the start we came down the course full gas and in the last 150m were bow ball to bow ball with a highly fancied Swan River Rowing Club Crew. Going through the line we had no idea who had won, then found out via photo finish that we had won by about 3cm. It definitely wasn't the most prestigious race I compete in 2013, but it was by far the most fun.

Who would you consider to be your sporting hero and why do you look up to them?

I have a few sporting heroes, but two prominent ones are Cadel Evans and Dave Dennis.

Obviously Cadel Evans is an amazing athlete physiologically, but seeing some of the races he wins and the pain he puts himself through just confirms he is tough as nails.

Dave Dennis was a UWA student and UWA rower in the early 2000's, rowing at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He has an amazing racing ability, even when he was not the biggest or strongest or the fastest on paper, he was able to race his way past the people that seemed like they should be beating him. Along with that, he's a really nice guy.

Media references

Nicole West (Marketing and Communications Officer, UWA Sport and Recreation Assocation) +61 8 6488 4309