Balfron's Rosie Young will celebrate her first season in senior rowing as a member of Scotland's team competing at next month's Home International Regatta in Ireland.

The team, announced today for the event starting on 24th July, will see Young competing in the coxless four.  Her selection for her favoured discipline comes on the back of a good fortnight in which she won back to back regattas with Clydesdale ARC team mates.

“I have been a junior up until now so had never raced in a senior event and didn’t know what it would be like,” said 19 year old Young.

“Last weekend we managed to win the Scottish Championships, beating Glasgow who have won the event for a number of years.

“At the Metropolitan regatta the previous weekend we were in a race against top senior club crews from England and we ended up winning.”

Young’s successful junior career culminated last July with her winning three gold medals in the Coupe de la Jeunesse European Junior Championships in France.  Since then her focus has been on moving up an age level.

Adjusting to the demands of beginning an engineering degree at Strathclyde University meant, at the start of her course, a reduced training schedule.  And a hostile winter produced its own challenges.  Yet she has emerged as a stronger competitor.

“This winter was very hard because of the weather,” said Young.  “We did a lot of indoor work and none of us felt we were getting much better because we didn’t have the chance to get outside on the water. 

“But when we did get back into boats in April we noticed a big difference. I felt like I wasn’t a junior anymore, I felt I knew what I was doing.”

Supporting Young since the autumn, as an integrated part of her programme with Scottish Rowing is the West of Scotland Institute of Sport, part of sportscotland’s area institute network which focuses on preparing Scotland’s best athletes to perform on the world stage by providing high performance expertise.

“With the West Institute I’ve been doing Strength & Conditioning training twice a week and seen the physio a fair bit,” she said.  “It has made a difference, especially over the winter.  I can tell I am stronger and as a result what I am doing is easier.  I am now working on how to use my power to go faster.”

Said Lee Boucher, Scottish Rowing’s National High Performance Co-ordinator:  “After enjoying a hugely successful international season at junior level during 2009, it is great to see Rosie making her debut appearance in the Scottish senior team. 

“Her success in getting selected is a team effort and just reward for the long hours of training that she puts in, added to the support she receives from her coach Ross Malone, her club Clydesdale and the West of Scotland Institute of Sport, who provide her with crucial support services.”