Front Row - Q&A with Tim Foster |
 |
TIM FOSTER MBE won a gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 alongside Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent. It was Tim’s final race before retiring from international rowing. He went on to coach in Britain before becoming Head Coach of the Swiss national rowing squad. We caught up with Tim at the opening of Virgin Active’s new Classic Club in Twickenham.
THE SWISS ROWING TEAM - ANY GOOD?
We’ve had one world champion and one silver medalist. Give us a couple of years and hopefully we’ll be challenging GB.
WHAT AGE CAN YOU START TO ROW?
You can row as soon as you can swim. Get out and have fun on the lovely rivers in Britain.
AND YOU?
I began competitively around 14. I grew up in Bedford and the river ran through the town. There were no rowers in my family but I was an active kid and thought rowing looked easy. I was terrible! So I just enjoyed it.
|
WHEN DID THE WINNING STREAK BEGIN?
For the first couple of years I won nothing. Then when I grew a bit and got more co-ordinated I began to win things. I was probably more dedicated because I wasn’t naturally that good at it. The place I trained definitely didn’t look anything like Virgin Active Twickenham.
AND NOW YOU HAVE AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL...
It seemed real and surreal at the same time. It was like having an out of body experience - a dream come true but better - absolutely fantastic. You put your life into it and dedicate everything towards it and when it happens it’s worth every single minute.
Steve and Matthew told me once you cross the line first in the Olympic final the pain goes away immediately – they lied! You still have the pain but the good feeling overtakes the exhaustion. You get a fantastic high, a feeling like you’re floating.
SO WHY RETIRE?
The Sydney Olympics was always going to be my last one and Steve’s last one. Matthew and James carried on but for me it all built up to one day in a lifetime.
WHAT’S NEXT THEN?
I live in Lucerne, Switzerland, it’s a bit different to west London. If I can get the opportunity to coach a gold medalist it will give me as much of a thrill as winning.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT 2012?
2012 will be an amazing experience for everyone. London will be a fantastic Olympics. It’ll pull me in different directions –being a passionate Brit yet coaching another team.
HOW ARE YOUR OLD DRINKING BUDDIES STEVE REDGRAVE AND JAMES PINSENT?
We still have a pint together when James isn’t going off to the South Pole - he’s the difficult one to get hold off. One of the nice things about sport is you develop brotherly relationships, you end up being really good pals. I might not see them for six months and when we meet up it’s the same old jokes and same friends as 10 years ago. I was chatting to Steve and it was like any chat after training.
It’s lovely to have someone to share the memory of the Olympics with. A friend who won the Singles event said it was like going to the cinema and watching the most fantastic film - but on your own. I can talk to the others who have exactly the same feelings as me.
Tim's Technique
- If arms tire before legs, you’re probably pulling too much and not driving off hard enough with your much stronger legs. Drive hard with your legs and you’ll find your arms have less to do.
- Many people put the damper or level setting too high and make life much harder for themselves. You wouldn’t put your bike in top gear to go up a steep hill so just drop the level down from 9 or 10 to 3 or 4, and focus on pushing from the legs.
- A slower, more powerful and consistent stroke is much more efficient than something fast, jerky and erratic. A good rower has around 20 Strokes Per Minute (SPM). A novice rows at 35 SPM or above: this is much more tiring and you won’t be able to travel as far.
|
|
|
|