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A local coastal rower has shared how he's still training without setting foot in the water and pushing to compete in the world championships with the "strongest, toughest" person he knows...his mum.
While his plans for the season have changed due to the pandemic, Will Le Quelenec (30) says it's important to remain positive - although he does admit it has been frustrating to not be able to get out on the water.
“Whilst we are allocated two hours per day to be outside, and I could technically get out on the water, I wouldn't want to risk potentially being a ‘carrier’ and pass something onto someone else,” Will, who was part of Team GB at last year’s world championships, told Express.
“I don't fall into one of the ‘at risk’ categories, and so the possibility of spreading this awful disease to someone who could then suffer does not appeal to me in the slightest.”
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Pictured: Will (left) with Des Nevitt, Megan Barette (cox), Andrew Bowman and Michael Rive at the World Rowing Coastal Championship in Hong Kong. (Michael Ward)
Jersey’s lockdown came just a few weeks after Will started hitting personal bests on the rowing machine and in the gym.
It was also not long after Will and his girlfriend had spent seven weeks travelling through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and New Zealand, following the World Rowing Coastal Championships in Hong Kong in November 2019.
Luckily, using a rowing machine and weights, Will has been able to maintain his training routine and his gains. He even says he has been training more, albeit not on the water.
“With the clocks just changed, now is the time of the year when I would usually be getting out on the water in the evenings with my crew, but this is not possible at the moment,” he explained.
Pictured: Will (middle) with Michael Rive, Lee Wells and Andrew Bowman, Sark to Jersey winners in 2019.
Overall, Will says he finds it easier to train from home, especially since he has been able to cut an hour from his morning routine as he now works from home. However, the GB rower says it is “incredibly important” to stick to a routine to “give you structure and maintain your sanity”.
Will’s typical day includes an 'easy' 10k on the rowing machine in the morning to help keep the weight off, around 30 minutes of sprint work or another 10k on the rowing machine at lunch time, then either strength and conditioning work or stretching in the evening with help from the Jersey Sport Foundation.
“I work as a Wealth Analyst for Coutts Crown Dependencies, and all the training works around my full-time job,” Will said.
“My work has also been really supportive in terms of working from home as well as supporting me with my training over the years, but even more so now.”
Pictured: “Eat as much fresh fruit and vegetables as you can," Will advises.
Will has also been paying close attention to what he eats, saying that nutrition is not only important for physical health, but also for mental wellbeing. “It is important to be eating the right foods and avoiding the ‘easy option’,” he said.
Like many other athletes, Will keeps in touch with his coach, Sam Morris, via the phone, emails and meetings on Zoom to talk through his workload, stress levels, plans or even sometimes just for a chat.
Will is also regularly in touch with his mum, Frankie (pictured top), with whom he set a Jersey Round Island record and is now planning to compete in a mixed double scull at the British and World Championships.
“My mother has a rowing machine at home too, and we speak every day on the phone, so whilst we are still both training, we are unable to train together,” Will explained.
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Pictured: Will and his mum, Frankie rowing around Guernsey in August 2013.
“For some it may seem strange to be competing at the top level with one of their parents, but I started rowing eight years ago because of her," he added.
“She has rowed for 30 years and among other things rowed from England to Jersey nonstop and she’s one of the strongest, toughest people I know.
“We were putting some really incredible times together on the water in January and February as well, so there is plenty of scope to do well if we manage to get to do some racing this year!”
Aside from training and his full-time job, Will has been spending lots of time in the garden to get some fresh air and make a few phone calls to his friends and family.
“It is so important to keep your social interactions going, even if it is via a phone rather than face-to-face,” the rowing athlete said.
Pictured: Will is itching to get back in the water with his team.
Due to the covid-19 outbreak, Will says 2020 is likely to be less of a year of action, and more about building towards 2021 and planning for future races.
“I am 100% self-funded this year, as I do not currently have a sponsor and get no financial support from the government in this respect,” Will explained.
"It is exceptionally expensive to commit to be racing all over the world when the race could get pulled a week before and insurance doesn't cover things like this.”
Amid the “ever evolving” nature of the current situation and the “desperately difficult times”, Will added: “I'd like to thank all of the emergency and essential workers as well as the delivery drivers and supermarket staff for the work they are doing.
“What they do is so important for everyone else - so thank you!”
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