Sports Studies Student Rows a Marathon in Lockdown

Matilda Ramnani developed a keen interest in sports during her teenage years and despite being advised not to study Physical Education at GCSE by her teachers at Hertfordshire and Essex High School, her desire to be an athlete didn’t go away. (@CRC_College)

At the age of 15yrs, Matilda joined Broxbourne Rowing Club and developed a love of the sport. After completing her secondary education. Matilda enrolled on a Level 3 Sports Studies course at Cambridge Reginal College and a re-location saw her switch to Rob Roy Boat Club. Matilda progressed quickly in the sport with Rob Roy is now a competitive rower for the club.

Matilda said, “I chose to study at CRC because of the good reputation it has for its sports delivery. The facilities are also great, meaning that I am able to fit in extra training sessions around my studies. The college is also well situated for me to quickly get to the training facilities that I use for indoor training and rowing.”

Matilda is currently in her second year of the BTEC level 3 in Sport and she has opted to follow the coaching pathway to work towards her long-term goal of becoming a rowing coach. Matilda plans to apply to university to study Sport Science after completing her studies with CRC.

After a period in lockdown, Matilda decided to row the equivalent of a marathon on her indoor rowing machine, referred to as an erg in the industry. To keep her motivation up, Matilda decided to combine the physical challenge with fundraising to thank her rowing club for their support in helping her to progress in competitive rowing.

Matilda added, “The erg was pretty good until I had around 10k to go. I pushed through until I could no longer move, finally completing the 26 miles after 5 hours of rowing. I slept for most of the day after completing the challenge and when I did wake, my parents tried speaking to me, but I was too busy crying to reply. It was a physically demanding thing to do, but I raised £310 for my club and £100 for my local food bank so the hard work was worth it.”