‘Scary’ prospect

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 30

‘Scary’ prospect

NZPA Seoul Competing in the Olympics is “scary” for Nicky Payne with the future of New Zealand women’s rowing at the international level at stake. “You know you’ve been given a chance and don’t want to blow it,” said Payne, who along with partner Lynley Hannen will comprise the first ever New Zealand’s women’s rowing representatives at an Olympics. Under the tuition of the famed New Zealand coach, Harry Mahon, at the Swiss rowing centre in Sarnen, the coxiess pair gained a late selection to the rowing team after good performances in Europe over the northern summer. That included a fifth placing at the big Lucerne regatta where they came in touch of Rumania, Bulgaria and East Germany in a performance which convinced selectors they had the chance of a final at least in Seoul. They last raced three weeks ago in Poland, winning by 17 seconds over a West German crew they had beaten by 10 seconds at Lucerne. “Competing in the Olympics is something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time,” said Payne, aged 22. “It’s hard for women to get a foot in the door at this level and I don’t want to blow it. “The Olympics is an unknown quantity for New Zealand women rowers so by coming over and showing what we can do it may help others in the future.” Payne, also a noted single sculler and a place-getter at the junior world championships four years ago at the time of the Los Angeles Olympics, said she was not allowing that pressure to affect her Olympic preparations. “I just hope we can do well. I don’t really think about it — we’ll just go and do our best,” she said. In the three weeks prior to the Olympics Payne and Hannen were doing high-altitude training on a lake 1800 metres up in the Swiss Alps at St Moritz, the worth of which is being assessed by New Zealand rowing authorities. “It’s supposed to be good for your physiology,” she said. Hong Kong-born Payne and Hannen, a New Zealand women’s basketball representative, have been the nation’s pair oar champions for the past two years and in April after missing Olympic selection decided to head to Europe.