you and Nathan are smaller than some of your competition. Is there something in your style or technique that you may do a bit differently to adapt? JS: Yes, definitely. We row a bit shorter than most crews and we can rate a lot higher which is a benefit for us as we have the opportunity to change speed more quickly than other teams. I heard that at the World Champs we rowed at about 38 [strokes per minute] and then 45 at the end. WR: You have talked about it being hard to break through to the national team because of your height. JS: It's more that they said that I wasn't compatible with other athletes. That other people would struggle to row with me. As a junior I ended up in the single as a reserve for the four. WR: When did you move to the national training centre in Karapiro and become part of the national team? JS: After juniors I stayed around. I was coming up to Karapiro for winter anyway. I then started at university there. WR: Do you train much in the single or always in the double? JS: We do quite a lot of training in the single with Nathan and Storm (Uru) and Peter (Taylor). I get my ass kicked. I struggle with the distance. I'm more into my short sharp pieces. WR: What's a typical day like at the moment? JS: I get up at 6am and we're on the water