November 2024: Finlay Hamill

ROWER OF THE MONTH – Finlay Hamill is only in his second year of representing New Zealand on the world stage, but already the future looks bright. The 22-year-old won silver in the lightweight men’s single sculls at the 2023 World Rowing Under 23 Championships. This year he has broken on to the senior scene with gold in the men’s solo at the 2024 World Rowing Coastal Championships and a superb win in championship men’s single sculls at the Head of the Charles Regatta. He is the Rower of the Month.

How did you get into rowing?

Because of my dad (Rob Hamill), I guess. My dad rowed for New Zealand back in the day, he raced in the lightweight double. I guess I always really wanted to have a go and then I started at St John’s College in Hamilton. I raced my first season in 2017 and kind of just got the hang of it and went from there.

We had a really cool team, a very small team. Quite a small rowing programme in our school but some really good guys and it was really fun. Most of the guys that I started with carried on for the four years that we were at school. It was a really good introduction to rowing.

Were your father’s achievements motivation or pressure when you were growing up?

Maybe a little bit of both, but probably more motivation. Dad rowed the Atlantic in the first rowing race and he came to our school once. I must have been about 10 to give a talk. At the time he was doing a tour of New Zealand and they brought the boat that they rowed in.

That was a very cool moment. I always thought I wanted to do something like that, something that is impressive. To do something that no-one else has done or that not many people are going to have a go at or be able to do was always something that I wanted to chase.

I don’t have any feeling that I have to do what he’s done or be as good as him. It’s all because it inspires you to want to do that and want to achieve things, but it’s not out of a need for approval or whatever.

Rowing oceans I think is not on my to-do list, I’m not crazy enough for that one, but it is very cool to have someone like that who’s your dad.

When did you first think about representing New Zealand?

I can’t remember really thinking during especially the first couple of years, ‘oh yeah I want to race for New Zealand’, but it was always going to be the goal just to keep going.

It was probably in 2019 when I realised that lightweight rowing was getting removed from the Olympic programme, that I really started to think ‘I want to race at the Olympics’.

The goal was to be in the lightweight double in Paris, it didn’t quite pan out unfortunately, which is a shame – I still think we could have been there – but nonetheless it turned out to be a pretty good year this year.

You’ve competed this year in all three international disciplines – flat water, coastal and beach sprints. Which do you enjoy most and why?

Predominantly flat water is what I’ve been doing, but the atmosphere at the coastal events and beach sprints events is very different. Not that flat water isn’t fun but the vibe and energy there, everyone’s working together. You’re mixing with the other teams. I quite enjoy that.

But I really enjoy what I do in flat water and I’d like to be involved with both going forward if I can.

What was it like becoming coastal world champion?

I did want to get on the podium of course, that’s always the goal, but you can just get hit by a random wave or break an oar. We lost an oar in our doubles final an hour or two before my singles race, which put us out of it. Stuff like that can happen.

So as much as you want to win something out of your control can upset that. I was pretty determined to have a crack at making the medals after the disappointment in the double. I really just went for it. I knew that if I could get out in front I backed my fitness to hold off anyone. That race went perfectly to plan.

What have you learned from being on a team and in boats with some of New Zealand’s best rowers?

It helps a lot rowing with people who are much better than you. Rowing with the likes of Robbie (Manson), being in the coastal team where you’ve got Emma (Twigg), Joe Sullivan, Matt Dunham, all these people who I’ve looked up to coming up, and you have to be in a boat with them.

Everyone’s got their thoughts and ideas on what makes a boat go fast and you take guidance from lots of different people and that informs your thoughts on how you’re going to win. To row with lots of different athletes, amazing athletes, has been great for me.

What were your expectations going into the Head of the Charles?

I’d come off the back of an under-23 campaign so I was very fit from that and managed to keep things ticking over from here. The experience at the coastals with all the turns and the distance factor definitely helped at the Head of the Charles.

I had a lot of people there, Emma Twigg, and Dan Schley whose boat I used, he’s a masters rower over there, he gave me a lot of help on the course, notes on the course. I had a lot of help from lots of people which contributed to that.

What was the race like, and when did it sink in that you had won?

A big part of why I did so well was that I had a really good course. Coming through Anderson I didn’t nail that one and I went a bit wide and I lost where I was. The rest of it I couldn’t have done any better if I’d tried.

I started bow 16 and I didn’t know what was going on right at the front. I passed maybe five people so I was like ‘I must be doing OK here’. I crossed the line and I was happy with what I’d done; whatever the result was, I knew I couldn’t have done any better. When I got told I’d won it I was in shock. It was crazy. I didn’t believe it when they told me I’d won. I had to wait until I got off the water before I could confirm it.

What are your long-term aims in the sport?

Los Angeles is definitely on the cards. I’m not sure exactly what I’ll be in but I definitely want to be there. Obviously with the beach sprints coming in, it’s a very cool event, so to be at the first games with that involved would be pretty cool. Then again the traditional flat water, that’s been a major goal of mine.

I’ve just got to see what happens in terms of selection and working out what discipline is going to work best for me. My dream would be if I could do both.

You spent much of 2022 sailing with your family on a yacht. What was that like and what did it teach you?

They’ve lived on the boat for about five years now. I’ve been on and off with rowing. Put together I’ve probably spent about two years of my life growing up in stints on the boat.

We get on pretty well and being on the water is something that’s a big thing in our family. It’s an interesting crossover going from sailing and rowing to the coastal rowing and being on the ocean, it all ties together quite nicely.

I think you’ll probably see as beach sprint and coastal rowing builds, it’s not necessarily only going to be rowers coming in from flat water. There’ll be people who have come from other disciplines. Surf lifesaving’s a big thing in Australia and New Zealand, you’ll probably get a lot of people coming from that, people who have an understanding of the ocean, controlling a boat in waves and understanding how the waves are going to affect the boat itself. It’s very subtle things but growing up sailing probably does help because if you understand it you can go with it.

Where’s your favourite place to row?

This is only my second year of international competition, but Lucerne last year was amazing on the Rotsee.

This America trip there were some beautiful places. Rowing on the Charles is pretty special. I spent some time in Connecticut though and rowed on the Housatonic where Yale train, I was rowing out of New Haven Rowing Club which is where Dan (Schley) is a member. That’s a beautiful piece of water. But in terms of my favourite race course, it’s got to be Lucerne at this point. Lucerne is pretty tough to beat.

What’s on your erg playlist?

My playlist is so random. It’s literally what ever is the vibe of the day. It can go from something really hype to a very mellow relaxing tune.

What’s the best piece of advice anyone’s given you?

At this stage, do what’s best for you and have fun. It’s pretty simple but it works.

Apart from your dad, who else has had a significant influence on your rowing career?

Gary Reid from ErgFit (Concept 2 New Zealand), who represented New Zealand in the men’s single at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.  I’ve lived with Gary and his family for almost three years and he’s done so much for me. Everything that I’ve achieved so far in rowing has been made possible by support and guidance from so many people, and over the last few years none more so than Gary.

My dad and Gary have known each other since high school, and I believe Gary was the one who helped get my dad into rowing in the first place, so it’s a very full circle thing that I’m here now.