Scholar In Focus: Olivia Bates

Already a double BUCS champion, University of Nottingham sports scholar and rowing athlete Olivia Bates is looking to add more accolades to her resume at the 2023 BUCS Regatta. Defending her lightweight crown is the main aim, and we were delighted to speak with Olivia ahead of this weekend's event at Holme Pierrepont. We greatly enjoyed discussing Olivia's rowing career and how that has fitted with her long held ambition of becoming a vet, as well as her time at the university so far.

Great to meet you Olivia, what was it that got you into the sport of rowing initially?

I watched the London 2012 Olympics on TV, and I remember seeing the Women’s Doubles Sculls Final and that inspired me to head down to my local rowing club - Trent Rowing Club in Burton. From then, I continued rowing at the club until I moved to train in Nottingham at around 16. None of my family row so I’m the only one who’s picked up the sport. I’ve been rowing for about 9 years now and still greatly enjoy it. Despite not rowing themselves, my family have been a great support, getting me to all of the different events raced at.

Once you’d given it a try, what was it about rowing that you enjoyed and made you want to continue with the sport?

When I started, it was really the feeling of being out on the water. I found that aspect really enjoyable, and when you add the team element of being in crew boats which is really fun, I really wanted to carry on with the sport. The people at Trent Rowing Club were really nice and they created a great atmosphere to be a part of.

When did you start realising that you had a promising pathway into competitive rowing?

I would probably say around a year into my rowing. We started winning a few races and doing quite well. It was then that I started to realise that I wanted to take the sport a bit more seriously and see where I could go.

What disciplines do you row in particular?

I normally race in the single competitions. At last year’s BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Regatta, I competed in the lightweight single and the heavyweight single, winning gold in the lightweight and silver in the heavyweight. Looking ahead to this year’s Regatta at the end of the month, I’m aiming to achieve similar results!

I also competed at the BUCS Indoor Rowing Championships and won a silver medal there, with the event also acting as a GB trial. The vibe is quite different to the upcoming BUCS Regatta from that aspect because that added some seriousness for me!

When I was a junior, I raced in crew boats with quite a lot with success the National Championships and Home International Regatta, but I’ve raced singles so much now and find it the most rewarding. I also need to be fast in the single to have a better chance of selection at international events, and being able to hit the water on my own whenever I want to around my busy schedule is very helpful.

How are the preparations going for the upcoming 2023 BUCS Regatta?

I think it’s going quite well at the moment. With the Regatta taking place at Holme Pierrepont which is where I train quite regularly, so I think competing on a ‘home’ course could be an advantage. I recently had GB trials which has helped me get into the racing mind-set because that was my first side-by-side racing of the season. I learnt quite a bit from that and hope to take those learnings into BUCS Regatta.

Do you have certain aims for BUCS Regatta?

Yes, I would like to try and win the lightweight single for the third year in a row. In the heavyweights, I’m just going to give it my best and see what I can do!

Alongside your rowing, you’re studying at the University of Nottingham. How have you found that experience of being a dual-career athlete here?

I’m a fourth year studying Veterinary Science and at times it has been challenging. However, I think that if you’re wise with your time and plan ahead then it’s a great experience. It keeps me busy but I definitely enjoy it. I’ve wanted to be a vet from a very young age, but I really do love the course because it’s very practically based. All of my lecturers are really nice and are also understanding of me having to balance my studies with my sport.

How have you been able to manage your time across both sport and academics at the university?

I’m quite lucky in that my rowing club and coach are quite flexible. They will provide certain training plans and sessions, but I can be quite flexible with when I do them to suit my lectures and studies. Having been at the university for a few years now I’ve been able to adapt how I work my schedule over time, and implement new learnings each year. With the Head season in the winter and then the Regatta season which is just starting and can run through to the end of August. The rowing season is an 11-month schedule so there isn’t much down time! I’ll probably have two Regatta’s a month now going forward over the summer now hopefully.

I normally train three times a day. In the winter I will do a bit more indoor work because of the weather! However I tend to go out on the water most days, and then I’ll do strength training five times a week. We also spend time cross-training on the bike and indoor rowing machine too.

Across that schedule, are there any other events aside from BUCS that you’re looking forward to in particular?

Depending on how my performances at the recent international trials are judged, I’m hoping to get selected for some of the international races this year. Last year I competed at the under-23 World and European Championships, winning bronze in the lightweight women’s single at the latter. It was tough racing but it was a great experience and I learnt a lot. I would say that both of my medals at the under-23 European Championships, silver in 2021 and bronze in 2022 are up there, alongside earning selection for the World’s last year. Honestly, I was also really happy to retain my BUCS title in 2022 in the lightweight single, so I’m really aiming for the same coming up!

Do you have any particular longer term aims in the sport?

At the minute I just want to see where I can keep making improvements with my rowing. I’m enjoying it and hopefully I can just keep progressing well and you never know where it could take me!

Being relatively local to the university and having a good idea of what you wanted to study, what was the process for you of deciding to study here at the University of Nottingham?

Obviously having always known I wanted to be a vet, but the decision to study here in Nottingham was pretty easy. It’s quite close to home for me, but the sport facilities are also amazing here. With my club being based in Nottingham too, it really made sense for me to continue my progression on the rowing side here, but academically it made sense too. The vet course at the university is renowned for its practical content and how good it is so it was a no brainer really.

How have you found being a part of the University of Nottingham Boat Club community as well?

Everyone at the club is really supportive of not just my races for the university, but also for Great Britain too, and it’s a really nice atmosphere to be a part of. I hope that in some ways I am able to pass on some of my experience on and show others what is possible, but on the whole it’s just a really great club to be a part of. I think BUCS Regatta is my favourite race to attend because of the atmosphere the club helps to create. It’s a more relaxed environment than some of the races I attend and whilst you obviously race to win, the team aspect of it is so enjoyable. Having the support from the club and those from the university who come down to the event is great.

What would your advice be to someone who is thinking about studying at and competing for the University of Nottingham?

I would really recommend coming to Nottingham. I think it’s an amazing university both from an academic and sporting perspective. The scholarship programme is really helpful, with access to the High Performance Zone, physio, and lifestyle advisors. The university itself has also really helped me to balance my studies with my sport. Being a part of the scholarship group also helps because it’s nice to be around people who have similar situations who you can talk to. All of this has enabled me to excel in my sport whilst working towards achieving a degree from a world renowned university.

We thank Olivia for speaking to us ahead of BUCS Regatta, and wish her and the club the very best of luck on the water. We also look forward to seeing how Olivia continues to progress and achieve with both her rowing and academics over the next few years, and can't wait to see what the 2023 Regatta season has in store. 

You can learn more about the Performance Rowing programme at the University of Nottingham here. You can also find out more about performance sport and combining your studies with elite university sport at the University of Nottingham here.