The women's rowing eight are among a number of Olympians learning how to bide their time when they should be competing in Tokyo.
They should've been on the start line in the middle of the Tokyo summer.
“We keep having sort of this moment of looking at each other in the boat and thinking right I think it’s about now we're supposed to be there,” crew member Lucy Spoors said.
Instead it's another training row on Lake Karapiro, in the grip of a winter many of this crew haven't seen for years.
“Our winter wardrobes are definitely lacking a little bit, couple of thermals but I’ve definitely had to buy a few more gloves and neck warmers and that to get me through,” crew member Emma Dyke said.
For this crew the next year is about unfinished business, they had been going into the Olympics fresh off a first ever gold for New Zealand in the women's eight at the world champs.
“I felt we were on the home stretch until everything happened. and rowing being a pretty tough sport day in day out it's important to keep that mental strength,” Dyke said.
That strength comes from the knowledge they have a date to work towards and approaching it as if it's a certainty.
“Although it may seem like we're ignoring what’s going on in the world I think from a selfish perspective that’s the easiest way for us to deal with,” Spoors said.
It helps that the whole crew has committed to another year, while their relationships have only grown following their communication in lockdown.
“I almost feel like in some instances it made us stronger as a group ‘cause I feel like I never realised how much we cared about each other in that sense,” Dyke said.
There's even a silver lining in the changes to competition leading into Tokyo 2021
“I think we've got 11 weeks longer than we ever would have had in a campaign so if we look at that as a gift of time, I think we're in a position whereas a black eight we’ve got speed to gain,” Spoors said.
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