There must be something in the water on our street in Hastings.
There's me; superstar on the football field (may or may not be true). There's the old guy who lives down the road who could, judging by his brief sprints down the drive in his dressing gown on rubbish day, give Usain Bolt a run for his money. And then there's the real athlete, my 17-year-old neighbour Jessica Turfrey.
When Jess first started rowing at age 13 I thought she was nuts. Who would willingly get up at ridiculous o'clock every morning to row their way down Clive River in the dark followed by a full day at school and then more training that afternoon? Jess would, and it's turned out to be a very good move for her.
After four years of hard work, dedication and many medals, Jess has been selected to be part of the New Zealand Junior Women's rowing squad competing at the World Champs in Rotterdam in August. An amazing achievement and one that is certainly well deserved.
Jess has actually been offered scholarships with Yale and other prestigious US universities but turned them down.
