Nicola Goss competing at the 2018 New Zealand Indoor Rowing Championships. Photo / Steve McArthur
Nicola Goss competing at the 2018 New Zealand Indoor Rowing Championships. Photo / Steve McArthur
Palmerston North rower Nicola Goss came ninth at the World Rowing Indoor Championships in Toronto.
She competed in a new two-day event called the Versa at the championships, held in late February.
The challenge included a 20-minute row with a stroke rate that increased or decreased every minute, and a beep test with a reducing rest.
The winner, American Elizabeth Gilmore, amassed 38 points while Goss received 20. Goss was the only one of the 10 finalists from the southern hemisphere.
The Versa was created to offer competitors a unique competition opportunity that cannot be replicated at home. It tested all the skills and strengths required of indoor rowers, exposing them to new and unfamiliar race formats.
The championships are held annually, with competitors racing on the Concept2 rowing machines typically found in gyms.
Nicola Goss taking part in a qualifying session for this year's World Rowing Indoor Championships.
Goss is a health and diabetes lecturer at UCOL Te Pūkenga, where she is working on delivering micro-credential courses on preventing and managing type 2 diabetes.
It was Goss’ fourth World Championships. She raced in the 2017 competition in Boston and in 2021 and 2022, when the competition was held virtually due to Covid-19. Goss’ best result came in 2021, when she placed fourth in the hour-long endurance race.
Last year she won the 2000 metres (age 30-39) at the Canadian Championships, placed second in the 2000m (30-39) at the Oceania Championships, and came fourth in the 2000m (27-35) at the United State Championships. Goss raced in all of these events virtually.
“Racing became virtual and I was incredibly lucky to have raced as much as I have over the past few years. It did mean that I had to race at some random times, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. The hardest was probably the 2022 Canadian champs - I woke up at 1.30am to have a pre-race snack to race at 4.30am.”
Goss has competed in indoor rowing for almost 20 years. She got into the sport after using an indoor rowing machine while at Palmerston North Girls’ High School.
Goss also competes in outdoor rowing, but had to withdraw this season due to a wrist injury. She is still able to compete in indoor rowing because it requires a different technique, but has now taken time off to rehabilate. She has also had to monitor a leg injury throughout the season.
Goss says she enjoys both indoor and outdoor rowing for different reasons.
“In indoor rowing, I’m not affected by the water or weather conditions, and I have a screen that tells me how fast I’m going.
“I also enjoy the mental challenge of indoor, especially with interval sessions - after doing one, sometimes I wonder how I am going to do it again and again. The numbers on the screen don’t lie and that’s what I’m constantly looking at. I can’t let off at any stage or I’ll pay for it.
“In outdoor rowing, I’m never by myself - I will either be in a crew boat or a single and be pacing against someone. I’m super competitive and love challenging myself.”
