GRAMMAR'S FIRST GOLD MEDALLIST

GOLDEN DETERMINATION

Lucy Stephan

LUCY STEPHAN WAS PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD MEDAL-WINNING WOMENS' COXLESS FOUR IN THE TOKYO OLYMPICS. WE HAD A CHAT WITH LUCY ABOUT LEARNING TO ROW AT GRAMMAR, AND LIFE SINCE THEN.

Congratulations on your Gold Medal, Lucy! Could you talk us through how you came to rowing and what you love about the sport?

Oddly enough, I found rowing on a Year 6 camp to Canberra with my primary school in Nhill. We went to the Australian Institute of Sport and had a tour. As part of the tour, we went to a room that was like an interactive experience. You could race Cathy Freeman, try to jump a certain distance and one of the activities was two rowing machines connected to a TV screen and you raced each other. I thought it was cool that the harder you pulled the faster you went. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot of skill involved, it was more about your mental toughness to keep going.

When I began boarding at Grammar it was my first opportunity to actually give the sport a go. I fell in love with it pretty instantly. It gave me a place where I belonged. It also was a sport that was pretty black and white. You made the crew if you made the boat go fast. Coaches’ discretion didn’t really play into it. I always say it’s the ultimate individual sport but also the ultimate team sport. You have to make sure you are at your absolute best. It’s not like netball where if someone is having an off day you don’t throw them the ball or you put them on the bench. You are literally carrying yourself and each other down the course. I think there is something so special about that. goal for myself. It was something that I truly wanted. The three Directors of Rowing during my time at Grammar and beyond: Denzo (Bradd Denham, OG 1996, Director of Rowing 2006/07 to 2010), Luke Pougnault (Current staff member and Director of Rowing 2011 to 2015) and Sam Pullin (OG 1996, Director of Rowing 2015 to current), all helped me in any way they could, even though Luke and Sam weren’t at the School when I was there.

Who are some of the people at Grammar who helped you along the way?

I think to start would be to go back to my very first coach, Kat Bateman, and my crew. They made it fun. They showed me what rowing could be. Then probably who really shaped me as an athlete would be Bill Gribble (OG 1971 and long serving Grammar Rowing Coach (1998 to 2019) had so much passion for coaching and I thrived on that.

And the girls I was in the First Crew with: Paige Mackay (2010), Sarah Armstrong (2009), Annie Armstrong (2011) and Alana Heinz (2010). We were a unit that set the goal of winning Head of the Lake, and we did! For me that was the first time I had a set a

Also, two other places that kept me going when I was at Grammar were Hayhoe Boarding House and the Art Wing with all their amazing staff.

What are some of the things you enjoyed about school and why?

As you have already worked out, for me, there were probably three places that were my safe places, where I felt most comfortable: Hayhoe Boarding House, which was obviously my home for three years, the Boat Shed, which was where I found my people, and the Art Wing (my other people!).

At Grammar, I was never told I had to be any different to what I was. Grammar as a school helped me find what I loved, and fostered that, then guided and supported me with subjects I struggled in, like English and Maths.

I remember coming to Grammar for a tour in 2005. I was a 14-year-old little country girl who was scared as hell to be moving away from home. Mr Rob Olston was doing the tour, and the first thing he asked me was what my interests were. My response: Sport and Art. This led to him showing us the Art Wing and the Sporting facilities along with the boarding houses. He even asked me which boarding house I wanted to be a part of. (Hayhoe, of course, I had no interest in living in a toilet block! *Wink*). I loved being part of the Boarding House and the traditions. It was being part of something bigger than myself.

What were your career goals and aspirations when you were at school?

It feels like a lifetime ago now, but I think it was to have something to do in fashion, which could potentially lead on to working in fashion or completing my Graduate Diploma of Education after. I was lucky that I had parents who supported me in whatever direction I wanted to go.

When I first moved to Melbourne in 2010 after completing Year 12 in 2009, I studied a Diploma of Fashion Design and Technology at RMIT TAFE at the same time as rowing at Melbourne University Boat Club. In the early years of living in Melbourne, as much as I loved fashion and being creative (which I still do), rowing became my number one priority. When I finished my Diploma of Fashion, I was acutely aware that rowing was where my heart wanted to go. So, in 2012 I began

a double degree in Arts and Education at Deakin University while giving rowing a redhot crack. I made my first Under 23 Australian team that year and won a Silver Medal at the Under 23 World Championships. With the training commitments of rowing, I became an online student which meant having to drop the Education part of my degree. I probably spent too long trying to work out my major but found my feet and, in 2019, I completed my Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and Media.

Do you have any advice for young Grammar students?

I always say to kids: find a passion and it will open you up to so many possibilities. From a young age, I always thought of myself as driven, passionate and fiery but until I found rowing those traits never really shone. As much as I think sport is amazing and very important, that passion can be anything from music, writing, acting whatever you wish, as long as you love it.

I firmly believe I became an Olympic champion, not because I am the best athlete in the world, but because I love rowing. I love what it has taught me about myself, I love that grit and determination can win a race and, more to the point, I just love racing.

The glory of sport is amazing, winning is amazing, but it’s the journey along the way that makes it worthwhile. Make sure you have fun and enjoy the process. Of course, I remember winning Head of the Lake, but what stands out more in my memories are the bus trips to Geelong, training down at the Boat Shed and rooming with my teammates at rowing camp and Nationals.

What are you planning with rowing and your career over the next few years?

I’m taking some time to reflect. I’ve been competing internationally for almost a decade and have been living up in Penrith at the National Training Centre for 5 years. It is an intense environment.

I’m in Melbourne for the foreseeable future, working for 776BC (a sports clothing brand) as a Community Manager as well as coaching at Scotch College and Rowhaus. Paris 2024 is definitely burning in the back of my mind. The fire is still in my belly and I still very much love the sport and training, but my priority is to spend some much longed-for time with my loved ones back home.

Stuart Brehaut (1996) was also part of the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo, attending as National Coach for Badminton after he represented Australia as a player in Athens in 2004. Well done, Stu!

Check out this great interview with Stu from Badminton Australia prior to the Olympics in Tokyo. Here’s Stu in the undefeated 1996 A Grade Premiership Badminton Team – From left: Kerrith Peake, Paige Murray, Stuart Brehaut (Captain), Anthony Lai, Ashley Brehaut, Kristy Mills.