Erika Allen
WHO better to inspire Gippsland Grammar’s next generation of elite rowers than Paris Olympian and old scholar Paige Barr?
Barr, who was born in Bairnsdale, began rowing in 2016 as a way to make friends. For any 15-year-old, rising before dawn to gear up at the boat sheds or sacrificing lunchtimes to grind it out on the erg is no small commitment.
Early success came when Barr won the Junior Victorian Championships year 10 scull in 2017. She continued single and crew sculling at state and national levels, and in 2018, Barr finished on the podium at Head of the Schoolgirls in open quad division two, two seats. She was Gippsland Grammar rowing captain in her graduating year (2019).
From the Thompson River to the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in France, Barr has been on an inspiring journey since graduating in 2019.
Along the way, Barr set herself a big goal.
“It must have been 2021 when I saw the Tokyo Olympians racing, and I (thought), ‘I want to be there. That’s what I want to do. I think I can get there.’”
Barr said it out loud so people around her would know, adding that it held her accountable.
For any 23-year-old, planning a social life around training sessions, pressing pause on a degree, and relocating to Sydney to chase a dream is no small sacrifice.
But it’s all worth it when that dream is debuting with the Rowsellas on the Australian Olympic team. After all, sacrifices are the foundation of dreams.
“I have big goals, and I knew that if I wanted to even be close to reaching them, I just had to give things up. So, I wouldn’t necessarily go out all the time, I’d stay at home so I’m ready for training the next day,” she said.
Barr reflected on what she had to give up pursuing her rowing goals. Moving away from family and friends, first to Melbourne and then to Sydney, was a significant challenge as Barr found herself missing their support.
When Barr initially set her sights on the Olympics, she wasn’t specifically targeting Paris.
“But I think I’ve really proved to myself that if you work hard, you can do better than what you’re expecting. And then I went to Paris.”
And then she went to Paris.
Barr was one of 10,500 athletes from 206 countries which competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Despite the sacrifices, she told the Gippsland Times she believed they have paid off and she would make the same choices again.
Barr stroked the women’s eight at the Paris games, narrowly missing out on a medal in the A final. She said France’s Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium hosted a regatta like she’d never seen.
“There was 400-metres of grandstands along the course, and the noise and the media attention was just unbelievable,” Barr said.
“But when I felt overwhelmed at the start line, I just reminded myself to put my oar in the water and push, which is exactly what I know how to do.”
Barr’s Olympic debut followed a period of success which saw her compete in the women’s eight at the Rowing World Cups 2 and 3 in 2022, finishing the competitions with a bronze and gold medal respectively.
In 2023, Barr defended Victoria’s Queen’s Cup title. When the World Cups came around again, Barr had cemented herself on the senior eight squad, which defeated Great Britain in World Cup 2 and took bronze in World Cup 3.
In her second World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Barr was a part of the women’s eight that rebounded in the repechage round to eventually finish third in the final. There wasn’t just a medal on the line because the championships doubled as Olympic qualification.
As ambitious as qualifying for the Olympics is, Barr had done the work.
Between October 2023 to March 2024, Barr followed an intense regimen of three daily training sessions, six days a week, focusing on strength, core, cross-training, and time on the water.
Mental fortitude is just as significant as physicality. As the second youngest crew member, Barr said she sometimes doubted her place in the eight. But she said the crew’s camaraderie helped her feel like an equal, plus some positive self-talk after proving herself worthy of being in the stroke seat.
Now she’s on a deserved break and returned to Gippsland Grammar’s Garnsey campus on September 11, delighting students from the school’s rowing program with insights into her rigorous Olympic preparation, advice she’s used since her rowing days at Grammar and future ambitions. Her advice to aspiring rowers was twofold: tick off training sessions one at a time and have fun.
Glimpses into an Olympian’s psyche came as Barr answered student’s questions about injury woes, superstitions, and how to manage ‘bad’ training sessions and disappointment.
She said she listens to X-Terra’s I Like the Way You Move before races because it sets up her rhythm on the water. She said keeping a training diary can be a cathartic way to reflect on disappointing performances.
From cheering on Grammar students when she sees the green and white at regattas to making herself available to answer their questions, Barr has not forgotten her roots.
A nostalgic walk down memory lane took Barr to the gym, where she met with her former rowing coach, director of rowing Nick Bartlett and the 2024 winning Head of the School Girls crew Lucy Hodges, April Harrison, Ella Gerrand, Scarlett Tavasci and Ruby Lindrea.
“I think it’s really great to see the girls rowing how I imagine I was rowing here. (It’s) great to see how much they’ve improved and how much the program has also improved, and I feel like rowing is really taking off at the school,” Barr said.
Barr is now looking towards Los Angeles 2028 with one Olympic campaign already under her belt.
“Taking my experience in Paris forward will really help me get the best out of myself for the next games. I know how to train better now (and) I know how to eat around training, so (I’m) definitely hoping to be on the start line in LA,” she said.
Paige Barr shows a packed lecture theatre a presentation of her Olympic journey.
An honour board in the Gippsland Grammar gymnasium where Paige Barr spent hours training, lists the state and national teams she’s made.
Olympian and Gippsland Grammar old scholar Paige Barr with Director of Rowing Nick Bartlett.
