You might think competing at the prestigious international rowing event, Henley Royal Regatta, would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but Year 12 Grammarian, Lola Dahan, has now competed twice.  

Balancing her Year 12 studies, an intense almost daily rowing training program, her role as Vice Captain of Boats and being an energetic leader within the Year 12 cohort, Lola has seemingly ‘done it all’ in her final year of school. Lola’s commitment to her sport and the sacrifices she has made, make her an exceptional role model for her peers and younger Grammarians. She has represented the School countless times since she began at Wildfell in 2016, and has consistently embodied the School values of courage, integrity, self-discipline and compassion during her time at MGGS.  

As she finishes up her last few weeks of school, Lola reflects on the once-in-a-lifetime experience that she had twice, rowing at Henley.  

Congratulations on an amazing campaign at HRR. What was the experience like?  

The experience really isn’t something I am able to compare to anything I’ve ever done. Honestly, I think the Henley trip epitomises rowing as a sport. It is an amazing balance of strengthening relationships between crew members and coaches, as well as testing yourself and getting to know yourself in a completely new environment.  
Being away from Melbourne, it really isolated us. In saying this, I knew there was an army of supporters behind us, and this isolation really added to the professional atmosphere we were trying to emulate. At Henley, you can’t help but have fun, that’s just the nature of the environment, but I think being constantly around people with the same passion and goal in mind as you, adds a different dimension to the experience.  

How did you prepare and train for the races?  

We trained for an additional nine weeks after the Schoolgirl season. So, rather than finishing the season at Nationals in April, our last race was in July. We had to alter our usual training slightly, as training for Henley becomes much more internal. You no longer have the luxury of regattas every Saturday to track your progress and use them as checking points to keep yourself accountable for what needs to be worked on.  

We adapted to this and took a new approach, not letting this impact us in a negative way. Whether it was competing against each other on the ergo or our own past PBs, it was about doing what we could to be the best versions our ourselves. Our goal was to be 10% faster than we had been at Nationals.  

At Henley, you don’t really know who you are competing against as eight-lane racing is completely different to dual racing head-to-head, as Henley is. We were lucky to train on the Yarra, as we could replicate the Thames’ strong stream by rowing towards Hawthorn, or prepare ourselves for windy and turbulent conditions by rowing to the West Gate Bridge.  

What was going through your mind during the first race against Latymer Upper school, and when you won? 

I think that was the moment we knew we had a place in the competition and were worthy of the opportunity. It was a very daunting experience, but to cross the finish line the way we did gave us a great sense of confidence in ourselves and the work that we had done. It’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the moment as you watch so many videos of crews crossing that line first, but imagining it for yourself is difficult. So I think our win was really important for our collective self-belief. Our goal for that race was to be brave and bold, which I think was evident in the way we raced from start to finish.  

What were the challenges for your second race against Winter Park Crew (USA)? 

I knew it would be a completely different race to the one the day before. Winter Park were our big competition last year, so we knew they would be fierce, but that wasn’t something we could control. We had done training pieces with them a few days before, so we had gaged their strengths. Theirs was their mid-race rhythm, so we knew that our start and finish would be our advantage. Obviously, the race didn’t go as well as we had hoped, but as Schoolgirls, all you can really ask for is maximum effort, and that is what we gave. As a School, MGGS has never based their success upon results or medals, and I think that became really clear when we gave it our all in that last race, pushing it right to the line even from behind. Our cox, Sophia, said ‘meet the moment’ in the last five strokes, which has stuck with me since, because that was a moment we were all very fortunate to have been part of, together.  

What was the highlight of the experience? 

The highlight for me was probably the bonds I created with my crew members. I thought we were going into it not able to get much closer, but I guess 24 hours on a plane and living together, you really ride the wave of emotions together. Being away from our parents and families, forced is to be independent and deal with things ourselves, which was quite empowering. It showed the very unique support teammates can provide as we were all battling the nerves, pressure and anticipation together.  

What has the experience taught you overall? 

I was initially hesitant about doing Henley for a second time, as I was conscious of balancing my priorities and the special experiences that Year 12 at MGGS offers. I struggled with self-doubt and whether training and competing again for another three months was the right decision for me. It took me stepping back and really contemplating to realise how rare of an experience it was, to be part of this crew, and this trip. So, I think my takeaway from our 2023 Henley campaign was to welcome opportunities as they come and get on board, because they might not come around again.  

I was scared that participating in Henley this year would mean I missed out on a lot of memories during my final year of School, but funnily enough, it was quite the opposite! I made many more.   

What comes next for MGGS Rowing? 

I am so excited to see the future of our program and what the girls are going to do next. Over the last few years, with the efforts from all three squads (Juniors, Inters and Seniors), we have really put ourselves on the map and shown not only the Schoolgirl competition, but Australia what we are capable of.  

Lola wished to share how proud she is to be part of Melbourne Girls Grammar and spoke incredibly fondly of the memories she made throughout both her Henley journeys that she will treasure them forever.  

We are delighted to share that Lola has been offered a scholarship to study and row at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2024. Congratulations Lola! 

We wish Lola the best of luck at UCLA and cannot wait to hear about her future achievements.  

We look forward to celebrating the wonderful achievement of the entire Merton crew with our community at the upcoming Celebration of Sport on Monday 9 October in the Artemis Centre.