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Before the regatta, they got together for a couple of training sessions, where their unity \u201cinstinctively\u201d kicked back in, and they enjoyed a few quiet, reflective drinks on the jetty afterwards.<\/p>\n
On race day, Baker said they had \u201cperfect, textbook beautiful conditions\u201d and enjoyed the row, but Nielson said that didn\u2019t stop some old feelings from his school days coming back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still got quite nervous, though. As the other crew were touching up to the start blocks, I got that nervous feeling in my gut,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The crew had family, friends, BHS rowing club members, and others in the Ballarat rowing community come to watch and support them.<\/p>\n
The guys were proud to bring some extra excitement and positivity to the High shed, and to its culture, which has given them so much.<\/p>\n
They continue to value the life skills they learnt during rowing, like time management, discipline, and teamwork, and the social side of the sport.<\/p>\n
For years after they left school, the crew remained close friends with their generation of rowers, not just at BHS, but across Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cKarl remains tight with another crew he coxed, and we\u2019re all good friends with people from school, especially those we knew through rowing, very much,\u201d McKenzie said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it wasn\u2019t for rowing, we might not have been mates with a lot of people in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BALLARAT High School\u2019s boys first crew of 2002 made a splash when they won the Australian National Rowing Championships. Chris Nielson, Nic Moran, Heath Baker, Lachlan McKenzie and their coxswain Karl Waldron – who steered four seasons\u2019 worth of firsts crews – were one of the most impressive combinations the school\u2019s rowing shed has ever […]<\/p>\n