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Nominated by The King’s School, Worcester

Alice Baker Rowing

We doubt you have ever met a pupil such as Alice Baker, a quiet, unreserved, hardworking Sixth Form pupil who has an unwavering passion for her sport, rowing. Alice’s enthusiasm for rowing started in Year 9 at King’s Worcester when, as part of the Sports curriculum, she took part in timetabled rowing. Since that very first day in the boat, Alice’s dedication, form, athleticism, and passion have gone from strength to strength.

Joining the King’s Boat Club community, Alice has attended morning, evening, and weekend training sessions and, supported by an incredibly professional and specialist rowing coach, Will Bird, Alice has committed to challenging technical and physical development on and off the water. In addition to hours of specialist strength and conditioning and technical coaching, Alice has also benefited from the world-class rowing equipment and the award-winning Boathouse and its facilities at King’s Worcester.

Whilst Alice has competed and led her fellow crews in endless competitions, national team trials, training events, camps, and regattas, during 20-21 Alice achieved two impressive achievements. During lockdown, in February 2021 she won Silver in the gruelling 2,000m World Rowing Indoor Championships and Gold at the British Junior Rowing Championship in July 2021 in the Under 18 Women’s Pair, with fellow King’s rower Georgie Thorpe. These two incredible achievements have been the catalyst for a series of subsequent successes for Alice.

“Alice’s dedication to her sport and achieving her very best is simply unmatchable,” said coach Will Bird. “She is even here now studying for her A level exams in the Boat Club, after training this morning and will be training again this afternoon. Her wins in ’20 and ’21 were the product of hundreds of hours of training both on and off the water, and since then she has not stopped. I’m so immensely proud of her; she is an incredibly talented and committed sportswoman who will serve to inspire many younger rowers for years to come.”

Now Captain of Boats at King’s Worcester, Alice not only balances her unfaltering dedication for rowing with being a School Monitor but also whilst studying for her A levels – Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Art. Her dedication to rowing is evident through her commitment to the Boat Club, where she provides regular coaching through clubs and camps, acting as a role model for future young King’s rowers. Fellow Boat Club members, Eleanor and Catlin said, “Alice works so incredibly hard. She is so very humble and doesn’t boast about her amazing achievements. She is always willing to talk to others no matter what age they are, helping with techniques and sharing her experiences and what she has learned from her GB training sessions. She really is an inspiration to the whole school and a true example of how dedication and hard work really pay off.”

When she is not studying or training, Alice is busy raising money with the Boat Club community. In December ’21, she brought the King’s rowing community together in the annual One Million Metre Charity Rowing Challenge, raising £5,250 for the Mind Charity. Over 140 pupils finished the year off with this gruelling challenge, rowing the equivalent of six hundred and twenty miles (one million metres), in just 17 hours. Alice and fellow Captain of Boats Luke camped out on the Boathouse floor to ensure that the rowing ergos kept going continuously and took on the final leg in the early hours of the morning to complete the exhausting challenge. Alice said, “The atmosphere that night was epic and rowing at 3 am in the morning with others is a great way to forge team bonds. It’s incredible to organise such an event which has raised over £35,000 for various charities over the past 6 years.”

The incredibly humble, Alice, said “After the wins in 20-21 I was determined I wanted to row for Great Britain and so that was my ambition. I couldn’t have done it without Will – my coach and my Athlete Development Programme Mentor, Mrs McGinley. Will put in the endless time to help me and other crews improve our form and was instrumental in getting me to the GB competitions. Mrs McGinley offered support and guidance with balancing academic studies with my rowing commitments. The Boathouse has really been a second home to me. I feel so privileged to be able to train in such a beautiful place, right on the River Seven and surrounded by such a committed and fun community.”

Alice’s incredible talents and achievements over the past 2 years have been duly rewarded. Not only has she recently represented GB and won Gold in the Munich International U19 Junior Regatta, but she will also be continuing her rowing career in USA at Stanford University next year when she takes up her full rowing scholarship there.

Headmaster, Mr Doodes also praised Alice’s phenomenal achievements, “The entire community is so proud of Alice. She has been unfaltering in her ambition to row for Great Britain, and this, combined with a full scholarship to Stanford, demonstrates what a pupil at King’s can achieve. The impact Alice has had on inspiring future generations to pursue their passions and work hard is unquantifiable. The popularity of rowing at King’s has never been so high and undoubtedly Alices’ achievements have been a huge influence on this. I am also grateful to her coaches and staff who have supported her in her journey. We look forward to supporting Alice for many years to come.”

Alice’s Achievements 2020-2021

 

King’s Rowers Crowned British Champions

British Rowing Indoor Championships Success

Alice takes silver at the World Rowing Indoor Championships

Alice’s Achievements 2022

 

International U19 GB Rowing Debut For Alice

Alice Wins GB Gold at the International Junior Regatta

King’s Pupil Alice Awarded Rowing Scholarship to Stanford University

School Sports Video

 

Alice’s Image Gallery