Balancing the boat

How does one balance med school, social life, and representing the country in sport? Jessica Lovell sat down with former Marlborough, now Otago University-based rower Mila van Rensburg to see if she had the answer.

The talented 19-year-old travelled to Sydney, Australia at the start of July as part of the New Zealand Universities team which contested the trans-Tasman series.

The crew raced over multiple days against the Sydney University eight.

“We started out doing a long-distance race of 5km on the Sydney Harbour,” explained Mila.

“Then we did two 1500m races, also on the harbour.

“After that we did a sprint regatta at the Penrith Olympic Training Centre, which was quite cool. Those races consisted of 1km, 500m and 250m.”

The NZ crew were in fine form throughout the week, winning the event outright.

Mila, who was a standout for Marlborough Girls’ College at Maadi Cup level, says school age rowing and university rowing have their differences, but she embraces the change.

“Uni rowing is really cool, because it blends the competitiveness of the seriousness of school rowing with the social aspect of Uni life.”

Mila describes the general vibe as more ‘chilled out’, but says that her crewmates are a dedicated bunch who train hard for their success.

Outside of sport, Mila leads an impressive, yet demanding, academic life.

A second year university student at Otago University, Mila is studying for a bachelor of medicine and surgery. The degree is notoriously competitive, attracting extremely gifted students, with a challenging workload. However, as her sporting results suggest, Mila thrives under pressure and is adept at goalsetting.

“Honestly, just fake it ‘til you make it.” she chuckles. “When I have a competition, or a test on the line, I just put all my focus onto that task, kind of make it my priority.”

Last year Mila took a step back from her rowing to pour her energy into getting into med, and with that goal a success, decided to revisit rowing.

Her laser-sharp focus may explain how she manages both her degree and her wicked training schedule.

During rowing season, University NZ team members row five times a week, erg two or three times a week, and also hit the gym whenever they can. While this sounds physically taxing, Mila says she can’t seem to get away from the sport.

“I don’t know, I just love it. I just love rowing with other people and being around people who like the same thing as me.

“Otago is a really big squad, and I get to see my mates every morning and just struggle through the training with them, which I think creates the strongest friendships.”

Looking to the future, Mila’s long term goals lie in achieving her degree and potentially participating in the rural immersion programme in her fifth year, where she hopes she can give back to the community and receive hands-on inter-personal training at a smaller centre.

Sports-wise, she aspires to compete in next year’s World University Games, to be held in South Korea. Mila adds that an ultimate goal would be making one of the under-23 NZ women’s rowing teams but admits that may require larger sacrifices.

Whatever Mila’s aspirations may be, her tenacious mindset ensures nothing is out of reach.