From York to Duisburg: Isaac Morris on his journey to U23 World Rowing Championships debut
Shaped by Yorkshire’s Performance Development Academy, Isaac Morris reflects on his rowing journey ahead of his U23 World Championships debut.
Credit: AllmarkOne
As Isaac Morris gets the last bit of tapering complete ahead of his U23 World Rowing Championships debut, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the journey he’s been on.
What started on the River Ouse in York will take him all the way to the Regattabahn in Duisburg, Germany. It’s been a journey seven years in the making for Morris, who took his first strokes at York City Rowing Club under the eyes of Phil Jones, who was awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year’s Honours List.
“I’d never really thought of rowing as a thing to do, but then someone just suggested I try it, because I was tall,” said Morris with a laugh.
“Honestly, my first impression was that my hamstrings were very inflexible, and I was struggling to sit up in the boat! It was definitely very cool being out on the water, a real novelty at first. I wasn’t very good to begin with, but it was really nice as I got better, being able to go further and have more independence in the boat.
This won’t be Morris’ first trip to Germany. As part of his junior journey, he made the trip across to Munich in May last year for the International Regatta with the U19 Men’s Sculling team. By this point, Morris was flying the flag for Leeds Rowing Club, having joined the Yorkshire Performance Development Academy.
The transition came in his J17 year and was initially under the instruction of Matt Paul, before working with Matt Mole now that he’s full time at the Performance Development Academy.
“There’s lots of coaching, and we do camps quite often. It involves training every day, basically, apart from Sunday, and we do test camps every month throughout the season.
“To anyone seeking more advice about the Performance Development Academies, I’d say give it a go and be patient. Embrace it, and go into it with a really positive attitude; you don’t know what’s in store.”
As well as the Munich International Regatta, Morris was called up to last year’s Coupe de la Jeunesse. There’s plenty of learning Morris will be able to take back to Germany after previous international duties.
“People don’t hold back; they go hard. So that was a bit of a surprise at first, but just knowing that, and having experienced it, helps a lot.”
Morris will take this international experience along with lessons learned from this year’s Trialling process and his wealth races competed at on the domestic stage.
“I really enjoyed going to fun regional regattas with my friends when I was younger. The spring regattas and the summer regattas were always fantastic; you’d do maybe three or four races a day with your friends, picking up some medals.”
Credit: Benedict Tufnell
Like so many others, rowing will have a lasting impact on Morris. Whether it’s sitting in a boat for the first time, enrolling in the Yorkshire Performance Development Academy, or representing Great Britain, he’s made memories to last a lifetime.
“Rowing has changed my life in so many ways. I think it gives me a really good sense of routine and structure. I’ve just really enjoyed the sport as well, and obviously it’s helped me get recruited to Princeton University. I’ll be starting there in August, and I’m very excited for that.”
Morris will join a strong British contingent racing for the Ivy League University, including Liv Cheesmur, selected in the U23 Women’s Quadruple Scull for the second year in a row. Princeton graduates also include 2024 Olympic Champion Hannah Scott, 2024 Olympic silver medallist Tom George, and current members of the GB Rowing Team, Katherine George and David Bewicke-Copley.
When Morris lines up on the start line, he’ll be racing in the U23 Men’s Double Sculls alongside Edinburgh University Boat Club stalwart, Freddy Foxwell, who won the Prince of Wales Challenge Cup at the beginning of the month. Over the past couple of weeks, the two have been guided under the watchful eye of Stu Heap, Head Coach at London Rowing Club.
“Selection was kind of unexpected at first, but I’m really, really excited.
“It’s great rowing with Freddy. We have slightly different styles, but we’re getting more and more used to each other, and it certainly helped knowing him beforehand. I’ve been really enjoying it.”
