The act of dedicating. The state of being dedicated: Her dedication to medicine was so great that she had time for little else. Selfless devotion: served the public with dedication and integrity. Complete and wholehearted fidelity.

Looking at this definition, I pick up on several key words; selfless, devotion, integrity, wholehearted, time - little else. These words strike a chord with me which runs deep within my veins.

These words were what I was brought up with. This was my education in life, in and out of the rowing world. My father, a successful businessman, footballer and coach, used to talk to me about dedication and how important it is in all aspects of life. He was dedicated to his family, his friends, his sport (football) and to his work, but he was able to be dedicated to them at different times and always worked hard to ensure they didn't encroach on each other.

For most people who row dedication is the key to everything. If you don't have it, you will not succeed. It is possible to be dedicated to several things in your life but not all at once. It is important that one can separate time to ensure that the various aspects of life do not encroach on each other.

Dedication is more than just being devoted to the sport; it's about the selfless regard in which you hold your crewmates, the wholehearted approach to every training session, the time you spend on the water, in the gym, on the ergo, the integrity which this sport is built on.