Sisters Maria and Helen Nielson-Scott are throwing love out in the boat as they compete against each other in the world’s oldest rowing rivalry.
The sisters make history on Easter Saturday by being the first to row in different boats in the Oxford versus Cambridge race on the Thames. It will be the first time ever such a sisterly head-to-head occurs in the 78 years in which women have been allowed to take part in the Boat Race.
Added spice is thrown into the contest because the two sisters actually used to row in the same crew.
Both rowed in last year’s Oxford reserve crew race together. Younger sister Helen, 22, graduated in music at Oxford, but is now training to be a teacher at Emmanuel College Cambs. Meanwhile, older sister Maria, 24, is now in her last year at Exeter College Ox studying medicine.
However, academic and career reasons have now forced the two sisters to split up on the water.
Helen says; ‘Last year together we built up such a good relationship with the rest of our crew. But, sadly, Oxford don’t offer the course which I wanted for my career. I wanted PGCE for primary schools and Oxford only offer it for secondary school training..so I had to change university and I knew I wanted to carry on rowing, so Cambridge was the obvious choice.’
Maria says; ‘Helen was a bit shifty when I found out she was thinking of changing university. But it didn’t bother me that much and we are planning to meet up for lunch together in the week of the race next week.
‘The situation of racing against my sister definitely adds a bit more fun because you know someone so well in the other competitor’s crew. I do tell myself, there are eight others in the rival crew (inc the cox) that I don’t know.’
The Nielson-Scott sisters grew up in the Wirral where they went to St John Plessington school together. They never rowed growing up. However, their mother Jane Nielson did row at UCL and then London University, where she graduated in 1990. Their father Tim Scott also went to UCL and played cricket and football.
Helen says; ‘rowing was vaguely on the radar because of mum.’
‘The sport we did together as sisters was swimming and we used to train together three times a week.’
Asked: how will your family cope with the big race next weekend?
Helen says; ‘My parents will go and support at the finish line in Mortlake…and make sure they are wearing neutral colours!’
Maria and Helen are both athletically built and tall, at 175cm high. They row in the ‘engine room’ in the middle of their crews in the number three and four seats of the eights….so they will literally be just feet apart staring out the rival crew on the start line at Putney, at least.
And what happens when normal life resumes?
Maria says; ‘I am making job applications and going to work in a palliative care hospital in the summer. It will be tricky to carry on a rowing career because the commitment needed is so great, we have been training 12 times a week.’
Helen says; ‘I am unsure about professional life, I am not committed to being a teacher. It is hard to imagine life without rowing.’
