Praise for rowing talent Shakira Mirfin
Jack Allan has nearly 20 years of coaching experience behind him, so when he says that Shakira Mirfin is easily the best rower he has mentored, it’s worth taking notice.
“I’ve done New Zealand under 21s and some other stuff as well and I’d say, for her age and where she’s at, I’d say she’s easily the best,” he said.
“She’s got an awesome training ethic, she works hard and she’s stayed healthy. In the three years I’ve coached her she’s managed to stay injury-free and a lot of that comes down to her conditioning, nutrition and her daily life, looking after herself and resting.”
Shakira was honoured for her commitment through her two years with Academy Southland, graduating at the end of last year.
It was an impressive 2019 for the Southland Girls’ High School student; a national title in the under 17 girls single scull at the Maadi Cup was followed up with a junior world title as part of the New Zealand women’s quadruple sculls in Tokyo.
“Last year exceeded my expectations by far,” Shakira said.
“It was a dream of mine to get there at this age and now I know that it is possible, I want to keep pushing myself to my limits and hopefully I can keep doing what I want to do. Now I just want to do everything I can to get back into that same environment.”
Shakira credits her time with the Academy for helping to shape her ability to get the best out of herself.
Photo: From left, rowers Shakira Mirfin, Sarah Stewart and coach Jack Allan. Pic: Carly Anderson
“I guess when I came into the Academy, I thought I knew a lot about how to look after my body and what the best was for me in terms of racing, but they helped me expand my knowledge,” she said.
“You learn how the little things can make a massive difference to your performance.”
The Academy’s Mike Piper Training Centre and strength and conditioning coach Tyson Huia had also played a key role in her development, Shakira said.
“It’s been massive, he’s pretty amazing at his job. He’s so interested in learning about your sport and how you need to move for your sport. In the past I’ve gone to the gym, but had a very genericprogramme. Now things are more specific and will change through the season to make sure you are peaking at the right time, which is massive for performance.”
Jack Allan, who has also been part of Academy Southland’s coach programme, said it was rare to find an athlete who ticked most of the boxes in terms of ability, work ethic and interest.
“As a coach you want to be able to talk to your rowers. She is very approachable, and she will tell me if she doesn’t think something is going well, or she’s not comfortable with things.”
With a year remaining at high school, Shakira will be back at the Maadi Cup in March and April, andhopes to gain selection in the New Zealand team for this year’s junior world championships, to be held on Lake Bled, Slovenia, in August.
Meanwhile, applications for the Foundation Year of the two-year Academy Southland programmeopened this week, and close on February 24.
Each year, a maximum of 12 Southland athletes are given the opportunity to be included in the Academy Southland programme for a two-year period.
Rower and Academy athlete Sarah Stewart said her time in the programme had helped her to establish goals to achieve her dreams, manage expectations during a recent rib injury and reinforce the importance of enjoying what you are doing.
The foundation year of the programme offers athletes an induction into high performance sport, with a focus on athlete life, sport nutrition, performance psychology, and strength and conditioning.
More information and an application form are available on the Academy Southland website.
