At 171cm, the shortest (other then the cox) and youngest member of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Women’s Eight, SALLY KEHOE is quite the pint size dynamo of the rowing world. Her partner in the 2009 World Championships, PIPPA SAVAGE, stands 15cm taller! Her coach, Phil Bourgignon, has described her as “Incredibly tenacious, versatile and motivated towards success at everything she puts her mind to in sport, life and academia”. Active Women caught up with Sally to find out what makes this dynamo spin!

AW: What motivates you to get up on dark, cold mornings?

SK: In the morning, I actually do not think too much. Every night before I go to bed, I create a pile of all the clothes that I have to put on in the morning. When I wake, without leaving bed, I dress myself, and get on my bike and head to training. If I stop and think about how tired I am, how early it is, how cold it is, I find I start the day asking myself ‘WHY?’! But, when you get moving, get on the water, and row on perfectly still water as the sun rises, you remember how special this sport is.

AW: What is the hardest part of being an elite athlete?

SK: The training is hard, the lifestyle is hard, but nothing is harder than being away from family and friends for prolonged periods of time. Missing those important events such as weddings, birthdays and unfortunately sometimes funerals, or even just a dinner with the family are the times that you realise you are in a different world. I have often thought, if had all the money in the world, I would fly my family and friends around the world with me. Not only would it make my life easier, but it would allow them a more honest view of my life, and what I do when I am away for months at a time.

AW: What is your favourite part of being an elite athlete?

SK: Apart from the adrenaline rush of the competition and the pure joy of achieving your goals, I think the lessons I’ve learnt about myself and life are invaluable. Competing at the elite level particularly in a team sport, tests your mind and body in the most challenging scenarios and teaches you invaluable interpersonal skills that are able to be applied to other areas of life.

Also, through rowing I have met an array of fantastic people from all over the world. The friendships created within this sport, particularly amongst your team mates, are made of trust and a special understanding of one of another. We all respect each other and know how to work hard, and on the odd occasion, play hard.

AW: Typical training week?

SK: Most days we train three times, with 1-2 sessions of rowing, and either a cardio cross training session in the afternoon, or weights. The days average out to be five hours of physical exercise, however, it usually takes 8 hours to get through them. Within a heavy loaded week, we will complete 30+ hours, over six days. The break down of the week: 15 hours rowing: 6 hours weights: 60 minutes rowing ergo: 10 hours cycling: 2 hours running.

AW: What do you do for recovery?

SK: I am probably the slackest recovery athlete out there. Even when I was an athlete at the AIS, I found excuses to not go to the fully-equipped recovery centre to sit in the spa. Massages are about  as far as I go, however, I believe that sleep is the best form of recovery. When athletes start to stress or extend their already long days to meet recovery needs, then that form of recovery is actually having an adverse effect. Recovery to me is about switching off mentally and physically, usually for me that means removing myself from my ‘work’ environment.

AW: Why do you prefer racing in a scull over a sweep boat?

SK: I enjoy the challenge and having the responsibility for your own actions. In the single scull or  double scull, I also feel like I can contribute to the boat more effectively. As a rower, lacking the ideal
long levers, the unique qualities that enable me to move a single, lose their effectiveness the bigger the boat that I am in. The double is just the right size to enjoy a faster race, while still being
able to contribute dynamically… Perfect!

AW: How do you chill out?

SK: If I am chilling out before a race, you will usually see me with the back page of the Sydney  Morning Herald doing the crosswords, Sudoku and on the weekend the Samurai Sudoku. If I am heading
overseas, I will even stock up on SMH crosswords to ensure that I have something to entertain me while waiting for my race. Away from racing, to chill out, I love to do ‘normal’ things. This could be anything from going out on Saturday night, having breakfast on Sunday morning, playing tennis or exploring new recipes and cooking.

AW: If you weren’t rowing, what would you be doing?

SK: Scary thought. I would probably have finished a degree by now and then discovered that sitting at a desk all day was not for me. Somehow I would hopefully I would have found something to fulfil my natural competitive instinct and my craving for adrenaline. I often think that being a chef could be an ideal career for me. It is fast paced, highly competitive, a pressure test and works with food… perfect!

AW: And finally, a quirky fact about Sal Kehoe?

SK: I can navigate my way round the Brisbane River, Sydney Harbour and Lake Burley Griffin… backwards!

AW: Favourite thing to cook?

SK: Eggplant, Salami and Mozzarella with homemade pasta

Sauce: 1 x eggplant, salami slices, 1 x tin of tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil leaves, rigatoni pasta, mozzarella, salt and pepper;
Pasta: 200g flour, 2 eggs.

Put the flour on the bench and make a hollow in the middle then break in the eggs. Gradually mix together with a fork until a loose dough forms. Now knead the mixture until it is even. Set the pasta aside. Chop eggplant into 1cm cubes and sweat in saucepan with Olive Oil, take out of pan. Heat pan again, and fry off garlic and onion, then add salami and eggplant. Add canned tomatoes, season to taste and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer over a low heat, while cooking the pasta. Roll the pasta through your pasta maker as per instructions. Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling water, cook al dente, strain and stir into pasta sauce adding the basil and roughly shredded mozzarella. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

Editors Notes: Sally is available for public speaking for all audiences, particularly sporting organisations, school programs and corporate functions. Additional information, including Sally’s journey towards London 2012 can be found at her own personal blog.

Fellow female Queenslanders on Australian team for the World Championships in Poland which ran from 23-30 August 2009 included Emma McCarthy (coxless four), Alison Scobbie and Gabby Kukla (U23  lightweight quad scull), Philippa Lindley (U23 coxless four), Madeleine Edmunds and Jessica Hall (Jnr Quad Scull)

Sally’s dress is by Brisbane designer Alexandra Ovijach for the label akko.