MEET our SL Racing Ambassadors.

It’s always exciting welcoming a new member to our small team. Our Ambassador programme began with Olympic, World and National Champion Emma Twigg and has grown to include some of rowings up and coming stars. Meet our extended team and discover more about their rowing aspirations and what drives them to be first across the line.

Emma remembers looking up to then NZ junior rower Simon Lack 20-years ago at the Hawke’s Bay Rowing Club on the banks of the Clive River as she began her journey into what would become a life-long passion.

Although one has won multiple world titles in rowing, while the other focuses on building the best racing rowing boats, Emma and Simon have always had a common goal – to be the best and at the top of their game

So, it made perfect sense for Emma to align herself with SL Racing as their first ambassador. Emma believes the quality of SL Racing’s boats are unrivalled, and the amount of effort and care Simon, Hamish and the team put into every design is unsurpassed.

Emma and Simon discuss the new Carbon Wing.

“The difference between an SLR boat and others that I’ve raced is just the quality of the workmanship and the attention to detail they put into little things, like rigging and getting that perfect. That’s something I’ve worked with Simon on a lot over the last few years to develop.”
Emma Twigg, SL Racing Ambassador

With big plans to design and develop their boats to perform at an elite level, Emma was the perfect contender to take SL Racing to the world stage, winning Nationals in New Zealand, picking up a bronze at the WCII and standing on the podium as a Silver medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Ultimately, I raced SLR Advantage at the Olympics because I believed I was in a world-class boat, which was as good if not better than anything else. When I sat on the start line in Paris, I knew I was in a speed machine, and it was up to me to make the boat go fast.”

But this ambassador role isn’t just about helping develop the worlds’ best boats and competing. Emma is passionate about her sport and giving back to the community that supported her for so many years. “I think it’s essential to have role models in sport, I definitely had some as a young girl, so I hope to be a positive one for young rowers in this ambassador role with SL Racing.”

Emma where it all began, on the Clive River.

And what does life look like for Emma beyond rowing competitively? “I hope that I can leave some kind of legacy in terms of giving back to the sport because I think that’s the ultimate. You can win all the accolades you want but giving something meaningful back afterwards is a true legacy. I think NZ’s rowing future is very bright, we’ve got a huge amount of depth, and even at club level now, there’s a talent that goes far deeper than before. So, I think the future is exciting and bright, and I think SL Racing is going to be part of making sure that these young athletes have a future in our sport as well”.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds with Emma on board.

Next Across the Line.

We’re huge supporters of rowing rising stars and want to give a leg-up to those who are committed to being the best of the best.

Our Ambassador programme hand-picks rowings up-and-coming champions who could benefit from some extra support to enable them to achieve their full potential. Ben Mason was the first recipient of this programme, and we’ve watched him compete in New Zealand and abroad, becoming one of NZ’s rowing talents to watch.

How SLR support our Ambassadors:

Support and mentorship from some of rowing’s elite
Use of an SL Racing boat
Financial support
A load of gear.

Find out more about Ben and the challenges he faced during his 2023/2024 rowing season.

And we’ve recently welcomed Oscar Ruston on board our SLR Ambassador programme, another young rower with big aspirations. We can’t wait to see what he will achieve in the coming years and are thrilled to have him on board.

Rowing the road to success – meet Oscar Ruston, our newest SLR Ambassador

We are always on the lookout for young rowing talent who are passionate about their sport with a drive to be first across the line and support them in their aspirations. Who knows, you may be shoulder-tapped in the future.