Community Connections
Finding belonging on the water
For Â鶹´«Ã½ student Hannah Verco, rowing was never just about exercise
It was routine. Identity. Community. A reason to get up early and head for the water before the rest of the world had fully woken up.
Then it disappeared.
Hannah, who is studying a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Politics and International Relations at UC, took up rowing in high school and developed a strong connection to the sport.
After arriving at university, she expected she would continue rowing. Instead, she found there were no affordable opportunities available for students wanting to row socially or competitively.
She tried replacing it with other forms of exercise – running, the gym – but nothing quite stuck.
“Juggling full-time study and part-time work, I lost space and time for my hobbies – and, with them, a bit of my sense of self,” she said.
“What I missed most was the sense of belonging and the confidence that rowing had given me. I didn't realise how much of my identity was tied to it until it was gone.”
Then came the community rowing organisation, Red Shed.
It opened in Canberra in 2024 with a focus on making rowing more accessible, affordable and welcoming.
Rowing has long carried a reputation as an elite sport – associated with prestigious schools and expensive memberships.
Hannah understands why.
“When I moved to a public school and later to UC, the opportunities to continue rowing basically disappeared,” she said.
“Red Shed has changed that. They’ve made rowing affordable and open to anyone, regardless of background.”
What began as conversations between UC staff, Red Shed representatives and a small group of students soon evolved into something much bigger; the creation of the UC Stars Rowing Club.
For Hannah – the club president – stepping back into a boat felt strangely familiar.
“The moment I climbed back into the boat, everything came back to me,” she said.
“There was uncertainty at first – years had passed. But rowing has a way of finding you again. It felt like returning to something I never quite let go of, and it was genuinely freeing.”
Before the club was officially recognised, Red Shed was already helping students get on the water, while Hannah and the club’s future executive team were putting up posters around campus, speaking to students and building interest.
Once enough students committed, UCX Clubs helped formalise the initiative and support the club’s establishment.
Hannah, who developed the business plan for the club, said the friendships she formed through UC played a major role in making the idea possible.
“My club executive team is made up of students studying the same double degree as me,” she said.
“It's interesting how if I didn’t make those friends in my classes, the rowing club probably wouldn’t exist.”
Now, what started as an opportunity for a handful of students has become a growing community built around connection, confidence and trying something new.
For many students, it is their first time touching an oar.
“About 90 per cent of our club had no rowing experience,” Hannah said.
“They joined the Learn to Row program, gave it a go, and have stayed because the environment is so welcoming, and everyone shares their personal journey.”
What surprised Hannah most was not only how many students were willing to try something completely new, but how quickly they embraced it.
“They've seen it on television, heard the word, but weren't entirely sure what it involved; some confused it with kayaking,” she said.
“But what they had in common was a willingness to try something genuinely new.”
The club’s Vice President, Aiden Cooper, is one of many students who discovered rowing through the program.
“The UC Stars Rowing gave students from rural areas the opportunity to participate in rowing,” he said.
“The Red Shed Learn to Row program was an affordable opportunity for students like me to give it a go.”
For Hannah, some of the most rewarding moments have come from watching complete beginners slowly grow more confident on the water.
“That first learn-to-row session always starts the same way,” she said.
“It’s quiet, a little uncertain, a group of strangers about to try something completely unlike anything they've done before. But the moment they get in a boat and are on the water, something shifts.”
By mid-semester, those same students are rowing independently, building friendships and discovering a sense of belonging many did not expect to find through university sport.
“It makes me proud, really proud, to be part of that,” Hannah said.
But the club is about much more than just rowing itself.
“We row together, we have breakfast together, we learn together, and most importantly, we have fun,” she said.
The mornings often begin with students carpooling to Lake Burley Griffin before sunrise, talking about assignments, life, and whatever else is on their minds.
Once on the water, the atmosphere is less intense sporting culture and more shared experience – conversations between strokes, bursts of singing across the lake and plenty of friendly banter.
“We work hard, but we do it while having fun,” Hannah said.
“We’re there because we love it and want to enjoy ourselves, and that shows.”
For Hannah, rowing transformed her own university experience as much as it has for newer members.
“I don't live on campus, and before rowing, I wasn't part of that on-campus community,” she said.
“Honestly, my first year was lonely. Rowing changed that.”
Now, the club has become a support network that extends well beyond the lake.
“We support each other through study stress, through the emotional weight that comes with university life,” she said.
“It’s remarkable what the right group of people can do for your university experience.”
Hannah hopes the club continues growing long after the current cohort graduates – not simply as a sports club, but as a place where students can feel grounded during some of the most challenging years of their lives.
“I want it to be a space people turn to during stressful times,” she said.
“A place that feels like a break, a reset, and a supportive community all at once.”
And for students unsure whether rowing is for them?
Hannah’s answer is simple.
“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” she said.
“You might just find your place on the water.”