THE ERA OF POLARIZATION very hard, and the failure to win a medal in St. Catharines could have cast doubt on the programme. Hearing the words ‘train harder’ turned some faces red and was not what they wanted to hear. Guin was courageous making this comment, but it reflected her drive and personality. “And it was what I needed to hear. Gillian Lindsay quickly supported her, but it was Guin’s leadership at this time that kept the team moving on. Only Cath Bishop and Dot Blackie raised objection to Guin’s suggestion, and it was at this point that they finally decided to leave the squad. “Cath and Dot left to train with the men under Jürgen Grobler,7883 who welcomed them. Team manager David Tanner encouraged their move and told them they could take with them one of the women’s team boats. He remained quietly in the background when they finished last but one in Sydney.”7884 Guin Batten: “Back in the UK at the Longridge Scout Boating Centre, the remaining athletes gathered. From a peak of more than twenty-five athletes on the squad in 1998, we were now down to eight – Miriam Batten, Gillian Lindsey, Guin Batten, Katherine Grainger, Sarah Winckless, Fran Houghton, Alison Mowbray and Elise Laverick – all of whom would go on to win Olympic Medals. “As all the boats had done so poorly in 1999, all seats were now up for selection. I recall saying that Miriam and I would like to try to make the double. It was the last chance as sisters to be in the same boat, and we knew Mike was the only coach strong enough to coach us together. That morning the double became the top boat for us, but final trials saw a quad of Guin, Miriam, Katherine and Sarah selected along with Gillian and Fran in a double.”7885 7883 See Chapter 136. 7884 Spracklen, op. cit. 7885 G. Batten, personal correspondence, 2011 Spracklen: “The quad was chosen as the lead boat for Sydney in 2000, and not unsurprisingly the women not chosen argued against my choice for the crew. It was not an unfamiliar situation to be faced with disappointed athletes, but their arguments were without substance and with an antagonism that persisted beyond anything I had ever encountered. “I have no bitterness at all as I look back. Whilst it was a disagreeable time for me, my return to England was with my eyes wide open as to what to expect from management and the athletes. I gained enormously from the experience “But regrettably I realised too late that the female negativity I encountered was not an aversion to working hard but the lack of confidence from the accumulation of years of being treated like second-class citizens. Instead of encouragement when they needed it most, they had received only cynicism and an unrealistically high standard set for them by others on the British staff.”7886 Guin Batten: “Injury continued to plague the group, and six weeks before the Games an injured Sarah Winckless had to seat race Fran and Gillian for the 2-seat in the quad. “Gillian won the selection, and the level of training moved up a gear to levels I thought I couldn’t humanly do. In a seven- day period, we covered 330km. The intensity was mind blowing. Even technical paddling saw heart rates close to threshold. I was on antibiotics, and I struggled to stay awake to eat. As a crew, we were struggling to eat enough to avoid losing weight. We would do four rowing or erg sessions a day and finish with weights. “The reason I had spent most of my time before 1999 in the single is that when I first tried to make a sweep boat, I was overlooked by then Chief Coach Ron 7886 Spracklen, op. cit. 2193