{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Helen Glover, double Olympic Gold and triple World Champion rower, and Scouts Ambassador","standfirst":"On 27 April, Helen gave this inspirational address at the National Scout Service in St George\u2019s Chapel Windsor at our Day of Celebration and Achievement. ","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/fngjdxmn/helen-glover-1.jpg","width":3230,"height":2595,"altText":"The image shows Helen Glover standing at a podium in St George\u0027s Chapel in Windsor. She is wearing a beige Scout blouse and red white and navy necker. Her head is turned slightly to the left. Behind her is the stone church wall, a bunch of flowers and the church door.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003ESome of you might know me as Helen the rower, an Olympian, or a mum. But today, I\u2019m here as Helen the Scout.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELike you, I grew up in the Scout movement \u2013 and it shaped me more than I could ever have imagined. Back when I was a Cub Scout in Cornwall, the future felt like a distant idea. Actually, in Cornwall, everything felt a long way away!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI spent my childhood running barefoot on beaches, swimming in the sea before school, and doing everything but thinking about the future. I was proud to be one of the first girls in my Cub Pack. I wanted to prove I could do everything the boys could \u2013 maybe an early sign of the competitor in me.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBack then, the idea of standing on an Olympic podium felt like a completely different world. It wasn\u2019t something I ever thought someone like me could do. But here\u2019s the truth: your future is in your hands. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about today \u2013 building your future.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EA turning point\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMy future started to shift at 21, when rowing found me. I\u2019d just left university, had never rowed before, and had no idea what was next.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ELondon had won the Olympic bid, and a talent ID programme launched looking for tall people who might be good at certain sports. I applied \u2013 confident that I met the 5\u201911\u201D height requirement. I was 5\u20199\u201D on tiptoes. Not a great start!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EStill, I gave it everything during the physical tests. Afterwards, they asked me to try rowing. That moment changed the course of my life.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EJust four years later, I crossed the finish line in London with Heather Stanning to win Team GB\u2019s first gold medal of the 2012 Games.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EThe reality behind the glory\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople often ask what that moment felt like. Was it pure joy? Passion? Excitement?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe truth? Relief.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI didn\u2019t feel like I owned the Olympic title. I didn\u2019t even feel like a real rower, let alone a champion. So, I knew I had to go on to Rio, this time, for me.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHeather and I had to evolve. We built a team around us \u2013 coaches, physios, psychologists, nutritionists \u2013 and drew strength from everyone. That became our superpower.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBetween London and Rio, we were unbeaten in 55 races. Impressive? Yes. But I would\u2019ve given anything to lose just once, to relieve the pressure. By the Rio final, we were in a pressure cooker \u2013 silent, stressed, barely communicating.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat morning at 5am, we stretched on the beach. Around us, the Rio nightlife was still going: people dancing, partying, unaware the Olympics were even happening.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd it hit me: these people don\u2019t care about this race. Win or lose, the world keeps turning. What matters is how we race. That moment freed me. We raced. We won. And this time, I felt it.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","image":"/media/dyvn3fxu/helen-glover-2.jpg","width":3936,"height":2624,"altText":"The image shows Helen Glover standing at a podium in St George\u0027s Chapel in Windsor. She is wearing a beige Scout blouse and red white and navy necker. In the foreground are the backs of people\u0027s heads as they look forward at Helen giving her address. ","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EA new kind of strength\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter Rio, I did what many expected: I stepped away from the sport. Then I had my first child, Logan. And suddenly, no one asked if I\u2019d row again. It felt like people assumed I was done.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2020, during lockdown, I had twins \u2013 a boy and a girl. We had no gym, just a dusty old rowing machine. And, helpfully, the twins only napped to the sound of the fan. Their naps got longer. So did my workouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESlowly, I noticed my fitness coming back. And I looked at my daughter one day and thought: What can I do to show you that anything is possible?\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019m useless at banana bread, so I set myself a lockdown project: make the Olympic team for Tokyo \u2013 after four years of retirement, with less than a year to go. And I did.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThat comeback meant more to me than either of my Olympic golds. Because it wasn\u2019t just about me anymore. It was about showing mothers, families, little girls and boys: you can rewrite the rules.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EThe final chapter\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter Tokyo, I still had one dream: for my children to watch me race and see me on a podium. That became my drive for Paris: my fourth Olympic Games.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECarrying the flag for Team GB was an honour I\u2019ll never forget. But seeing my three children smiling from the stands after winning a medal made it all worth it.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003EYou can do this\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EEverything I\u2019ve shared with you is not the story of a superhero. Or someone with extraordinary talent. It\u2019s a story of someone who said yes to an opportunity and had the right people around her.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAs \u003Ca href=\u0022/top-awards/kings-scout-award/\u0022 title=\u0022King\u0027s Scout Award\u0022\u003EKing\u2019s and Queen\u2019s Scouts\u003C/a\u003E, you\u2019ve already built the foundations of your future. The freezing mornings, the aching legs after a hike, the hours spent volunteering \u2013 it all counts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s all preparing you. If there\u2019s one thing I hope you take away today, it\u2019s this: opportunities will come. You might not know what they look like yet, but when they do, notice them. Believe it can be you. Say yes.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause it can be.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBehind every achievement I\u2019ve had is a young Scout from Cornwall, learning resilience and teamwork around a campfire. So be proud of what you\u2019ve done. Keep grabbing those moments. Keep believing in yourself.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s where your future begins.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"06 May 2025","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Scout Ambassadors","url":"/about-us/our-people/scout-ambassadors/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Windsor Day of Celebration and Achievement","url":"/national-events/windsor/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"King\u0027s Scout Award","url":"/top-awards/kings-scout-award/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[],"id":85711,"nodeName":"Building your future: Helen Glover","title":"Building your future: Helen Glover","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/fngjdxmn/helen-glover-1.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1dbb9daa30a4550","caption":"Helen Glover 1","type":"jpg","size":1660484,"width":3230,"height":2595,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Building your future: Helen Glover","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Read Helen Glover\u0027s inspirational address to King\u0027s and Queen\u0027s Scouts at our Day of Celebration and Achievement this year. 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