In Conversation With Brooke and Lucy

Typically champion rowers Brooke Francis and Lucy Spoors would be at Lake Karāpiro to train long before 7:00am. But today the morning sun is well above the horizon, the temperature mild and the cicada noise is already breaking through the stillness.

Mazda ambassadors Brooke and Lucy are back from a more relaxed outing on the water, ready to sit down at a nearby café with Lucy’s son Rupert, ready to get into his morning babyccino.

Their back story is well-known in New Zealand. Elite athletes in their own right, both Brooke and Lucy took time away from rowing in 2022 while both focused on starting their respective families. Back in the boat in 2023, their partnership in the Women’s Double Sculls earned gold medals on the world stage in 2024.

Often referred to as “super mums”, Brooke and Lucy could be seen to epitomise what Mazda refer to as The Challenger Spirit, proving there is no challenge too great to overcome.  While being a professional athlete requires extreme amounts of time and dedication, so does having a young family.

Zoom-Zoom: Life typically centred around rowing and (almost) nothing else, how has starting a family changed you or your priorities in life?

Lucy Spoors: It’s made time feel really precious. Whether its on the water or time with family I’m making the most of it. It’s nice to have that balance, particularly at the moment, because there was a point where to achieve what we needed to achieve, it was only training. At times it felt out of balance and now  I think its essential to have that balance back and to be able to prioritise my family.  That feels really refreshing, because you do get the “mum guilt” when everything is out of balance.

Brooke Francis: In a nice way, people get really excited thinking about the next big competition and what you’re working towards.  But for that to go well and to give it our all, we do actually need ‘down time’ which we are lucky to be able to enjoy now before the next big event.

Z-Z: What drives you?  What’s your motivation to get up on a cold morning and go training?

LS: For me, it’s about being better every day and being able to keep the long-term goal in mind. But it’s also about being able to keep doing it for Brooke.  On the mornings I don’t necessarily feel like going out, I know she has made the effort to do so, and once you’re on the water and in the zone, you can feel quite different to how you may have started the session earlier.

BF: Because we do have to rely on so many people, when you have that time out of the water you have to make the most of it.  It’s not just us or “me”, it’s a team.

Z-Z: Do you see yourselves as inspiration to others? 

BF: In New Zealand we are so accessible, kids and adults can come up and talk to us at anytime. We’ve been to a few schools where kids want to meet us. We often show the video of us racing our final. Kids are so excited by seeing other kiwis (just like them) on the world stage and I love seeing the look in their eyes when they’re dreaming of that moment too. We’ve also had lots of parents start following us, there are a lot of  people who can relate to the sleepless nights you have with a new baby and just having to grind every day. 

LS: I feel the responsibility of being a representative for your country. Every time I put on the rowing suit I’m conscious of the fact you’re representing yourself to a younger generation.  We also have our names on the side of our cars, so if you have kids next to you a traffic lights reading your name, you want to make sure you smile and wave, right?!

Z-Z: Late last year you began a partnership with Mazda, both of you joining as Ambassadors.  What was the appeal of joining the Mazda family?

LS: When we first arrived at Mazda New Zealand, we could see it actually was like a family, it wasn’t just a big corporation.  There were real people, and a lot of family people who have the same priorities as we do.

BF: I already had a Mazda, and really valued the safety, the space and the functionality of the car.  Mazda was a really good fit for us as there are a lot of shared values.  We are stoked to have a brand and a team behind us that naturally aligns with us for the future.

Z-Z: Is it true you have competitions between yourselves, as to who can refuel the least?

LS: Yes, although I’ve now stopped asking!  At first we had competitions for who had the cleanest car, but I’m not winning there.  Brooke just keeps her car too clean.

BF: We were competitive at first with the fuel economy, but because we’re not training together right at the moment, we’ve stopped – for now.

LS: When we are training together again, we will be comparing heart rates and also mileage!

Z-Z: What’s on the playlist?

LS: Oh, I’m a bit lazy.  I often go for a Spotify pre-made playlist and search through the “recently played” list.  Just depending on what I’m feeling.  But I won’t tell you what’s on that playlist!

BF: It’s such a luxury if I’m in the car by myself.  I always love a good podcast, but most of the time it’s Keira requesting kid’s songs.

Z-Z: So, what’s next?

BF: I’m just enjoying being a mum at the moment.  Keira will be three soon, and our second baby, Flynn, has just arrived.  It’s really nice to be able to focus on family for the time being. But there is something exciting about the idea of defending our title that is keeping me motivated in the background.

LS: For the rest of 2025 we are backwards and forwards between Cambridge and Sydney.  My husband [rowing coach, Brook Robertson] is coaching over there, so we’re enjoying the experience of a new city.