When you think of sports, indoor rowing doesn't always come to mind first. But it is a sport with thriving competition and competitive athletes!

At my school, Aaliyah Hall (15) is a British Indoor Rowing champion, and I conducted a short interview with her to learn more about what she does:

Q: What achievements are you proud of?
A: I am proud of winning the British rowing indoor championships in my category (500m).

Q: How did you get into rowing?
A: I started at school and found that I was quite good at it, so my mum entered me into a club and the rest is history.

Q: What goals and targets have you set for yourself?
A: I have many goals, one of which is to get a scholarship to a good rowing sixth forming, and hopefully win some upcoming competitions with my squad.

Q: Do you want to row as a career?
A: I don't think I do but anything can change in the future, so if the opportunity arises then possibly.

Q: How many hours do you train a week? Is it enjoyable?
A: I train 3 or 4 days a week - 2 or 3 days during the week for 2 hours, then another 4 hours on Saturday. I do enjoy training as I have met so many lovely people and the sport is enjoyable.

Q: Do you think rowing should be a mixed sport?
A: Yes! There are many benefits to having mixed categories and I think it would be fun and interesting to see how clubs would attempt the challenge.

Q: Do you think not enough people know about indoor rowing?
A: I believe that indoor rowing should be more widely recognised. There are many schemes in place to do this but I hope that rowing becomes more accessible in the future.

It's been an amazing experience to learn about the dedication and effort that Aaliyah puts towards rowing, and even inspires me to try to have a go in the future! Rowing is a sport that helps develop strength, cardiovascular health, endurance and overall fitness. I hope that the sport of rowing continues to grow and that this article allows more people to learn and be interested in it!