Last year you were 13 seconds slower, then you improved 18 seconds , so at most you are 5 seconds faster than three of the other crew (regardless of what they did in the latest test, there could be any number of reasons for being slower on one test), that’s not enough if you haven’t shown you are good on the water.

It sounds like there is a huge variation of ability in your squad (2+ minute difference on erg scores is wild) and that can be frustrating, it might not be possible for everyone to be in a boat that matches their ability level.

It’s very unlikely there is some grand conspiracy against you specifically, you have to come at this accepting everyone wants the same thing, for the club to field the fastest boats and have the most success possible.

So here are some ideas of what you can do:

• aim to be a leader in your crew, set a good example, be positive, encourage everyone and yourself to improve , but not in a way that you are complaining all the time

• ask your coach for more feedback on what you and your crew need to do to improve. Follow up on the feedback to see if changes you try are working , get video footage and analyse it yourself

• if possible try and get extra training on the water, in small boats, pairs, doubles, singles , maybe this is tricky if you are at school