Tom and Emily Ford on hating rowing at school, sibling bond and the Bank of Mum and Dad

Here, rowers Tom and Emily Ford and their mum and dad reflect on their journey so far.

TOM FORD

After school, we’d go with our mum to pick up our older twin brothers from rowing, or whatever sport they were doing, so we were exposed to it as well. Of course, we then wanted to try it. Seeing them be successful and enjoying rowing inspired us to get into it. Although our parents aren’t very sporty, they actively encouraged us to play outside. They never forced us to do anything and still say, "If it makes you happy, keep doing it."

Em and I both train at the Leander Club in Henley-on-Thames with three sessions a day, six to seven days a week. At the Olympics, we’ll compete at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium outside Paris.

Before a race, you get nervous, feel sick and feel like you need the loo the whole time. It’s horrid, but that’s the bit you have to channel and enjoy when you’re racing – and use that pressure as a good thing.

I would love to say we have an impeccable diet. If this is going out to the nutritionist… everything is perfectly balanced! My mum’s tiramisu is my first request. Em asks for her lasagne. Our parents enjoy feeding us up! They’ll always do a big roast and I don’t know whether they’ll say it, but they probably miss having four of us there constantly hungry, like when we were younger.

Everything our parents did was geared around supporting us and our dreams. As I get older, I realise how difficult that is and what it takes andI appreciate them much more.

They wanted to get us the best equipment, which is a sacrifice. We didn’t often go abroad on family holidays, because they were pouring money into rowing. That’s the sort of stuff I look back on and think, "That’s quite amazing."

EMILY FORD

When I first started rowing, I absolutely hated it. I thought I was going to fall in. I used to cry and say, "I can’t do it." All four of us went to The Grange School in Hartford, Northwich and had the same coach – Paul Rafferty. He said, "There’s no such word as can’t." We were given a rubber duck if we fell in the water and in my room, I’ve got all my little rubber ducks lined up. As soon as I was in a crew boat with other people, I loved it – but if I was on my own, I wasn’t as keen.

We were all very competitive with one another. Tom was always trying to keep up with our two older brothers and our mum says that I would try to keep up with the boys. Our older brothers were a big inspiration. We loved playing football and cricket. We smashed a lot of windows! I was always… not bullied, but as the youngest sister I would get the ball thrown at me. But it was friendly – I think!

I was also really creative. I always dreamt of being a shopkeeper. I set up a little store where the family had to buy stuff. Then my dad bought me an actual shop till! I grew out of that and wanted to be a primary school teacher. I used to give my grandma and my mum a lesson and then they’d have to do homework. My nan and grandma taught me cross-stitch, which I still do on training camps.

Our parents drove us everywhere – rowing would take up evenings after school and the whole weekend. Also, the Bank of Mum and Dad was pretty key and still is. We’d go to some events and camp out – our parents always had two gazebos outside their six-man tent and they’d cook for everybody at the school, putting on bacon in the morning. People called it Château Ford! They juggled everything very well and probably made their own lives harder, but they made everyone else’s lives easier.

Now Tom and I are probably more supportive of one another, rather than competitive. When we’re away from home, we have each other to talk to and he understands what’s going on without being somebody directly in the women’s team.

CHRISTINE

After marrying Paul I came to live on the farm to help him with the business. I had our twin boys, John and Edward first – they’re nearly 35 now – Tom was third and Emily fourth. They’ve always been close.

Paul and I are not sporty at all. We have a pond nearby, so I wanted all of them to learn to swim, even though they’ve never been in it! They played other sports too – rugby, cricket, football, netball – until they decided to focus on rowing.

In the living room, they each had their own chair and they’d put their kit bag there, so it would be ready for the next morning and I’d check they had everything. We had a big VW Transporter Shuttle; I’d collect them from school with sandwiches in the car. They did a lot of homework in car parks, waiting for someone else to finish what they were doing.

They can all eat for England – they cost a few bob to keep!

We’d help at the school’s boathouse on a Saturday for John and Ed, and Tom and Emily would carry the blades to the boat. Then they started rowing when they were about 12 or 13; with John and Ed being fairly successful at it, it just followed on that Tom and Emily were successful too.

All four of them did degrees. They needed an education; they’re not likely to make their living out of a rowing career. We’ve never been pushy though. If they absolutely hated it, we wouldn’t have pushed them into doing it. We’ve just been there to support them.

When they’re away rowing, we’ll stay nearby and get their washing so they’ve got their kit ready. They have their own facilities, but it makes life easier. I’m the glue that keeps the family together and does whatever needs doing – I’m Mum.

PAUL

I’ve lived at our farm in Holmes Chapel all my life. My dad was a working farmer with a herd of about 120 dairy cattle. We went out of milk in 1968 and started actively dealing in cars. Now the land here is rented out to other local farmers.

When I first took the twins to school, their teacher also happened to be a rowing coach. They were taller than the rest of the kids and she said, "One day, you two will perhaps make good rowers." They were always very competitive. I think the twins would have gone further, but there were just people around them who were better at the time.

I volunteered at the rowing club at The Grange and still do. We towed trailers and did hundreds of thousands of miles taking boats all over the country. There was a lot of repairing and maintaining kit, installing racking in boat houses, making toast for the kids after their training.

The school rowing coach always said, "You can take your coaching qualifications, you can do all you like, but the one thing you will never, ever do is coach your own child." That is fraught with danger. That’s the one thing that was always frowned upon.

Tom and Emily were always very competitive, but also very supportive of each other, and other people around them. The school fostered that as well, and it’s probably key to their success. They’ve always been empathetic, which is very useful, because you have to think about what your crew members are also experiencing when you’re in the boat.

They can all eat for England – they cost a few bob to keep! Tom isn’t home ten minutes before he’s in the fridge! Christine’s chicken and ham pie is a popular choice, as well as steak and roast lamb. When they were teenagers, we had to take two trolleys around the supermarket for the weekly shop.

When we’re together as a family, they don’t really want to talk shop, but we’re in contact daily. FaceTiming is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

Emily competes in the women’s eight; heats begin on 29th July

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