Interview with Wool Handling World Champ, Rosie Keenan
Humble and quietly formidable, Rosie Keenan, the three-time Wool Handling World Champion, is still coming to terms with just how much she has achieved. From balancing motherhood, her duties as a board member, and international competition. Rosie opens up about what it’s really like to be a World Champ, represent her country on the world stage, and chase excellence not just for herself, but for her family too.
You are the current individual Wool Handling World Champion – tell us how being the World Champion for the last 3 years has been for you?
I am actually very humble and shy away from it whenever it is brought up, as I can’t believe it’s actually me! It seems like a long time ago, my life has changed so much since. I have a family now and I don’t work at the graft as much anymore. I am really proud of myself and to see how proud other people are of me, especially my family, it still doesn’t feel real.
How does it feel to represent your country at the World Championships?
I am proud, I wasn’t going to do it originally and thought about retiring at the top. I decided I wanted to go for it for my family – we will do this! It will be excellent if I could retain my title but I’d also be incredibly chuffed to hand it over to someone else who would be equally as deserving. It’s a big thing to pass your title onto someone else as much as it is to retain it. I will still try and own it and am aiming to win, but also knowing the success and achievement someone else may feel – that is a good feeling.
What is your preparation ahead of the World Championships?
I will be travelling over to New Zealand solo, and I will then be training over there. I will do some courses, shows and some work over there to prepare myself. Just really focus – as you don’t just need physical training, you need mindset training too. Which at the moment, I have lost completely. Travelling on my own will enable me to focus on this, however I do wish my family was coming too. On mindset – you need to believe in yourself. Tell yourself you are going to do it and get rid of all distractions. It’s going to be harder this time round as New Zealand will be very strong and on home ground. The wool handler that has qualified for New Zealand is elite level and tough competition.
What would it mean to you if you retained your World Title?
It would be even more incredible than last time round. I know its going to be tougher as I had the advantage last time round being on home soil, and New Zealand is just coming to the end of their show season so will be more prepared and top of their game. If I were to win and bring that home to my family, it would mean the world to me.
How long will you be out in New Zealand for, and tell us about the competition season last year that led to your qualification?
I will be in New Zealand for about a month in total. I wasn’t going to do the competition season this year – the circuit closed on the 10th of May and I decided to enter at 4pm that day. Henry said to me, “I believe you can do it, so go for it”. It was tough as you have to do 5 out of 8 shows and living so far north there was no way logistically or financially, I could go to all the shows. I did the bare minimum – there were a couple of other girls that were doing very well. Thankfully I went into the first show and won it. 2nd show, won it. 3rd show, I didn’t do as well. The decider came down to the last show, and I was ill the day before with anxiety – I was terrified. These girls that had never been a threat before were suddenly a threat, it could have gone either way. Thankfully it worked in my favour.
How do you manage to juggle being a mum and a World Champion?
As a mum, you are a role model and being a World Champion, you are a role model too. I rely a lot on Granny and the support network of my family. Saying that, it gives me more fuel as I am not just doing it for me now. You want them to look up to you and say, “I want to do that!”. As soon as my daughter is old enough to go out and do the graft herself, I want her to think, “I want to be a World Champion like mummy”.
Are your children looking at following in your footsteps?
I would absolutely love it if they did. I am heartbroken the family aren’t travelling with me this year, however there is a lot on at home so it’s the right thing to do. Henry is a shearer too – he has travelled the world and has all the stories to tell like me. I would love her to go use her brains, but farming/shearing is a way of life – the stories you can tell your friends and family and the life skills you get – I would love her to follow our footsteps. As soon as she is aware of a sheep and knows how to handle one, I will introduce her to wool handling. It’s in her blood and it’s amazing how she is picking up the life on a farm.
I feel like I’ve worked my way up – I was 17 when I started. I am still in the industry, in a corporate way too by being on the Board. I find the wool industry still a very important part of my life.
Photo credit
Photos 1-3: Lucy Stewart