Compounding the potential debt was the sacrifice of two years' taxpayer funding through High Performance Sport New Zealand's performance enhancement grants, estimated to be at least $115,000 ($60,000 as a world champion plus $55,000 if she'd maintained a podium place this year). Rowing New Zealand has helped with a discretionary grant.
"I was disappointed [HPSNZ] took their stance because I still feel I have the potential to win a medal in Rio. Mind you, I wouldn't take back what I've done this year if I was offered a million bucks.
"I wanted to do the Armada Cup [Switzerland, October 31] and Silver Skiff [Italy, November 7-8] regattas for the clubs that helped me here. The Gold Cup [Philadelphia, October 24] is my compromise because there's a lot of prize money [US$10,000] on it, which is important with the reduction in funding."
In the meantime, Twigg will monitor the progress of incumbent New Zealand sculler Fiona Bourke, who must finish in the top nine at this month's world championships to qualify the boat for the Olympics.
She will also assess the performance of top sculling rival Kim Crow. The Australian has won every race this year but Twigg was unbeaten against her in three outings last year.
If Twigg gets her wish and races the 750m sprint in Philadelphia, she will get an early opportunity to challenge Crow, in what shapes as one of Rio's more compelling duels.
During her rowing 'sabbatical', New Zealand's finest women's single sculler could be found wandering the corridors of sport's biggest acronyms " the Olympics' IOC, basketball's Fiba, equestrian's FEI and football's Uefa.
A visit to Fifa's Zurich headquarters, as the well-documented allegations were about to kick off, generated the richest black comedy.
"The day everything blew up, one guy from our class, who had worked for Concacaf, was out the night before having a few beers with some of the guys who were arrested," she says. "The next morning, he walked out of the hotel and came back to class with no idea about what had taken place, probably about quarter-of-an hour after he left."
Needless to say, Twigg's colleague received his share of stick.
Practically, the course offered a vivid insight into how major sporting organisations operate.
"At Uefa, we simulated a match day encompassing all roles in a stadium. We were split into groups, given cell phones and every three minutes had to flip a card over to deal with a problem. Things like that, sitting in booths around the executive committee boardroom, provided massive learning curves.
"We also visited the Sauber Formula One team, just out of Zurich. It was fascinating to see the research, money invested and the logistics to move around. You don't think of that when you're rowing a boat twice a day, six days a week."
Other highlights included taking her bike on course bus trips to Lausanne and cycling what Google maps estimates as 120km home to Neuchatel, much to her classmates' amusement.
Twigg's steady rise
Emma Twigg's single sculling record at pinnacle events
2007 world championships - 6th
2008 Olympic Games - 9th
2009 world championships - 4th
2010 world championships - 3rd
2011 world championships - 3rd
2012 Olympic Games - 4th
2013 world championships - 2nd
2014 world championships - 1st
