New Season, New Fall

We have start Fall training at SRC and things are getting heavy fast. We are geared up for the Olympic year, with 18 workouts per week. Many of us are preparing for Head of the Charles - there will be five rowers representing SRC in Boston this year. Our training is focused on power per stroke and shaping our force curves at lower rates, with the occasional race-pace tempo work on the weekends.

I have largely set aside my car and have been biking everywhere. This is usually the time of the year that I feel like I am getting fat, but currently, with all the biking, I am struggling to hold onto my weight. It is awesome.

It has been great to be back in Seattle. The ranks of the elite and development team have swollen, with more coming in all the time. Seems like we're the cool new place to be on the West Coast.

The Holy Names athletes are underway with their season as well, having just completed their first ever sculling races at Row for the Cure. They have an entry at Head of the Charles in the 4+ and 8+, which is handy for me as it helps reduce my own travel costs for racing.

I am uber fired-up!

End of the Season

Well, Pan Am Trials wrapped up for me yesterday. I finished 3rd/4 in my heat and 3rd/3 in my rep in the Open Men's 1x. I fought hard in my rep, hoping to force the top seed to work harder than he wanted to in order to diminish his chances of progressing should he win the event. I had an awesome first thousand, but I could not hold the pace I set for me. The stroke rate was solid in the low 30s, I just could no maintain that much power and length that I had in my first half through the whole race.

I learned a lot about my stroke and body this season and look forward to applying this knowledge into the upcoming Olympic year. I have made some technical leaps this Summer and some big physiological gains last Spring. Having David Smith at SRC this year will be a boon, as it gives me a regular competitor and set us up nicely for a 2x, should that prospect seem good.

I head back to Seattle on Monday after a brief stay in Vermont to celebrate my good friends' marriage.

Princeton 2011, part deux

I got into Princeton last night, after two buses and a train from Boston; as Conal declared, "the Hobo way to do it." My time in Boston since World Trials was not as productive as I hoped do to illness and a lack of training partners. However, I think I made a successful effort making some tweaks for my next race. A little firmer at the release and quicker to get the hands away.

I am thankful for all the help I received during my time in Boston. Michael Wales lent me his boat and oars, Charlie Butt permitted me to use the Harvard Boathouse to train, Andrew Hashway helped me find some training partners and transportation, and David Smith hooked me up with a place to crash. Of course, it would not have been financially possible without my parents' help as well.

I am using a Sykes M20 for the next race. I am not familiar with the hull, but I have rowed and raced in Sykes in the past and like their feel. This boat is a little big for me, to the tune of 20 kilos, but it rows well enough. If I have a bad piece, it won't because I have too much wetted surface area! Had a solid row in it this morning and I am looking forward to feeling it out over the next couple of days and testing it in the heats.

The rest of the SRC gang and some guests from Potomac show up over the next couple of days, then we race!

Bummer

Pan Ams start in less than a week and I have conjunctivitis (pink eye). Bummer.

Senior Trials

I am done racing for the week, and while I did not get as far as I wanted to in the selection process, I can brag about some major improvements in my on-the-water speed. A new PR of 7:16 in my single, shattering my previous PR by 15 seconds! And a much more efficient style and aggressive mentality all the way down the race course.

My heat this morning was about what I expected. I had some guys faster, some slower, and so I did not get very aggressive (last 500 at a 25 SR!). I resigned myself to the repechage, knowing that I would not be a likely candidate to win my heat. Other athletes I know had stronger performances: Hashway, Campbell, and Ruckman all won their heats and went straight to the semifinal. North had an experience similar to me. New to the Northwest elite sculling world is Nick Trojan - he has some speed and I am excited to see him come along. Lindsey finished 2nd in her heat and moved to the semifinal and Helen finished third and was sent to the reps.

In the reps, I had a very exciting race, rating higher than I ever had before (base pace at 34-35 SR and a starting 20 around 42-44 at one point). Slowly, my opponent inched away and I was unable to get back on terms after the 750, but I fought hard, with my usual mantra when I am down: "push hard, the race isn't over, everyone else could still fade." I was happy with my performance but disappointed in my result. Helen also did not make it to her semifinal, so only Lindsey continues to race from SRC this week.

I look forward to watching the remaining races and planning out my remaining time on the East Coast, the duration of which has yet to be determined.

Princeton

Made it to the lake just fine with Hashway. Got our boat all taken car of and I met up with the rest of the SRC gang. It is good to be back in the mix with my team after a Summer away. Now it is just about counting down to the start of our race (heats and reps tomorrow for light men's 1x and open women's 1x), so we'll all be mixing it up at least once. What time is it? Game time. Bam.

To My #1 Sponsors

I would like to thank my number one sponsors in this post: Mom and Dad. Without their support, both financial and emotional, none of what I have accomplished to date would have been possible. Everything from bank-rolling my collegiate experience, to supporting my exit from graduate school into full time training, to providing assistance when I am in need to travel across the country, to letting me know that everything in my life is going to be OK when I have moments of crises and doubt. Thanks Mom and Dad - everything I accomplish is thanks to you. Love you.

So what is on the itinerary today? I started with a solo, easy steady state row to the tune of 15K. I slept in until 6:00, a pleasant treat, and took my time getting ready. Prior to my row, and after a small breakfast, I weighed in at 149.6 lbs. That is exactly what I am looking for - less than a pound of sweating to get to 2x weight without any drastic measure or extreme dieting. I think, perhaps, the stress of travel this Summer has cause my weight to drop off quite a bit. And while the 2x is not a sure thing yet, it is nice to have the option and still feel great.

Next step: get my affairs in order to travel to Princeton with Hashway. Laundry, derig, pack, and a light workout to include little more than a warm-up, light calisthenics, and a stretch. Long drive tomorrow and I probably won't have a chance to row when we get to Princeton as the course will likely be closed by the time we get there.

There are 13 entries in the light 1x. That is the most heavily subscribed event at Trials this year. So at least two races for everyone, and more for the strong. My goal is to make a semi-final, with a reach goal being to make it to the final. I can think of a few guys in the event who are very strong and have a history of out-racing me, but I have picked up a fair amount of power and finesse this Summer, so I am hoping to jump a couple spots up the ladder.

Pieces again with RBC

I had taken the last few mornings to sleep in and catch the 8-10 hours of snooze time to which I had become accustomed this Summer. However, today I arose at 5 to meet the RBC guys for some race-pace pieces, varying from 250 to 1500 in length. It was pretty solid, and a few of those pieces, I would rank as my best in 4 months. The 1500 was, both technically and in terms of pacing, probably the best I have done on the water in a while. I had that burning lung feeling that I associate with an all-out erg 2K. The kind of effort where, between the good water and good rowing, you are able to dig all the way to the bottom of your gut and pull out speed that You did not even know you had. We also had a 500 in there at the end that was solid for me too, and the closest I have been to Hashway since I started training with him. I opted to go low and long, and was understroking the rest of the guys by 3-4 beats while still moving away. It felt amazing.

Gorgeous day in Boston today, currently 73 and sunny with a predicted high of 79. Not planning on rowing again, trying to boost recovery so that I can feel great for these hard morning workout this close to race day. Might bike a bit, very lightly. Weight has been climbing a pound in the last few weeks since I left 8+ camp - I still have several more to go before I hit max, but I like to keep it in check, just in case.

Butt

Charley Butt thanked me this morning for my good behavior during my stay in his boathouse. Coming from a man who has been coaching the Harvard Varsity Lightweights for as long as I have been alive, he pretty much made my day.

One Week to Trials, Part Un

We are closing in on my last 1x race for the season, upon which the end of the season hinges. I have stopped waking up to join the Riverside crowd. It would probably be good for me to have the company, but with my speed coach and the markers for the 2K course, I can opting for more sleep, more light, and a solo approach to doing pieces. Lots of intervals at or a little above race pace with a ton of rest in the mornings, and steady state with speed bursts and practice starts in the afternoons, with some light biking thrown in as my volume drops off to help with weight management.

We are up to 12 entries in the lightweight 1x, which is funny because I really only see one, maybe two of those guys going for the big win. I guess a lot of guys are thinking the same thing I am, that this regatta can be used as an end-of-season speed test. SRC has two entries in the women's open 1x, best of luck to both. I am looking forward to reuniting with my teammates.

Shout to the U23s from this last week at their World Championship Regatta. Lots of records fell, and the US brought home three medals. Michael Wales's light 4x finished 13th overall, and Liz Robinson's light 4x finished 6th overall. We're all always looking for that next gear.

I got my Head of the Charles entry put in. Still wondering how the costs will get covered this year, but I have some ideas. Dave Smith put in his entry as well - it will be fun to prepare alongside him leading up to the race.

Still tweaking my rig ever so slightly and I think I finally have it set. My work-through is more in line with what I had at NSR I, but with the whole rigger/foot-stretcher system maxed out to stern. Same oars that I used for NSR I, but my seat is not lifted. I have adapted to having the knees in my way again, and might try to go back to something like that for my next season, as I am feeling some small advantages to not being so 'on top' of my foot-stretchers.

Another 2K

Busted out a 2K with the Riverside guys today in Dave Smith's 1x (a gorgeous red Fluidesign). Did better relative to the rest of the field than I had been in previous workouts. Better rested? Different rig? Not entirely sure. I used a set of C2's Low-i Smoothies today. I had never used oars like that before. In fact, I have almost exclusively used Drehers in my sculling career. I never knew the stroke could be made so easy just by switch oars! It was infinitely easier to just lock on and get the the stroke than it had been with Drehers. That being said, not sure if the C2s were actually faster, but they were certainly easier to row. Did not have a stroke coach, but rating seemed good and efficient. Thought about the race in terms of start 20, power 40, a couple of power 60s, a power 30, then a sprint to the finish. Have no idea what the 2k markers are on the course here, so I stop when other people stop.

Rode the stationary bike for a couple of hours and did some core once a thunderstorm rolled in.

Had a chance to visit with a Ryanne Filbey, a former housemate and dear friend from my Logger days. Always good to reconnect.

Traffic in Boston blows my mind. I cannot believe that people are patient enough to drive here. Oh wait, they're not, as indicated by the constant honking and shouting.

750s

Had some good pieces this morning with the Riverside guys. Today was the best I have felt for any of these morning pieces. Maybe I am finally recovering from selection camp, maybe it's the access to pre-exercise coffee, or maybe it's sleeping in an air-conditioned room. Regardless, I felt better and performed better, and am still hanging around 150 lbs. Over this next week, I am looking to get down to a solid 149 so that I can easily sweat to the 148.8 needed to be the ultimate 2x weight-maker.

Today the temperature is expected to bust over 100. Humidity is pretty righteous as well. Not a fan. I will be off the water this PM in order to avoid this bit of nastiness. I will probably try to go for a short run, do some body circuits, and stretch.

Looking forward to a pretty chill weekend - probably only working out once a day to avoid Charles boat traffic. Maybe hit the bike or try to get out in a 2x with Hashway if he'll permit it.

I have discovered my secret weakness when it comes to weight-management: Nutella and peanut butter. Uh-oh.

Training Shift

We've been having a rough time getting our sleep at the bachelor lair. It has been in the high 90s, and humid enough to make it feel over 100. Solution? 6000 BTU window AC. Absolute game changer. This should help me get enough rack time to actually start recovering between my workouts, rather than going on 3-4 hours of sweaty sleep a day.

Additionally, we recently acquired a coffee grinder and French press. These two items allow me to easily triple my coffee intake in a cost-effective manner, which should further aid in my recovery.

I have been waking up at 4:45 AM to run pieces with the Riverside gang. It has been nice to have company that can push the speed. I am still having some difficulty getting back up to speed in the 1x, but I am feeling better all the time. Still trying to get control of a solid, power-based rhythm.

This afternoon will be my first workout away from the water for the week, as I spend some time on the stationary bike and doing body circuits. With a heat index of nearly 110 and an air quality warning, I figure it would be a good time to head indoors.

Boston Routine

Made it to Boston in one piece. I am pretty pumped up to be back in the 1x and in control of my own rowing again. I am rowing out of Newell, with the gracious permission of Charley Butt, and using the Michael Wale's awesome Fluidesign and Dreher sculls. I am crashing with the awesome David Smith, who will be joining us this Fall in Seattle to hit the grind. It is a pretty good set up - I stroll a mile in the morning to the boathouse, grab a coffee on my way, hit the water for a couple hours, and stroll on back where I sleep, shop for apartments in Seattle, and replenish my much needed glycogen reserves. I spent the last couple days doing some long steady state to get my feel for the boat back and tomorrow I am starting an aggressive sequence of interval training to get myself back up to speed and ready for Trials. I am hoping to do some work along side Andrew Campbell, a very accomplish Harvard Lightweight, once he returns from U23s, as well as joing up with the Riverside crowd when the opportunity presents itself.

I am definitely missing my Seattle gang and comforts and I look forward to returning soon.

Out of Dartmouth, Back to the Single

Today was the first round of cuts from the 8+ camp and I did not make it. I had early success in my seat races in the coxed 4+s, but once we got into the 2-s, my partner and I could not string together any victories. I guess I had not spent enough time preparing to sweep as I should have.

So farewell to Hanover. I am headed to Boston, where I will train in Michael Wales's single and then head to Princeton to trial for the lightweight single. Then back to Seattle where I will resume my training and working. For the immediate future, I will stick to sculling - I believe that is where my advantage lies.

Pictures from Camp

First Pieces

Today we did our first set of race-rate pieces. I was bow in a coxed four, and we had another coxed four, two straight fours, and three pairs today. We did 1 minute on, 1 minute off at 32 stroke per minute in preparation for the seat races that start tomorrow. I have been in 8+s, 2-s, 4-s, and 4+s since I got here. My favorite rowing has been stroking the 2-. I think that is because it is most like the single in that my individual contributions have the greatest weighted impact, and I don't have to follow anybody; I get to cruise at the 15 to 16 spm that I am used to for technical, steady rowing. Plus the slowness of the boat through the water is easier for me to get used to relative to the 8+s we were rowing in the first few days.

I am pretty pumped up for the selection process. There are so many outstanding athletes here and I am curious as to where I sit relative to them.

Into Hanover

So long, Oklahoma. It has been fun while it lasted.

I arrived into Boston on Tuesday, with only a short delay at the Oklahoma City airport due to a technical problem with the aircraft. David Smith put me up for the night and helped me get to my bus station the next day, as well as provided an erg for me to work out on. He is a solid guy and I look forward to his presence in the SRC boathouse this coming season.

I was a bit nervous at first, but now that I am a little more settled I am very excited to be here at Dartmouth. This is my first time in a camp environment, and with so many high-caliber athletes around, it is a bit intimidating. But now I am largely over the intimidation and am pumped up to have the opportunity to row with so many talented young men. I have never had the pleasure of rowing boats like this before and it is quite the treat. The coach, Dan Roock, is a very personable and intelligent man and I can tell he is going to have a positive impact on the whole group. He has suggested that while the light 8+ is the priority boat at this camp, he will take time to develop all the athletes and is interested in also fielding a light 2- from the selection group.

My home that I am staying in is amazing. Jane Bedford is my host and she is very kind. She has offered to feed us during our stay here and we each get our own room. I feel very fortunate to have ended up with her as my host. I am also staying with Jack Carlson (Oxford and Georgetown coxswain), Karretti Pisapatti (U Pitt and Senior 4+ coxswain) and John Redos (Cornell Junior and U23 4x). They are a nice bunch of guys.

We are currently running two 8+s and a 2- at practice and will likely end up with two 8+s and a 4-. I am switching between port and starboard to see which feels best after three years of not sweeping, as well as trying to determine where I can contribute the most. The guys here are all so strong - I might have the slowest erg of the group!

I think win, lose, or draw, I am going to learn a lot in the next few weeks. At the very least, this will turn out to be a pleasant vacation to wind down my Summer.

3x2K

We did 3x2K, all out today. I practice keeping the rate higher, racing my base at 32-34 and sprinting at 35. It was a much more sustainable rhythm than normal - my strokes were more compact, smooth, and efficient. I went 7:31, 7:36, and 7:34, with conditions similar and about 15 minutes of rest between each. That consistency suggests to me that I probably have more in the tank that I did not tap into - I was probably too conservative in the middle 1000. Not bad for time trialing with a men's 4x and women's 2- and 1x. My stroke has really transformed since I got here. We row more, and generally at a slower pace than in Seattle and that has given me more time to really hone my boat feel and blade work in just 3 weeks. This will be a lesson I will have to carry with me back to Seattle.

Here is some video of my last piece:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rowcoach24#p/u/0/ZSustlktqas

U23 and Junior National Teams

It is time to give a hearty congratulations to all the SRC athletes who have made the US Junior and U23 National Teams this week.

Nancy Miles, a recent graduate of Holy Names Academy and sculler at SRC is at GMS this Summer training for the US Junior 4x. She learned to scull only this last November and has been rowing for only 3 years! Way to go Nancy.

Michael Wales, a rising sophomore at Harvard and all around funny guy, has won a berth in the U23 Lightweight 4x that he had been training with at the Cambridge Boathouse this summer with some of his Harvard buddies. Michael was a highly successful athlete under Conal and his younger brother now trains at SRC. In addition to his athletic talent, Michael has amazing skills as a poet. You can see his boats blog here.

Liz Robinson, a recent graduate of the University of Central Florida and another HNA alumni, will be making her second appearance at the U23 World Championships in the Lightweight 4x. Liz rowed for four years at HNA where she enjoyed a successful sweep career and then joined the openweight team t UCF. She will be joining SRC full time starting this Summer to begin a post collegiate rowing career.

A valiant effort was put forth by Thomas Davidson to earn a seat in the U23 Lightweight 2-. Thomas rowed in that event two years ago and was looking to make another showing. However, the racing was very fast and Thomas and his pair partner finished 3rd in their final. Will we see you at Dartmouth, Thomas? I hope so.

Sweep

Rowed a pair today with one of the pre-elite heavy weights. It was pretty good - he pulled me around a little bit, not so much that I would be worried about my power. I am still just pretty awkward with the whole one oar thing. So I will try to squeeze in some more sweep work with other guys if I can in my remaining week here. Yay for one oar!

Power 10 in the middle of a 40K day

http://www.youtube.com/user/rowcoach24#p/u/0/WtCcmnwXSSQ

Quiet Sunday

I biked over to the Devon Boathouse today with the intention of honing my sweep skills in the dynamic rowing tank, only to discover that it was not open. I will take it as a sign that I should take a day of rest.

Working on my feathering

Mad skills.

http://www.youtube.com/user/rowcoach24#p/u/1/8-zaIJ40EUI

Good Morning, Oklahoma

We ran out of coffee this morning, so I figured I would swing by Starbucks on the way to practice. However, Starbucks was not open at 6:00 AM. I was sad. But McDonald's was able to alleviate my caffeine addiction.

As much as I love Seattle and training there, it is awesome to have sunshine everyday for every practice. I am on a vitamin D binge. And it gets so warm so early, I am able to just hop out of my boat after practice and stretch right there on the dock, staring at the patchy clouds and blue sky. Today, there was just enough moisture in the sky that you could see rays from the sun as it rose.

I am getting very excited about heading to Dartmouth. I think there will be a few guys from OKC headed out there, and I have heard of a few from the East Coast so far. I think it will be an excellent experience for me to engage in some highly competitive sweep rowing and be tested against other lightweights.

I have been rowing with an open weight here, Andy Guiardini, a Cuban National who is in the process of gaining his US citizenship. He is very strong, and we are close in speed. He is the more powerful rower, but I am the more efficient. Once he figure out a couple of things, he is going to take off in the single. He a nice guy and a good training partner.

This is the first time since I was in middle school that I have been able to easily hold my weight below 150 lbs. I am hoping this gives me an edge at selection camp. On a related note, my aunt made some delicious carrot cake. Bless her.

Decent Racing and Dartmouth

Camp has been fun for the first week. Not as much coaching as I am used to, but I think the stuff that I do get along with the competition are good.

Did some 2ks today against other camp guys. I am definitely one of the faster lightweights in the development group, and faster than a a couple of the heavyweights as well. So I will be headed off to Dartmouth College in early July to participate in the lightweight 8+ selection. I've got my weight to a lean 150 lbs and am pumped up to do some seat racing in sweep boats. They are providing housing and coaching there for a low fee, but I will be scraping together the cash for my own food and transportation and, if I am successful, a trip to the World Championships in Bled, Slovenia. So I am pretty pumped up.

Here is a goony video of my rowing in the brown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWtfD2xnses

Couple of days into OKC

Nothing particularly interesting so far. The facility is very nice; there is more equipment than I know how to use. There is an altitude room, an ice pool, an 'endless' pool, and of course the weight room, erg room, and locker rooms are very nice. The dynamic tank is interesting, and I think I will try it out this afternoon.

The other athletes in my pre-elite group are pretty young. A few open men and women with less small boa experience. I did some pieces against guys in the development group this morning, which was nice to have some push. My coach here talked about getting into a Pan Am 2x with a fellow I raced this morning, but when I approached him, he said no. So, right now I am just doing workouts side by side other guys here. The coaching is good so far. I have my boat and oars, so I am at least cozy.

Living with my Aunt Teresa rocks. Her house is super nice, and she cooks very well. We also have two foreign students here: Abdul, a Saud who is here to study English and Carolina, a very nice Argentinian biochemistry post-doc who is here working on a research project pertaining to the retina. It is a fun and friendly home dynamic.

Like a Boss

Youth Nationals

A worthwhile weekend in Oak Ridge, TN for Youth Nationals. Seattle Rowing Center is going home with two medals - 1st in the LM2x and 2nd in the W2x. The W4x made a strong showing in the petite finals, finishing 7th overall.

Holy Names also had a solid regatta. I don't think everyone finished where they wanted to, but most folks are going home pretty content with the experience. Our LW8+ finished 11th overall, beating out Green Lake in the repechage, a team that had finished 4 seconds ahead of us at the Regional Championship. Our W8+ finished 15th overall, in a competitive race against a number of top talent crew from around the nation, and after a very close race in their repechage.

From my more personal experiences, I feel like I have come a long way with some of these kids and have learned a lot this year about how to help everyone get faster. I definitely want to move away from the erg even more, and continue to de-emphasize the earlier races in favor of more intense and voluminous training schedules. More seat racing all season long so kids know where they're at all the time, and more time in small boats (as always).

I am going to really miss my outgoing seniors with whom I have had a chance to work the most these last two years. A couple of solid rowers and a spectacular coxswain who have been with me since my first regatta with the experienced HNA team in San Diego are headed off to bigger and better things (college!). I have been shaped by my athletes, and will likely continue to be shaped in the years to come.

I am very excited about the youth on our team. We have a few very strong athletes who did not make the trip out to Oak Ridge, and there is enough youth on the lightweight squad to keep cranking out fast boats for the next couple of years. We always have to keep an eye on the future - it was right after my championship races that I did the loftiest planning for the year to come when I was in college. It is the same now on the other side of the fence.

Regionals Photos

What made me happy at this regatta was how well each boat attained the style of stroke we were going for in such a short period of time. Here is the 4V4 holding decent length in the last 300 meters of their race.
A fearsome high school 8+, indeed...
Launching the young lighties. There are not many people in the world who can make me feel tall. These are some of them.

Why am I so fortunate?

What an amazing weekend! I have more than a little bit of a pep in my step now, and am pumped full of energy that I was otherwise lacking previously.

I was accepted to the Oklahoma National High Performance Pre-Elite Team for the Summer. I am hoping that this camp become a first step to making a World Championship boat for 2011. I will absolutely tear myself asunder to get a seat on the US Team. I have been giving my all for these last years and am ready to continue to do so. I will be living with my Aunt Teresa, bless her generosity, and my Dad is bringing me an old car and bike to use while I am there. I will be keeping all of my belongings in my car in Seattle under the watchful eye of my teammates and coach, and I will be taking my boat with me to OKC. Huzzah!

On top of that, Holy Names Academy had a high;y successful Northwest Regional Championship Regatta. We qualified 18 athletes for nationals and brought home medals in 6 events. All our athletes put forth a strong effort, and all of our experienced rowers made it to the A final and gave strong performances. It makes me so excited, especially given the high level of success enjoyed by our younger athletes. They have big shoes to fill in the coming years.

All is well in Seattle. This weekend I am off to Austin to visit a college teammate for an engagement celebration. After that, I have a week in Seattle, and then I am heading first to Oak Ridge Tennessee for Youth Nationals and then to Oklahoma City!

Hopeful Summer

I've decided that it must be my destiny to become an Olympic Lightweight rower. Born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma, just minutes from Oklahoma city where most of my Dad's family was settled, I gradually made my way westward. Enrolling at the University of Puget Sound for little more than a pretty brochure and a healthy financial aid package, it was there I learned to row, near the Mecca of rowing in the Western United States. In the Northwest, I learned to row and became a member of a deep and strong community spread between Central Oregon and Northern Washington on the I-5 corridor. Within this community, I would have access to some of the bet coaching in North America, find inspiration in hard-working teammates, and be able to draw strength and help form a number of friends in Seattle.

Now I find myself making plans to return to Oklahoma, where I will live with family and make an attempt to find a boat on the 2011 US or Pan Am teams. It seems that if things go well this Summer, I will be able to split my time and resources between Seattle and Oklahoma City going forward. An interesting prospect given my thoughts since moving to the Northwest that I would never return to Oklahoma again...

NSR I

A my second NSR I, I finished 13th overall, winning the C-Final and improving by 9 places over last year. I am very proud of my result, although I want more and will continue to work until I am finishing 1st. I had a shaky time trial, barely making the cut to progress by only 1/100th of a second. My heat was fast (arguably the fastest, but weather makes that tough to determine), and my final was strong. I have made huge leaps and bounds over the last 12 months and I think I will continue to see more. Now I am looking for the next step. My top choice is to hook up with a partner in Seattle and go for the Pan Am light double. My second choice would be to relocate to OKC and make a big boat there, and while I would prefer to scull, my interest in a 4x camp is strongly depended on what kind of support I can find financially. I am very excited for the summer.

This week I am headed to Brentwood with Holy Names Academy for our first big regional speed test of the Spring. I am pretty pumped up about my light 8+. as it has shown tremendous growth in speed since SDCC.

On a non-rowing note, I am at the do-or-die point in deciding whether or not to return to graduate school at U of Oregon. I hope I can hear back from some of my contacts so I know what my summer schedule will look like. I don't want to stop racing!!

SDCC Lighties

Everybody out of the boat!

Rowing Montage

A few clips from my preparations for the 2011 NSR I.

San Diego and Erg Movement

This weekend, we took the Holy Names Academy team down to San Diego Crew Classic where they face some stiff competition and threw down their best races yet. Our Varsity 8+ finished 11th, the same position as last year, the Junior Varsity 8+ finished 11th, two places back from last year, and our Light 8+ finished 6th, a first showing for HNA at this regatta. It seems as though the athletes rose to their highest level - they were technically proficient and rowed to exhaustion. We have the greatest depth in athletic talent that we have had in years, so this leads me to scratch my head and wonder how it is we are so far back on the curve. We will be tinkering with training and rigging throughout the next 7 weeks in the lead up to Regional Championships.

Today, I hit my PR on a 2K erg test and at a lower weight than I usually train at. Pretty jazzed about this, especially so close to NSR I and II. I plan on being on fire in Princeton this year.

Hope to get some pictures up soon from this weekend. I am super proud of the girls and had a great time down there - San Diego is always such a pleasant getaway at this time of the year.

Green Lake and Pocock Scrimmage

Pretty good weekend for rowing - Saturday really felt like the first day of Spring for the Pacific Northwest. Yesterday was the Green Lake Regatta, the opening sprint race for Northwest Jr. and Master teams. Both Seattle Rowing Center and my own girls at Holy Names Academy were well represented, taking home a number of top 3 finishes. I am particularly hopeful for my JV and lightweight athletes, both of which had strong performances while missing 4 of their heavy hitter due to injury. It made me optimistic both for San Diego and for Regionals in May.

David Smith was around this week and it was my first week back on the Row Perfects and water full time. My back is feeling great; certainly much better than a month ago. I am getting very jazzed for NSR I in late April. Today we did some 1500 meter pieces at a 30 against the folks at Pocock. Helen cleaned up the women pretty nicely and I held onto to Warren North pretty well - having never beaten him or been within contact of him on the water, to duke it back and forth and barely get taken at the end is a huge improvement for me over the last 12 months. And Ryan rocked out their big guys, though none of those PRC heavies are particularly stellar.

Looking forward to the next 4 week push - one month to the big one. I have my weight sitting at 153 and am looking to find some big guys with whom I can battle out in team boats.

Elk Lake Spring Regatta

Pretty awesome weekend up in Victoria for Seattle Rowing Center. We brought up a hefty contingent of junior and elite athletes. All level performed well. Our junior team won the women's Jr. 2x and the Men's Jr. 2x. We had strong contention in other events, with a number of second and third place finishes that came down to the wire. Our elite team won the women's Open 1x. I raced in the Open 1x against the big boys and finished 3rd with some pretty hearty (and exhausting) racing. I was quite proud of my effort and composure in a gnarly cross wind. I lost only to the largest and fiercest of fat-weight rowers. I also finished 2nd in the lightweight 2x, in which my partner was a Junior with an erg score barely under 7:00. We lost only to the Canadian national team. Our Open 4x race was run uncontested with little to write home about. All and all, and fantastic event. The host were well organized, and though the venue was muddy, the weather was reasonably quality with no meaningful delays. I always enjoy a trip up to The Promised Land: Canada!

Ergomania

I won the lightweight division for the 2011 Northwest CRASH-B qualifier. I went 6:28.1, which is not a PR but is a season best. I think I was much better prepared for this test than others; I was more warmed up and had better nutrition and race planning/pacing. I busted out the best sprint I have ever had on a 2K. It was great.

SRC did well as a whole. We won the lightweight collegiate, openweight junior girl, and took second in the open men and open women events. My Holy Names girls made a strong showing and took 3rd in the lightweight junior girls event with a number of PRs in both the openweight and lightweight events.

We just bagged a bunch or Rowperfects for the boathouse and Carlos Dinares is moving in to provide coaching to masters in the Seattle Area. Folks around here should get excited as Carlos is a quality technical coach with access to tremendous resources. Seattle U has also moved into the boathouse. The club is doing an excellent job of diversifying its revenue sources without expanding costs.

I am getting pretty pumped for our opening Spring regatta in Victoria in a month as well as for more erg testing. The goal is 6:23 or fast this season.

ID Camp

Sam and I went to the Northwest Senior/U23 ID camp yesterday at the UW boathouse. USRowing sent out Sloan DuRoss to run the testing. We conducted a 30 second, 500 meter, and 30 minute test. I was under the bar for the shorter, sprint tests and brought the heat for the 30 minute test, as I would expect. I did not set a personal best for the 30 minute test, but I came very close and with the rate caps I was happy with my performance. We had to set our drag factor to 125, much heavier than Sam and I are used to (I am usually at 115). My 500 meter test was a personal best.

I had the good fortune to get boated in an 8+ after the erg testing. I had not rowed sweep in a serious boat since Spring of 2008. It was a little disappointing, to be honest. I was hoping that more of the top Huskies would be out for the camp. As it was, it was mostly younger athletes mixed from UW and OSU, including a couple of other small guys. I Have this assumption that a boat like an 8+ should just be set. There is no excuse for less than perfect rowing on such a stable platform. However, we were far from perfect and far from stable. Thank goodness I scull and don't have to deal with such hodge-podge lineups.

We have our next 2k test this Friday and after that I leave for a weekend in Long Beach to visit my family and girlfriend and to do some rowing under the sun.