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.