Headed to Princeton

We've packed up our equipment and are about to hit the road for the six hour drive to Princeton.  Wohoo!  We are pretty excited - everything seems to be falling into place and we have figured out so much in the last few weeks.  I feel so privileged to be racing with these gentlemen, under these coaches.  Trials should be a pretty solid couple of races too - there are entries from Malta Boat Club and Craftsbury Sculling Center.  All crews are full of talented oarsmen and the event should be exciting.  Looking forward to some great strokes and praying for some fast water!

The Quad in Boston

Another delayed update following a period of high activity.  I have been training in Boston the last three and a half weeks after a brief stent with some buddies in Philadelphia.  It has been a great experience and the coaching and level of athleticism is some of the best I have ever experienced.  I think the best way to start would be an introduction of some of the other people who have hands in the quad project.

Margot Shumway is our coach at Riverside and I am continually impressed by her level of devotion and the skill and focus she brings to our training.  I would list her as one of the most skilled coaches of my rowing career and am very thankful that she has taken this project on.  Margot is a two time Olympian with several national team experiences and is responsible for our day-to-day planning in Boston.

Scott Wisniewski is the high performance coach at Vesper and has played a big part in working with Margot and has put forth an offer for support however we may need it.  Scott has coached a number of boats and athletes internationally for years.

Pete Alter is the youngest athlete in our group, but also the one with the most international sculling experience.  Pete went to the University of Pittsburgh and rowed there for all four years.  This year, Pete finished 5th in the light men's single at NSR I, 1st in the light men's double at NSR 2x, and 9th in the light men's double at World Cup II in Dourney Lake, England.  Pete trains at Vesper most of the year in Philadlphia.

Andrew Hashway is the elder statesman at 28 and was a member of the US lightweight 8+ last year that raced at the World Championship Regatta.  Hash went to Marist College and has been on the lightweight sculling scene with me for the last few years.  This year he finished 2nd in the lightweight single at NSR I and 2nd in the light men's double at NSR II.  Hash trains at Riverside in Boston most of the year.

Jacob Georgeson is a graduate of Boston College and also trains out of Riverside Boat Club.  Jake finished 6th in the light single this year at NSR I and 2nd in the light double at NSR II.  Like me, Jake has never raced internationally on behalf of the US.

Stroke to bow: Me, Pete, Hash, and Jake with Margot in the background.

Training in Boston has always been a pleasure and this time is no different.  I am staying with Jake and his girlfriend and they have been outstanding hosts.  Riverside has done a great job of providing us with the resources we need, and the rowing community as a whole in Boston has been helpful and generous.

We are gearing up for US Senior Trials, which start August 5th.  There should be one or two other very quick entries in our event and we are excited for some great racing.  I never get to race enough and I feel such great anticipation for each one.  Bazoom!

Just playing around!

2013

It has been a long time since I have posted anything, so I will summarize.

June-December 2012: I trained solo in the single, joining up with other athletes whenever it was convenient.  No erg testing and unimpressive results in head races.  My primary focus was on school and work.  I stopped coaching (lots of crying for that one).

January 2013: I join up with Conal's group again for the coaching and structure - the break was good.  I set the American record in meters rowed in an hour on the erg for my age and weight class.  I set a new PR on my 2K, 10 strokes, and one minute tests.

February 2013: I win Ergomania.

March 2013: I win the lightweight 1x at Elk Lake Spring Regatta.  I travel to Philadelphia for my Spring Break and row with the men of Malta Boat Club.  I have a blast with my host David Smith and new buddies Colin Ethridge, Sam Cunningham, Brandon Eck, and Shane Madden.  We make boats go fast.  I got sick.  Gross.

April 2013: I bandit race NSR I, deciding to go a week before the regatta.  DOS hooks me up with a boat, a ride, and all the love I need to finish 3rd overall.  Best finish ever for me in the 1x at that regatta.  It was great to see Hugh McAdam win - three years ago we were both in the D-Final at NSR I 2010 and now we are together in the A-Final.  Hugs and kisses to all my old homies.

May 2013: Now I am keeping my head down, working my ass off.  In three weeks, I will be back in Philadlphia trying to make a lightweight 4x to trial this summer.  All the right men should be there, we just need to test out the combinations and have a coach pull the trigger on the lineup.  Getting faster, smaller, stronger!

Final at NSR I.  Roaring for a donut!  But seriously, thanks for the donuts, DOS!

Long Update

Wow, I have really dropped the ball on communications since Trials!  It is hard to compare anything to the exhilaration experienced at Chula Vista, but I will try to run through some personal highlights since the regatta.

I put all my energy into coaching upon returning to Seattle; what a fantastic outlet!  Just when I am feeling a little burned out on rowing, I get to rediscover a love for the sport through the eyes of my students.  Holy Names qualified three events for Youth Nationals this year, the Women's 1x, 4x, and Light 8+.  We had one of the most successful medal hauls in recent history from the Regional Championship Regatta, with 10 medals, including a win the the JV 1x.  So proud of my scullers in particular, with whom I worked most closely this last year.  Those five athletes brought home medals in four events!  At nationals, our 4x finished 12th and our Light 8+ finished 15th.  What a great way to end my time with those you girls.  I am going to miss all of them and wish them the best of luck in the years ahead.

HNA 4x, L8+, and Coach on the Oak Ridge course.

HNA athletes keeping it Catholic in Oak Ridge.

More big news: David Smith has made the US National Team in the Light Men's 4x!  He will be traveling to Bulgaria to compete at the 2012 World Championship Regatta from August 15th to 19th!  He will be rowing with Shane Madden, Sam Cunningham, and Bob Duff; all repeat national team members.  Because this boat is not an Olympic event, the athletes are responsible for their own funding, so if you would like to help their dream come true and support the US rowing team, you can find out more here.

David Smith, looking particularly good in his new unisuit.

Also big in the rowing news is HNA athlete Emmy Bateman racing in Germany for the US High Performance Junior team.  Her "B" quad beat the German "A" quad in two out of three races!  I am pretty sure she just jumped in the water and swam the boat down the race course, holding a tow rope between her teeth.  Emmy will be racing next at Canadian Henley, looking to show some strong small boat skills.

Emmy Bateman (right) will eat you if you stand between her and winning.

After a personally disappointing fourth place finish at the British Columbia Championship Regatta in July, I am taking the bull by the horns and devising my own training plan for the next few months.  I will be training under SRC, but I have come to the conclusion that my future success needs the kind of personal attention that only I can bring to the table right now.  What is my secret?  Row.  Alot.  Once I have my spring and summer 2013 plans squared away, I hope to work more with Conal to develop a successful team boat for the next big push.  In the mean time, I am getting mega-fast in the single again.  The goal is to win Head of the Lake this fall and build a strong base for the 2013 season.

Good luck to all the athletes competing at the Olympic these next few weeks!  Go USA!

The Olympic B Final

We blitz the start. I take us to a 45 for the our high 20. I know how this goes. I have rowed this race. With Tristan, with Steve, with Travis, with Chris. I know how to rip out my own guts and beat the other guys with them. I know how to win in my head before we take a single stroke. “Rhythm!” Our planned call. Let's settle at a 36. Wow, this is fast. Can we sustain this? I don't care anymore. This is what we are going to do, even if I have to die at the finish line. We are a length up. “Beautiful!” Not a planned race call, but it is calming. We keep pushing. No such thing as too much power, no such thing as too much speed. But the load stays light. This isn't a slug fest into a head wind. We are matched. One-pry. Every part of my body has to move at the catch. I feel like I am rowing a quad. “Hips!” His breathing is labored, but this is where I focus on shoving my hips into my foot stretcher with all my power. More arms. More lats. Why is it still so light? We are at the half way mark. Open water. The I see the split. It wobbles. One second slower. Two seconds slower. No, not today. My turn to make a call. “More!” I punch the catch hard and we go to a 37. Back on split. It comes back almost immediately. We are holding Malta by just over a length. “Rebound!” Now it is starting to feel heavy. Seven-fifty to go. Still on split. Still on speed. We are not moving on Malta anymore, they are just sitting off to our side. I am counting 30 strokes to the next call. It comes. “Red Button!” Lets row at a 38. We shave off one, two, three splits. But I know what is about to happen. I can shave a little bit, but I have never been a good sprinter. Too small. So here they come. A length. No more open water. Then three quarters, then half a length. “Win!” The rate cannot go up anymore. I try to row longer, more powerfully. No more speed. This is it. I pray for the finish line, I pray that we are not so tired that we catch a crab. I can see Madden, almost even with me now. Without a sound, I see the finish line buoy pass. Win.

Culmination

"Bring the fury of controlled hell..."

Tomorrow is the first day of racing for David and I at the Non-Qualified Olympic Trials Regatta. We have been in Chula Vista since Friday, rowing the course and getting settled in. We are 100% solid on weight and are anxious to unleash. My body is the most rested it has been since last August when I was taking my annual break. I think we will have some of our best performances of our lives this week.

The field is strong. There is not a single double that I would write off, and it is a privilege to be in the mix with them. All we can do is look inward during the race an observe the result as it unfolds. No amount of anxiety or well-wishing can trump the months and years all of these athletes have put in to arrive at this point. Tomorrow we take our first measurement of our cumulative effort.

Training for the US National Team has been a dream of mine since I first started rowing at Puget Sound and now, here I am at the Olympic Trials, ready to realize that for which I have labored.

Results can be found here.

Long Beach

Dave and I left Seattle on Saturday for sunny Southern California. We have settled in at the Long Beach Rowing Center and are living with my mom as we put the finishing touches on our double. We have rigged up our Filippi K-Rigger to comfort and have gotten the first few shake down rows out of the way. We are on track to make the 70-kilogram average easily and are loving the sunshine and flat water.

There are several other Olympic hopefuls training out of the Long Beach boathouse, including a large contingent from Potomac Boathouse in D.C. and another lightweight 2x. We are friendly and cordial but mostly stick to ourselves. Conal has set us up with a solid taper plan - we only need to execute.

Today we played with a little different race rhythm. For the first time, we have a double that is wired to give us speed, so we can really experiment and respond. We are finding a little more length and focus per stroke at a little lower stroke rate gives us a major bump in speed, especially in the second half of our race when the lactic acid comes on hard. We will have more opportunities to push along with this rhythm tomorrow during some pace work.

Game time. ROOH!

On a coaching note, well done to the racers at Holy Names Academy last weekend. All crew performed well, particularly the Novice 8+ that won the Junior Varsity event and the lightweight 8+ that took the fight to other crews in the Openweight Varsity event. I will miss working with these inspiring young women when I matriculate this Fall at the University of Washington.