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It has been a great transition these last few months since Aiguebelette. A quick recap.
Keara and I spent several days after the regatta traveling France and doing the tourist thing. I missed out on the post-race party scene, much to my chagrin. After so many months away from home and immersed in rowing, I was immediately ready to kick my feet up and relax with Keara.
I got back into the 1x as soon as I got home and started putting in the miles. I committed myself to training only once per day until the fall academic quarter was over. I needed time to address all of the life chores that had piled up while I had been gone.
At the top of the list, over the summer I decided to suspend indefinitely my pursuit of my doctoral degree at the University of Washington. I had reached the stage in my work where all of my focus would now be on my dissertation, and the prospect of spending three more years of late nights with little or no money coming in, stressing out over presentations, did no excite me. I gave notice to the powers that be at the University and confirmed that this would be my last quarter. I am spending my time teaching and taking a class just to round things out for me.
So what now?! I have that master's degree, and a pretty solid quantitative background. So I decided to go the actuarial route. Before I get flack for selling out, I have to explain the mast plan here. I have applied for and been offered an internship at Liberty Mutual. They're a large firm with offices in (wait for it) Boston and Seattle. The hope is to convert the internship to a full-time position and start a career with a company with will allow my some flexibility between these two cities so I can continue to race and train. Actuaries have pretty solid work schedules, and the first few exams shouldn't require too much prep on my part thanks to my background. So hopefully in a year, I'll be bringing in some real money, city hopping, and training like a boss, as always.
My plan is to hold out for 2017 at this point. I'm not an Olympian. I wish I was, but I'm not. I know I'm an OK rower, but I'm not a Campbell, or Konieczny, or Daly. I might fall somewhere in the top 20 lightweight rowers, but to be an Olympian, you have to solidly be in the top 6 (or go big like Graves). So this year I am going to be focused on fitness and development so that I can lay the groundwork for an opportunity to race in front of a home crowd in Sarasota. To me, that sounds incredible. Whatever boat I can make, as fast as I can make it.
With this long term plan, the fall has been chill. Head of the Charles was fun, and while we finished further back than we'd like, it was really the most likely outcome given our lack of training since France. Head of the Lake was a good race this year, with representatives from Italian, Canadian, and American National Teams. And now I am chugging away biking and running and lifting until school dies off and I can get back to some major mileage. I am planning to race at Trials this year, and while I am not making plans to travel this summer, if I can get some feisty bros in Seattle, I would love to make some magic.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
World Championship Regatta
What an amazing experience this has all been. I have been trying to keep things on the down-low in the last few weeks of preparation. I've had so much focus on training, fundraising, and plans for after the season that there just has not been time to add an update. So here we go.
We did it. We fucking did it. The first time we haven't been last in this event since 2009. Not only that, but we beat out last year's silver and bronze medalists to earn ourselves a bronze medal. Only 1.49 seconds off of the winner, Germany. Only .27 seconds off of the silver medalists and host nation, France. Beating out 3-time Olympian Elia Luini, of Italy, who raced my coach at the Athens Games and who has won more medals at the World Championships than anyone in the event.
The race itself was surreal. We were focused on coming off the line with more grace than we had in the heat. We had been sloppy then and knew that we could pick up 2 seconds just by relaxing and letting the easy speed come. That was the big call for me from Jack - "easy speed". It was about be as non-disruptive as possible and trusting in the adrenaline and experience that the power would be there. And it was there! We were still the slowest off of the line, but this time we stayed in contact with the lead crews. And more importantly, as soon as we shifted into our base rhythm, we took off! We were understroking the field by 2-3 strokes per minute, minimum, and just pushing away. Italy took off the line hard, rowing into the mid-40s. All other crews were rowing at 39-41 strokes per minute. But we just stuck it at a 37-38. Our power was huge, and our length carried us through the field. We had the fastest middle thousand, allowing us to stay with France and gain on Italy (Turkey was left behind). Germany grabbed several seats and held onto them. France surged about 4 seats in the last 500 meters, while Italy began to fade from their early attack. All of my focus was on Matt and Dave ahead of me; on Jack's voice. I knew nothing of what was going on outside the boat. As Jack made his final calls for the sprint, he called for something extra and special in the last 150 meters as France crawled away and we sat bowball-to-bowball with Italy. We crossed through the finish line, too close to see the result right away. We stared up at the results board, waiting as they announced first place: Germany. Second place: France. We waited. Third place: USA. Our boat exploded in joy. Dave stood up and promptly collapsed into my arms. Everyone was flailing in the water with their arms and legs, hugging and grabbing each other with affection and celebration.
The award ceremony was a blast, and the moments following the race were like a dream. I almost still cannot believe we did it. But our coaches believed in us, we believed in us. We rowed within 10 seconds of the world record on flat water.
Now I am off to travel France and celebrate with my girlfriend. I will start to think about what lies ahead in my rowing career. But my primary focus for the next week will be rest and recovery. #bubblelife.
Oh yes, and we will be at Head of the Charles in the lightweight men's 8+...
We did it. We fucking did it. The first time we haven't been last in this event since 2009. Not only that, but we beat out last year's silver and bronze medalists to earn ourselves a bronze medal. Only 1.49 seconds off of the winner, Germany. Only .27 seconds off of the silver medalists and host nation, France. Beating out 3-time Olympian Elia Luini, of Italy, who raced my coach at the Athens Games and who has won more medals at the World Championships than anyone in the event.
The race itself was surreal. We were focused on coming off the line with more grace than we had in the heat. We had been sloppy then and knew that we could pick up 2 seconds just by relaxing and letting the easy speed come. That was the big call for me from Jack - "easy speed". It was about be as non-disruptive as possible and trusting in the adrenaline and experience that the power would be there. And it was there! We were still the slowest off of the line, but this time we stayed in contact with the lead crews. And more importantly, as soon as we shifted into our base rhythm, we took off! We were understroking the field by 2-3 strokes per minute, minimum, and just pushing away. Italy took off the line hard, rowing into the mid-40s. All other crews were rowing at 39-41 strokes per minute. But we just stuck it at a 37-38. Our power was huge, and our length carried us through the field. We had the fastest middle thousand, allowing us to stay with France and gain on Italy (Turkey was left behind). Germany grabbed several seats and held onto them. France surged about 4 seats in the last 500 meters, while Italy began to fade from their early attack. All of my focus was on Matt and Dave ahead of me; on Jack's voice. I knew nothing of what was going on outside the boat. As Jack made his final calls for the sprint, he called for something extra and special in the last 150 meters as France crawled away and we sat bowball-to-bowball with Italy. We crossed through the finish line, too close to see the result right away. We stared up at the results board, waiting as they announced first place: Germany. Second place: France. We waited. Third place: USA. Our boat exploded in joy. Dave stood up and promptly collapsed into my arms. Everyone was flailing in the water with their arms and legs, hugging and grabbing each other with affection and celebration.
The award ceremony was a blast, and the moments following the race were like a dream. I almost still cannot believe we did it. But our coaches believed in us, we believed in us. We rowed within 10 seconds of the world record on flat water.
Now I am off to travel France and celebrate with my girlfriend. I will start to think about what lies ahead in my rowing career. But my primary focus for the next week will be rest and recovery. #bubblelife.
Oh yes, and we will be at Head of the Charles in the lightweight men's 8+...
 |
| Celebration on the medal stand. |
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Home stretch
We are in the last few weeks of preparation before we head of to France. In thirteens days, I'll be on my way to my first regatta as a representative of Team USA and my first time in Europe.
Training has been going well. Progress has been cyclical about an upward trend; a familiar pattern in high performance athletics. Fatigue masks progress, but the occasional opportunity for rest and recovery yields exciting moments on the water.
On an individual level, I am observing greater and greater power output during my mid-day ergometer sessions for a given level of perceived exertion. Video analysis reveals some pretty significant technical gains on my part as well. I am currently in six-seat, in a bucket with Dave Smith. A bucket is where two rowers of the same side are positioned next to each other, rather than the more common alternating patter. This can be done to improve matching and facilitate technical development. The right combination and ordering of multiple buckets (such as what we are employing with a 6,7 and 2,3 buckets) can eliminate mid-drive wiggle that is present in shells. So basically, we have a pretty fast rig.
This weekend we are having our fundraising party at CRI. It should be a blast. We have had many local businesses provide food, beer, and auction items. We're hoping to clear a big chunk of our fundraising goals out of it.
We're getting closer and closer to our fundraising goal. If you are able to help us out, you can go here. Any and all amounts will help us get to France!
Training has been going well. Progress has been cyclical about an upward trend; a familiar pattern in high performance athletics. Fatigue masks progress, but the occasional opportunity for rest and recovery yields exciting moments on the water.
On an individual level, I am observing greater and greater power output during my mid-day ergometer sessions for a given level of perceived exertion. Video analysis reveals some pretty significant technical gains on my part as well. I am currently in six-seat, in a bucket with Dave Smith. A bucket is where two rowers of the same side are positioned next to each other, rather than the more common alternating patter. This can be done to improve matching and facilitate technical development. The right combination and ordering of multiple buckets (such as what we are employing with a 6,7 and 2,3 buckets) can eliminate mid-drive wiggle that is present in shells. So basically, we have a pretty fast rig.
This weekend we are having our fundraising party at CRI. It should be a blast. We have had many local businesses provide food, beer, and auction items. We're hoping to clear a big chunk of our fundraising goals out of it.
| Cruising around the Charles in mid-July. Pre-buckets. |
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Back in Boston!
After a all-too-brief break, we are back in Boston and hitting it hard. So many little aches and pains arise in my body form these first few days of getting back into the grind of three sessions per day - looking forward to the future when they will be gone and I will feel back up to speed.
I spent my break in Seattle, mostly with Keara, but also catching up with friends at the various boathouses (because I don't have many non-rowing friends left in Seattle). I left some gear behind so I could travel a bit lighter for the rest of this adventure. I am digging the new bags we scored.
The eight is just such an amazing challenge for me. I thought I was finally getting OK at the single and then BOOM! New boat that is way different to handle. I am reflecting on those simple winter days this year of just grinding it out at SRC.
I spent my break in Seattle, mostly with Keara, but also catching up with friends at the various boathouses (because I don't have many non-rowing friends left in Seattle). I left some gear behind so I could travel a bit lighter for the rest of this adventure. I am digging the new bags we scored.
The eight is just such an amazing challenge for me. I thought I was finally getting OK at the single and then BOOM! New boat that is way different to handle. I am reflecting on those simple winter days this year of just grinding it out at SRC.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Equipment
Sounds like we're going to get some support from a couple of great North American companies, with a shell being provided by Hudson Boatworks and oars provided by Concept2. This sort of equipment support makes a huge difference in the burden on athletes and can often be one of the most challenging logistical problems to solve. To have support from two such reputable companies with such fantastic products will be great. We used a Hudson at Trials this year and I rowed a Hudson 8+ in college (it was our top varsity boat). Of course, C2 is probably the most common oar brand in the United States and has been my go-to choice when racing my single for years.
So excited for these two companies to be on board!
So excited for these two companies to be on board!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Trials, Respite, and Support
Last Wednesday we complete our racing at Senior I trials. We are now the official lightweight 8+ for the United States National Rowing Team. The lead up to our race was pretty straight forward. We were able to make weight and cam down the course without error. We completed the 2K in 5:52. This was not as fast as we had planned. Earlier in the week, we had done a casual 1K from a dead stop in sub-world record time, with all hands agreeing that there was plenty more to give and that the pace felt sustainable. But winds and temperatures can be fickle, and a little rain and slower wind speed can greatly affect on-the-water speed. We definitely had the slowest conditions of the day. Our goal of a medal stand finish, we believe, is in reach. Our boat motto: 5:35 or bust!
Knowing that we will be in a long and challenging training cycle until the World Championship regatta, Bruce has given us until July 5th to train on our own without organized practices. We have strict orders to only cross train - no erging, rowing, or lifting. I have flown home to Seattle to see Keara and reconnect with my community. This last weekend I was at the Northwest Regional Master's Championship Regatta, seeing friends and volunteering as a launch driver. It was a pretty nice way to spend the hot days. Through in some shorter runs just to stay loose.
This week I am ramping up my cross training and meeting with potential supporters. Because we are a non-priority event, our boat will receive no support from USRowing. We have to fully fund our travel and expenses to participate in the World Championships. Since most of our athletes have relocated for the summer and we have to train 6 hours per day, 6 days per week, working full time is not a realistic option. I am doing some private tutoring to fill in a few financial gaps and reaching out to friends, family, and enthusiasts to help make our trip to France possible.
You can give a tax-deductible amount to us via the National Rowing Foundation here.
My goal is to raise $7500 for my share of our team. This should cover all non-emergency expenses that may arise (USRowing fees, air travel, equipment costs, living expenses while training, etc.). The support of my community will help take us across the finish line!
Knowing that we will be in a long and challenging training cycle until the World Championship regatta, Bruce has given us until July 5th to train on our own without organized practices. We have strict orders to only cross train - no erging, rowing, or lifting. I have flown home to Seattle to see Keara and reconnect with my community. This last weekend I was at the Northwest Regional Master's Championship Regatta, seeing friends and volunteering as a launch driver. It was a pretty nice way to spend the hot days. Through in some shorter runs just to stay loose.
This week I am ramping up my cross training and meeting with potential supporters. Because we are a non-priority event, our boat will receive no support from USRowing. We have to fully fund our travel and expenses to participate in the World Championships. Since most of our athletes have relocated for the summer and we have to train 6 hours per day, 6 days per week, working full time is not a realistic option. I am doing some private tutoring to fill in a few financial gaps and reaching out to friends, family, and enthusiasts to help make our trip to France possible.
You can give a tax-deductible amount to us via the National Rowing Foundation here.
My goal is to raise $7500 for my share of our team. This should cover all non-emergency expenses that may arise (USRowing fees, air travel, equipment costs, living expenses while training, etc.). The support of my community will help take us across the finish line!
Monday, June 22, 2015
The Lightweight 8+
I was initially quite hesitant to buy into the light 8+ camp. Historically, the light 8+ for the USA had not done particularly well in international competition. Further, when I had attended the light 8+ camp in 2011, I was quickly cut due to a lack of erg power. However, with the 4x no longer a viable option and my desire to race as part of Team USA still strong, I decided I had to go for it.
This year the the light 8+ was being put together by Community Rowing Incorporated, under the supervision of Bruce Smith. CRI has run two of the last three light 8+s and Bruce has coached several light 8+s at the international level. And with the 2x, 1x, 4x, and 2- events seemingly on lock down by the top athletes in our sport, the camp was able to attract a large pool of talent, consisting almost entirely of post-collegiate scullers with some amount of international race experience.
We had 12 rowers in the camp, making for some solid seat racing action. We were grinding it out in coxed fours in the mornings, doing 1000 and 1500 meter pieces ranging from 32 to 36 strokes per minute with athlete switches between boats to measure individual skills. I was seat raced once early on and won by a sufficient margin to not have to defend my position again. Most of my time was actually spent stroking the fours. It was not easy for me - I like to race at lower rates with longer strokes so trying to hit a 36 took some big changes. Luckily, I had no problem making the weight cutoff (161 lbs to be seat raced), so I was able to stay pretty charged up day-to-day. Afternoons were spent in various four and eight lineups to help athletes row with each other and find an effective common rhythm.
After two weeks of grueling racing and lots of double checking to give all athletes the benefit of the doubt, we established our lineup. I will try to provide a bit of information about the guys, but I am still getting to know my new teammates.
Jack Carlson: Our coxswain, Jack is finishing his PhD at Oxford this year and is author of the book Rowing Blazers. He has coxed internationally for the USA light 8+ in 2011 and the USA 2+ in 2014. He has won Henley, Canadian Henley, and Head of the Charles. He has coxed for the Oxford-Cambridge Reserve Boat Race. He is a Massachusetts native and an alum of Georgetown. A solid leader on and off the water, I roomed with Jack at the 2011 light 8+ camp.
Matthew Lenhart: A BU alum, this is Matt's first year of post-collegiate racing. He is a West Coast guy, a native of the Bay Area, and trains at California Rowing Club.
Dave Smith: Dave and I go way back, having raced the 2x together in 2012 at Olympic Trials. Dave has been on two national teams in the light 4x and is an alum of Dartmouth and the Harvard School of Design. Currently, Dave is training in Charlottesville under Frank Biller.
Jack Devlin: Jack raced in the U-23 lightweight 2- for the USA in 2012. He hails from Virginia and is a Georgetown alum. He currently trains in Washington D.C. Jack's parents were both high performance rowers; his mom was a world champion in 1984 in the lightweight 8+.
Chris Lambert: Chris has raced as part of the 2007 U-23 light 4x and the 2011 senior light 4x. He is heavy-hitter in our boat in terms of raw power and erg score. He currently trains out of Malta Boat Club in Philadelphia and is from Florida.
Peter Schmidt: Peter currently trains out of Riverside and was part of the 2014 light 4x. He is a solid sculler who is from Rhode Island and studied at Drexel. He works as an engineer in Boston and was kind enough to lend me a suit for my brother's wedding the weekend before trials.
Phil Henson: Phil has been mostly been sweeping since college, trying to make his mark in the light 2-. In 2011, Phil raced in the U-23 light pair for the USA. This was Phil's first year focused primarily on the 1x. He trains out of Craftsbury and his parents live in New Jersey.
Tobin Mcgee: Tobin is from New York and currently trains at Riverside. He has been on two national teams: once in the U-23 light 4x in 2010 and once in the lightweight 8+ in 2013. He currently works as an engineer.
And then there is me to round out the lineup.
It is a solid group of guys. Lots of experience, with a great coaching staff and rowing community to back us up. Trials has already started, but we are racing unopposed. We will come down the race course on Wednesday morning at 7:00 AM to secure our berth. We will be racing with a focus on practicing a good rhythm and getting a measure of our speed. I am so close to attaining this 11 year dream, is is surreal.
This year the the light 8+ was being put together by Community Rowing Incorporated, under the supervision of Bruce Smith. CRI has run two of the last three light 8+s and Bruce has coached several light 8+s at the international level. And with the 2x, 1x, 4x, and 2- events seemingly on lock down by the top athletes in our sport, the camp was able to attract a large pool of talent, consisting almost entirely of post-collegiate scullers with some amount of international race experience.
We had 12 rowers in the camp, making for some solid seat racing action. We were grinding it out in coxed fours in the mornings, doing 1000 and 1500 meter pieces ranging from 32 to 36 strokes per minute with athlete switches between boats to measure individual skills. I was seat raced once early on and won by a sufficient margin to not have to defend my position again. Most of my time was actually spent stroking the fours. It was not easy for me - I like to race at lower rates with longer strokes so trying to hit a 36 took some big changes. Luckily, I had no problem making the weight cutoff (161 lbs to be seat raced), so I was able to stay pretty charged up day-to-day. Afternoons were spent in various four and eight lineups to help athletes row with each other and find an effective common rhythm.
After two weeks of grueling racing and lots of double checking to give all athletes the benefit of the doubt, we established our lineup. I will try to provide a bit of information about the guys, but I am still getting to know my new teammates.
 |
| The light 8+, messing around on a trip to the Basin. |
Matthew Lenhart: A BU alum, this is Matt's first year of post-collegiate racing. He is a West Coast guy, a native of the Bay Area, and trains at California Rowing Club.
Dave Smith: Dave and I go way back, having raced the 2x together in 2012 at Olympic Trials. Dave has been on two national teams in the light 4x and is an alum of Dartmouth and the Harvard School of Design. Currently, Dave is training in Charlottesville under Frank Biller.
Jack Devlin: Jack raced in the U-23 lightweight 2- for the USA in 2012. He hails from Virginia and is a Georgetown alum. He currently trains in Washington D.C. Jack's parents were both high performance rowers; his mom was a world champion in 1984 in the lightweight 8+.
Chris Lambert: Chris has raced as part of the 2007 U-23 light 4x and the 2011 senior light 4x. He is heavy-hitter in our boat in terms of raw power and erg score. He currently trains out of Malta Boat Club in Philadelphia and is from Florida.
Peter Schmidt: Peter currently trains out of Riverside and was part of the 2014 light 4x. He is a solid sculler who is from Rhode Island and studied at Drexel. He works as an engineer in Boston and was kind enough to lend me a suit for my brother's wedding the weekend before trials.
Phil Henson: Phil has been mostly been sweeping since college, trying to make his mark in the light 2-. In 2011, Phil raced in the U-23 light pair for the USA. This was Phil's first year focused primarily on the 1x. He trains out of Craftsbury and his parents live in New Jersey.
Tobin Mcgee: Tobin is from New York and currently trains at Riverside. He has been on two national teams: once in the U-23 light 4x in 2010 and once in the lightweight 8+ in 2013. He currently works as an engineer.
And then there is me to round out the lineup.
It is a solid group of guys. Lots of experience, with a great coaching staff and rowing community to back us up. Trials has already started, but we are racing unopposed. We will come down the race course on Wednesday morning at 7:00 AM to secure our berth. We will be racing with a focus on practicing a good rhythm and getting a measure of our speed. I am so close to attaining this 11 year dream, is is surreal.
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