October 2009 Archives

The Head of the Schuylkill Regatta has a storied past of problematic weather and cancellations. Arriving Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia in between intermittent bursts of rain and drizzle I found the river buzzing with rowers, boats being carried, trailers being loaded, and mud. Lots of mud. The hoards of rowers had quickly turned the grass along kelly drive into a series of mud pits and tire tracks.

Shortly after we got our boats in the water the sky let loose and it started to pouring rain.  We ended our short practice row and headed back to the dock.  By the time we had stored our boats for the night, we were throughly soaked.  On the walk back to the car the falling rain was rendered irrelevant since we couldn't get any more wet then we already were. 

For weigh in Fiaz and I both brought a set of dry clothes and begged to borrow their locker room to change into drier, lighter clothes.  We both forgot to bring a towel, so we were still wet when we went to weigh in.  I made lightweight for the doubles event and the singles event, but was told I couldn't switch my heavy 1x event to the lightweight catagory. 

Sunday morning I was up at 5am and in my car leaving the hotel by 5:30.  it turns out I over estimated how much time I really needed.  When I got to kelly drive at 6am they hadn't yet closed off the street, and it was still open to traffic, so there was no where to park.  With the sun still sound asleep, I started rigging my single with a flashlight.  

I launched my single and started paddling up the river toward the start.  Overnight the river had swelled considerably from all the rain.  The current had picked up considerably and all of the marker buoys had been washed away. The river was covered with floating debris. and I spent a good portion of my time looking over my shoulder dodging tree branches, large stumps, and other flotsam.  Even still I head the occasional ding against the bottom of my boat. Each time it was a little reassuring to know that the skeg was still attached.  Abotu half way to the start the race officials came up to us and announced that we had a two hour delay, while they waited for the deris to float downstream, and tried to clear the river.  

The delay ended up working out well. My mom, who came to watch the race was running late due to a flat tire. By the time I got to the dock she was there.  I also used the 2 hour delay to talk to the race committee and got switched from the heavy weight 1x category to the lightweight 1x category. 

At the start for my 1x race I saw Drysdale paddle past me.  That guy is frigging huge! I compared  my finish time to the 1x event at a previous head race.  In that race I finished 3 minutes slower the the lightweight winner, who came in third in this race. In the few weeks I manged to pick up 30 seconds and finished 2:30 behind him. Overall I was 2:38 behind the winner, an overall improvement against much better competition then the previous race.  Had I been old enough to row in the masters category I would have beaten a few boats. My doubles race also showed considerable improvement. 

Mens Open Lightweight 1x

Mens Masters 1x (30-39)

The weather unexpectedly turned warm this week reaching the mid to high 60's with bright sunlight illuminating the rainbow colored trees along the river.  Sitting in a fillipi 1x basking in the late afternoon sun, somewhere between the catch and the release I found paradise.  The bliss I encountered paddling up and down the Passaic River I found complete zen and bliss. I also found some quality blisters on my hands. I realized that for all those days when work sucks, just how awesome it was for me to have a job where I could sneak out for a couple hours in an afternoon to enjoy this.  It was reminicent of the afternoons I spent sailing on the Charels free from whatever ailed me. 

At the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta I am scheduled to race a lightweight 2x event and a heavy weight 1x event.  My goal is to make weight for the 1x event and get switched to the light weight category for that event as well. My goal for switching to light weight singles is to avoid rowing against members of the New Zealand National Team including Mahe Drysdale, among others.  It also drops the number of competitors from 32 to 16. In the 2x event it drops the number of competitors from 8 to 4, with the top 3 boats getting awarded medals it makes taking home some bling a possibility.  I have to make 160 pounds for the single and under 165 for the double. As of this morning I'm 159.6.  The weight for the single will be close at best but I'm still working toward it. My goals for this season was to try and win a medal in one event by the end of the season and to row lightweight by next season.  I stand a good chance at getting one of those.  

A couple weeks ago marked my one year anniversary since I started rowing. It's been allot of hard work, but I know that I've come along way.  Still I have much further to go. I've certainly exceeded my own initial expectations, and reset them several times.

These past couple weeks have been a series of  5am wake up calls and two a day practices in preparation for HOSR.  Pre-dawn practice sessions starting out under the moonlight and finishing up in the glare of the rising sun.  Breaking a sweat on a thirty something degree morning to rinse off in an ice cold shower right before work, because our boat house has no hot water. After the morning practice I don't feel the need for caffeine and I find myself ready and eager to take on the rest of the day.  By the end of the day I measure my sucess by how many part of my body are sore, and how quickly I mange to pass out for the night.   I've also found a happiness and enthusiasm that I haven't seen in myself in a while. 

Over the past couple weeks my stroke has improved, I've straightened out my back and lengthened my stroke quite a bit.  I still need to stretch out my hamstrings more and I have a lot of training to do this winter. My goal for next year is 2 minutes quicker on the 5k and 30seconds quicker on the 1k. I also want to start sailing again.

Regatta Pictures http://stoked.cc/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=4376

Saturday morning was little bit rainy, but the little bid of wind and rain didn't start until after my doubles race had reached the finish line.  Over the course of which I rowed the head race course at Philly for the first time.  It was a learning experience for sure.  Most of the course turns to port, with a steeply curved section to port after the normal 2k finish line.  In retrospect we spent far too much effort pulling on starboard and not enough in a straight line.  Partly due to some navigational error, and partly due to our boats tendency to pull to Starboard. Race day was the third time our boat had rowed together and all things considered it went well, and showed considerable improvement from the first day. 

Looking ahead to the next race,  I want to stay closer to the buoy line on the Port side of the course.  This should allow me to take advantage of the most available current in the river, as well as set up for the straightest course possible. Including using the center most bridge arch in the middle of the course, and lining up better for the lower bridges. After the first train bridge a hard turn to port to line up for the next train bridge should straighten out the course quite a bit. Remembering a tent to stay dry in the event of rain will also be key.  

To prepare for the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta I've commited to rowing the double as a lightweight, which means Ineed to weigh in at less then 165.  I'm also trying to make lightweight for the single event (160).  So far I'm weighing in at 161-163 with a low this week of 160. rowing lightweight in the 1x race will allows me to avoid rowing against two members of the New Zeland national team as well as a few others.  Alternatively it puts me in a lineup with a guy from the former US national team. 

Special thanks to Tom Curry for making this possible for me!