I'd described our 2016 HOTY as the race we deserved. When a crew only manages three rows together before an event then the result will be ordinary. That coupled with less than optimal fitness (including me). We came second last in our division.
2016 started well enough. We had the usual get together to talk about commitment and then all managed to organise business meetings, holidays and illness.
At the start of the year I was regularly doing weights in the RQ gym and after the Urban Rowing Regatta, I switched to having an Exercise Physiologist (personal trainer) at Urban Rowing.
Agh looking at myself in 5 seat.
Straight inside arm.
Hand grip too wide.
This will mean outside (stroke side) shoulder down.
Contributing to the unbalance that is a characteristic of our boat.
4 boats head into Big Bend. We were the first but slowest. Two crews outside us pushed us into BBC on the inside.
Here is the BBC oar about to decapitate my camera.
A "friendly" regatta. We gathered at the BGS shed at 5:15am this morning. I've been coaching the gr10 3rd quad. The crews have been in squads of 5. Usually 1 would be away leaving 4 rowers. A nice side effect of this was that the kids had a good degree of consistency from session to session. Today however, everyone turned up.
This meant that I had an extra but also 2 or 3 extras came down from the 1sts and 2nds. At this 3rd quad level I ended up with two quads. One quad was fully populated with boys I'd been coaching and the other only had 1 boy I knew - James. I was concerned that James is a big strong lad and when the crew needs a focus he usually comes up with a few motivational words. This left the first 3rd quad with the smaller and lighter 4 kids. The first 3rd quad grabed the usual boat and got on the water.
The second 3rd quad, I guess not having that cohesion, messed about and the usual 4ths pinched their own boat. Our lot ended up boatless. We grabed one of the junior boats. Bobbing around on the water and the boys advised they could not get their feet in the shoes. We decided to go back in and get another boat. The boys opened the book of excuses and were looking for reasons not to row. Luckily there was a sticker in my tinnie that said 4 passengers only. We got that second boat. Convinced them that the shoes really were big enough.
Finally back on the water and way behind. Not another boat in sight. Threw the bow man a rope and told him to hold on tight.
Finally saw some other grammar boats and told them they'd better row a bit to warm up.
Got them to the start line at Indooroopilly bridge in the nick of time. The 1sts had already started and my abandoned 3rds were queued to start in their correct slot. Congrats to them for getting themselves up on their own. Shows a real maturity.
I left the extras boat in the hands of the starting marshall and went to watch the 3rds start. Videod them. Figured it was the least I could do.
The race started and of course neck and neck. Then stroke by stroke our guys pulled ahead. This gives a great psychological advantage because you can see your threat and hold them off. Your competitors can't see you and hopfully give up.
a 4km race is a long way and anything can happen. In this case, despite exhaustion they kept their form and extended their lead. Finishing well in front.
While they bobbed around and recovered I looked back and saw the other crew rowing down the final few hundred meters on their own. Initially I felt sadness for them figuring their had been no race or no competition for them. As they finished they advised that at the 500m mark all three crews had been neck and neck. James produced a few motivational words that worked a treat. Power was transferred, rpm up, super charger spun up and they pulled away. So far away that they finished a minute in front of the second place boat. Hence my impression that they had rowed the course on their own.
