• To see the entire USRowing events calendar, click here.
• To read more about National Team selection procedures, click here.
• To donate to the Potomac River Sports Foundation (PRSF), the organization that helps support the National Team goals of our Open Scullers, click here.
• Follow tweets of our Open Scullers’ results and progress on USRowing or Potomac Star Twitter accounts!

Spring Tune Up

The unmistakable pink sleeves of Croker.

Boing! It’s Spring!

Spring. Time to get serious about getting serious about this thing called rowing. Or at least it’s time to look like you’re getting serious. So, start practicing your best race face for SportGraphics and in the meantime, also consider the rest …

If you’re on the member listserv, you know that if you act right now, you could have a new set of Crokers next week or even get your old sculls resleeved.  Croker rep Greg Doyle’s contact information is below, along with a link to the Croker web site, where you’ll find new sculls pricing information and specs:

Greg Doyle
Croker Oars – USA Sales & Service
212 Karins Blvd
Townsend, DE 19734
(302) 897-6705

Email: greg@crokerusa.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crokerusa
Web: www.crokerusa.com

Busted up boat?  If you’ve been following the Star, you also now know that if your boat needs a little work (or even a lot) you can send it off to Finish Line Hull repair, where Senior Member Alex DelSordo and a crew of expert hull repair specialists will have you shipshape in no time.

Naked?  Sylvia Frayne, who leads our Gear Committee, just gave us the heads up on a JL team store that could be opening up as soon as this week!  This will be your chance to order some fresh (emphasis … fresh) unis and other workout gear in time for the summer racing season! Stay tuned on the listserv and Abner Burnside on Facebook to find out when the virtual doors are open for business!

Calm Waters. The name says it all.

What’s left? Oh … you!   New sculls, pimped out boat, snappy non-shmelly gear, and a race face that calmly says, “Killing you on this course is just what I like to refer to as ’Saturday.’”

Yep, the only thing left to tweak is the rowing part! No problem.

In addition to some awesome coaching options right here at home, PBC’s four-time World Champion and member of the U.S. National Team, Charlotte Hollings is ready to help you out with the you part of rowing in perhaps a less stressful, less judgmental environment than our home waters … the gorgeous Northern Neck of Virginia!

Get yourself on down to the Calm Waters Rowing Camp in Lancaster, Virginia, where you’ll get on the water and video coaching sessions, and lovely accommodations to boot.  Pay attention and coaches Charlotte Hollings and John Dunn will have you ready to row in no time.

Visit the Calm Waters site to book your reservation now. Mention you’re a member of PBC for a special discount (restrictions may apply).

See you on the water lookin’ good, PBC!

Crushing it coast to coast

Potomac BC Winners Men’s Masters A, 2013 San Diego Crew Classic

Seems a bit early in the year to be talking about destination rowing, let alone multiple wins, doesn’t it?  Well, we’re sure as heck not complaining. 

That’s right, PBC, with the Cherry Blossoms still intact back home, our racers hit it from sea to shining sea (or man-made venue to the bay, if you’re gonna be all technical about it), to give us some serious racing to talk about … and it isn’t even May, yet!  

The result?  Let’s just say it seems the luxury of being on the water all year long ain’t got nothin’ on a stank-filled cold locker full of ergs when it comes to building mental and physical toughness, the will and need to succeed, and yes, an urgency to escape to balmy climes while justifying it to loved ones and others with medals.  Lots and lots of medals.

Holland, Van Der Vink, Walsh and Folger go 4-for-4 in Sarasota

Starting it off at the Sarasota Invitational in March, PBC ventured to the land of baseball winter training to put their own training to the test.  The travel team included Chris Walsh, Bill Cox, Jill Gardner, Larry Jaffe, Susan Weeks, Greg van der Vink, Bill Kostoff, Peter Folger and Nick Holland, who not only walked away with multiple wins, they managed to grab third in overall points.  

Check out this list of impressives (new word alert) from Florida: 

• Men’s Masters D Single Winner: PBC (Nick Holland) with third fastest single sculling time overall
• Men’s Masters Coxed Four Winner:  PBC (Holland, Folger, van der Vink, Walsh) with fastest 4+ time overall
• Men’s Masters Quad Winner:  PBC (Holland, Folger, van der Vink, Walsh) with fastest 4x time overall
• Men’s Masters Eight Winner: PBC / Palm Beach Rowing Association Comp (Holland, Folger, van der Vink, Walsh, Kostoff, 3 PBRA rowers) with fastest time of the day
• Women’s Masters 2x Winner:  PBC (Gardner, Weeks)
• Men’s Masters 2x Winner:  PBC (Cox, Jaffe)
• Mixed Masters 2x Heat 1 Winner:  PBC (Gardner, Cox)
• Mixed Masters 2x Heat 2 Winner:  PBC (Jaffe, Weeks)
• Mixed Masters 4x Second: PBC (Jaffe, Gardner, Weeks, Cox)

Next up, PBC was off to the Left Coast and the San Diego Crew Classic.  Members of PBC competitive programs and club indy racers, some of whom were also in Florida (hall passes for back to back beach trips?! Nice), got together to knock out some quality racing despite Mission Bay’s infamous head wind and chop. 

PBC women in San Diego with coach for the day, Olympic Gold Medalist Susan Francia

Proving once a PBC’er always a PBC’er, PBC women competitive program members and alum reunited to compete in the Women’s Masters B event.  With a little last minute coaching from Olympic Gold Medalist Susan Francia, they pulled off a gutsy 4th place finish.  The crew included Amanda MacEvitt, Sasha Foster, Olwen Huxley, Julie Freiburger, Wendin Smith, Lena Wang, Sadie Quarrier and Laura Lanigan Lauder.

A few of our PBC men riding a high from wins at the Sarasota Invitational also competed at the Classic in the Men’s Club 8, ending in another tight finish in 4th.  The crew included T. Fraites, Nick Holland, Pete Folger, Davis Bales, Doesserich, Greg van Der Vink, Greg Lesage, J. Yeado and Phil Bogden.

Thirsty. Tim Spell enjoys the taste of victory in San Diego.

And last, but far from last, PBC was victorious in a heart stopping final against Kent Mitchell in the Men’s Masters A.  (Check out the video of last 1000 meters of their awesome win on the top right of the Star! Thanks to Pete Clements for sharing.) Our Men’s Master A champions include Peter Daniel Clements, CJ MIller, Phil Hoyle, Morgan Welch, Alex Mastroyannis, Sean Durkin, TJ Maguire and Tim Spell. 

Meanwhile, back on the erg …

Phil Hoyle quietly, and then with a BOOM! on Facebook, also became the new American record holder for the 10k.

Not a bad start to the year, right, PBC?!   More awesomeness to come. Because it’s just like that around here.

san dieGO, PBC!

• For the 2013 SDCC race schedule, click here … four PBC 8s to race!
• To watch PBC race live, click here.
• To get live Tweets of the results, click here.

And they're off!

[The following is based on actual events. Only the names, locations and events have been changed.]

The ominous, oddly bird-like "Legend"

Regatta directors and guests have been invited to view the races from the impressive vessel, which another insider tells the Star is stocked with scotch, many leather bound books, and smells of rich mahogany.

Finish Line looks to be the last word in boat repairs

Finish Line's Dan Reardon shows off an impressively long paint booth

The area’s rowing community has been eager to take advantage of a new competitor in the shell repair space, and now it can.

Finish Line's trailer pulls away from Potomac Boat Club with its first round of pick ups

Strategically located between the rowing hub cities of Washington and Philadelphia in Baltimore, Finish Line Shell Repair launched on January 24th, 2013, opening the doors to a state of the art 5,000 square-foot shell repair facility complete with a paint booth long enough to accommodate an entire eight.

PBC senior member Alex DelSordo, and president and chief executive officer of Finish Line, collaborated with his father, Sandy “Papa Del” DelSordo, and long time friend Dan Reardon, to create the company’s business model built on excellent customer service and expert level repairs.

“As both an athlete and coach, I started to see a real need for a full-service shell repair company in this region that pays as much attention to its customers as it does on high quality work,” said Alex.  “Collaborating with my father [Sandy DelSordo] was a natural idea, and when I ran the idea for Finish Line by him last year, he was on board right away.”

The elder DelSordo knows what he’s talking about, too. With more than 30 years of boat repair expertise, Sandy DelSordo can take credit for the high quality workmanship coming out of Finish Line.

Today, after only a few months in business, Finish Line has repaired more than a dozen boats for rowing programs including Potomac Boat Club, Bishop O’Connell, St. John’s High School, Walt Whitman High School, George Washington University and several others in the region.  And so far, Finish Line’s clients are enthusiastic with the results.

New paint gleams on one happy customer's private single

“With debris and a steady increase in boating traffic on the Potomac, a boat can experience damage that makes it unavailable to a program during critical training periods,” said a recent client and senior member of Potomac Boat Club.  “Finish Line worked hard to keep me in the loop regarding the repair status of one of our most in demand hulls, beat our deadline by weeks, and in the end, did a flawless job on the work itself.”

But damage to a hull doesn’t have to be major for Finish Line to take on the job.  In fact, the operation is suited perfectly to repair anything from a minor scrape on a single to the full refurbishment of an eight.  Maybe just as important, Finish Line pledges to keep its customers updated along the way so they will know exactly when to expect to get their boats back on the water.

“We have decades of experience in boat repair and in the sport of rowing at Finish Line, but we still took time to research the latest industry practices to ensure we were offering only the best to the East Coast rowing community once we finally opened our doors,” said Alex DelSordo.

Previous damage to a Filippi eight is now invisible

It looks like they’ve done just that. Customer response to Finish Line has been almost as impressive as Finish Line’s response time.

“We already saw a little damage this season, and sent the boat to Finish Line since they had done such a nice job on a refurbishment earlier this year,” said Penelope Wrenn, senior member and chair of the PBC Racing Committee. “I’m not endorsing one company over another, but let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised to get the hull back looking flawless later the same week … that’s an almost unheard of turnaround time.”

Want to see more Finish Line yourself, PBC?

Go to the link below for “before and after” repair photos, and photos of Alex, Dan and, of course, Papa Del on the job.

About Finish Line Shell Repair

Finish Line Shell Repair’s mission is to be the premier shell repair company on the East Coast by building long-term relationships with its customers through superior service and quick turnaround on high quality repairs.

For more info, please contact Finish Line at the following:

Finish Line Shell Repair
101 N Gorman Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21223
609-432-4471
www.finishlineshellrepair.com

Hello, Year of More Awesome

There is no arguing that our club had a Year of Awesome in 2012. Well, you could argue about it, but you’d sound a little crazy.

From success on the racecourse (the Henley crews, gold at Masters Nationals, a Champion Women’s double at the Charles, and of course, our Women’s Double that took us all the way to the 2012 Olympics) …

To a massive new dock installation at home, where folks from across the club – and their families, too! – came out in droves to be part of a club-historic effort …

To the diverse group of club members who showed up at the home of our dear friend and fellow club member Stephen D. Vermillion, III, to christen a hull in his name just before he passed …

To the countless little things fixed or improved upon all over the club by those who take no credit and want no glory …

Yep, PBC. We definitely had one of the most active years of club participation in recent history.

So, take a moment to reflect on 2012 and pat yourself on the back for an awesome year. Then take another moment to thank the club member who stood shoulder to shoulder with you as we moved ramps, floats and old sections of dock away to make way for the new.

Thank folks like our former club president Bob Price and our newly elected president Ed Ryan, who set in motion many of the people and mechanisms that helped us make last year the success that it was.

Join us in thanking everyone who was part of the solution, any solution, that made our club an even better place to be.  THANK YOU, NAMELESS FACELESS FELLOW CLUB MEMBER!

Finally, remember the passion that former House Committee chair Stephen D. Vermillion, III, had for PBC up until the very moment he passed. And when you do, grab hold of the positive change we saw in 2012 and with everything you have, pull it into 2013, the Year of More Awesome.

It doesn’t take a village.  It takes a club.  A club of champions … GO, PBC.

PBC’s Neal Young: International Man of Rowing

On the Chao Phra River, Bangkok, Thailand

No mystery about it. PBC senior member Neal Young set a goal to row on every inhabited continent in the world, and darn if he didn’t just check that box a couple of months ago. Congratulations, Neal!

We may never do what Neal did, but setting a similar “non-traditional” goal like Neal set may be just the thing we need to do to keep us focused through another DC winter. In the meantime, Neal’s adventures have definitely provided us with new fodder for our rowing-related at-work daydreams.

If you want to add some international water time to your list of rowing goals, read on! Below, Neal shares his short list of tips for getting it done, along with some cool photos to inspire you!

And if someone catches you daydreaming at work about rowing in Thailand or Rio over the next few weeks … just blame it on Neal.

* * *

Boathouses dotting the river in Adelaide, Australia, taken from hotel room window

Like many of us out there, I took a break from rowing after college to focus on the other important things in life, like marriage, children, and making a living.  Long after the break had turned into years, I was attending a medical conference in Sydney, Australia, where a dinner conversation with another attendee turned to the subject of rowing.

The next morning, I found myself in the middle of an exhausting excursion in a double in Sydney Harbor, and knew that Thompsons, the PBC wait list, relearning (sort of) how to scull and to race, and buying a boat were all in my future.  Although I didn’t realize it then, this fortuitous opportunity to row in Australia was the beginning of rowing adventures I would have all over the world. Later, I would launch a personal goal to row on every inhabited continent, a goal that I just completed a couple of months ago in the Lagoon in Rio.

Following is the list of continents and venues that I’ve been lucky enough to experience as a rower as a result of setting that goal:

Rowing from the Roodeplaat Rowing Club, Pretoria, South Africa

Africa: Roodeplaat Rowing Club, Pretoria (South Africa)
Asia: Bangkok (Thailand); University of Tokyo Boat Club (Japan); Madras Boat Club (India)
Australia: Sydney Boat Club; Riverside Rowing Club, Adelaide (Australia)
Europe: Helsinki (Finland); St. Petersburg (Russia); Ruderklub am Wansee outside Berlin (Germany); Hannover (Germany); Trinity Boat Club in Dublin (Ireland); Danubius National Rowing Club, Budapest (Hungary); Aviron Cannes Mandelieu (France); Faro (Portugal); Nautical Club of Ioannina (Greece); Pavia University Rowing Club (Italy); Canottieri Firenze (Italy); Societa Triestina Canottieri Adria 1877 (Italy) [For a list of rowing clubs in Italy, click here or on Facebook here.]
South America: Flamengo de Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
North America: Potomac Boat Club (DC); Baltimore (MD); Cambridge (MA); Gull Pond (MA); Carnegie Lake (NJ); Cayuga Lake at Cornell (NY); Norristown Pond (DE); Occoquan (VA)

An extremely hot and muggy midsummer day rowing in Tokyo at the Olympic venue; I passed the quad later

So, sound like something you might want to do?  Despite my chance row in Sydney, it takes a lot of advance planning to ensure that you can get in a good, safe row when travelling overseas, but you’ll find your effort well worth it.  Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources available on the Internet, including the Rowers Almanac and the online Boathouse Finder.

Of course, once you’ve identified where you want to go and have reached out, it can sometimes feel like a bonus when someone actually responds to the email you’ve sent to a boathouse contact email address!  But be patient. When someone does take the time to answer, he or she is usually very accommodating and willing to help out, as I know we are at PBC. You’ll find that one of the great rewards of attempting this goal is that you will share your enthusiasm to row with a worldwide community of rowers who are equally enthusiastic about our sport.

Once you arrive in your destination country, you still need to get to the rowing facility, and it may not be as obvious as looking for the closest body of water.  We are fortunate that PBC is located in the heart of a city, but in many places, the closest rowing venue may be quite a distance from the center of town.  My advice?  When in doubt, get a ride!  Not having transportation with a knowlegeable person at the wheel can translate into hours of your trip wasted on public transit or on foot instead of in a boat.  For example, reaching the training camp for the University of Pretoria in South Africa, where the reservoir is hungry hippo-free, required both a good guide and an off road vehicle.

In the freezing rain in St. Petersburg, Russia, wearing the jacket that I could not find a way to purchase

To make the most of your experience, take some time to enjoy the camaraderie of your host rowers, if you can.  Most of my outings were one time events, but I have shared a few breakfasts with master Australian rowers and some dinners with boisterous German novices.  And if I’m ever back in Thailand, I now have a boat to use in Bangkok.  A very successful Thai businessman ended up purchasing a Peinert after I extolled the virtues of our sport upon learning that his apartment building – and I mean his entire building –  is on a river.  He couldn’t make a go of it without coaching (… needed to know a few of the little things we may take for granted, like how the oars fit in the riggers), but kept the boat.

Since you will make new friends and also want to show your appreciation to your host in general, it’s always good idea to bring a gift in anticipation of your host’s effort or at least remember to send one afterward.  And don’t forget to bring cash for gifts for those you’ve left at home while you’re on your rowing adventure … and for yourself! Some terrific gear is available out there. Italian unis are especially stylish; on the other hand, I found the free market had not quite penetrated all of Russia while I was there.  Finally, bring along a camera or cell phone to make sure you capture photos of your adventures for the Star and for anyone out there in the future who may not believe that you’ve dodged sharks in your single in Sydney!

That’s it, for now. I leave you with a few of my “bests” and “worsts” from my own journey. Good luck!

In Florence with my son Giorgio Young; the famous Ponte Vecchio in the foreground

Most tranquil: Ioannina, a placid lake with ancient monastery on a small island
Most exotic: Bangkok! From ducking giant barges on the might Chao Phra to tiny residential canals, dotted with Buddhist temples
Most historic: WWII by water – Wansee to Potsdam
Most miasmal: Madras, amid mosquito swarms; however, boat porters and gin and tonics
Most miserable conditions: St Petersburg; an industrial site, cold rain, Soviet-style club (not for amateurs; no way to buy their outfits; Putin arriving next day, etc.). Still…it was Russia and that was cool
Most technically advanced: University of Tokyo’s robotic forklifts, programmable to retrieve shells stacked really high
Most financially secure: Flamengo, supported by Brazil’s most popular football club (it’s a long story)
Least financially secure: Rowing facility in Portugal; mostly a shed, a couple of boats, tricky access to local mud flats, and one very dedicated and kind young woman to provide access
Best food: Anywhere in Italy, but a nice trattoria inside the Florence club and famous Fiorentina steaks provide an excellent source of muscle building protein
Best opportunity to be food: A tie, between Syndey (sharks; I was assured that they were there) and South Africa (hippos; I was assured that they were not there)
Most dedicated cities/sites: Adelaide, where my hotel sat on a winding river reminiscent of England, full of rowing clubs; also, Cannes, where the canal is dedicated to rowing

Coach Matt Madigan from London: Let the Games begin!

Sarah and Margot ... fabulous

In a couple of hours is the Opening Ceremony.  This is the day that we have all been targeting some for months since qualification, some for years and many for the majority of their lives.  The torch itself arrived in London a few days ago via a Marine rappelling from a helicopter at Tower Bridge.  It has since traveled the boroughs of London after its trip from Olympia, Greece and around the country.  We put up a map of the locations on GeoCommons at http://geocommons.com/maps/186376 that shows how much ground they have covered. 

Matt (left) running with Olympic dreams back in 1984

Many discussions are focused on who should light the torch.  Of course, we are biased that Steve Redgrave, who earned a gold medal in rowing in every Olympics from 1984 in LA until 2000 in Sydney, is a favorite and our rowing biased choice.  To give everyone an idea of that timeframe, my brother dug up photos from when my Olympic dream was born in 1984, running with the Olympic torch through Sierra County in Northern California. 

Tonight’s run culminates in the Opening Ceremony.  Very few rowers from any country are attending, with racing starting tomorrow and since our base is in a satellite village about 90 minutes away from the event.  They also are trying to keep the ceremony short this year due to public, volunteer and  security reliance on public transit, so only athletes have been invited to march.  We will take a team photo, and then join the rest of the countries at our Village for a viewing to share the experience. 

Matt carrying the torch in 2012

Our athletes have been doing well.  Racing doesn’t begin until Monday, and we continue to put on the finishing touches.  Yesterday the opened the warm-up lanes for the first time and ran some practice starts.  A bit of chaos ensued, but everyone got in some starts.  With few lanes open on the course, there is sort of a rush hour that occurs on the water with crews doing everything from drills, sprints, starts, turning crews, and stopping to listen to their coaches creating some congestion.  Margot and Trow have done a great job navigating through it with some fun.  A couple of days ago Mahe Drysdale, the current five time World Champion in the single from New Zealand, turned right with them during a steady state lap.  As speeds from the Men’s Single and Women’s Double are similar, battle paddle ensued with our boat keeping their bow ahead.   The girls enjoyed the experience and made sure that I noticed that they stayed ahead.

Bus rides have been entertaining.  The general pattern is that everyone goes to/from cafeteria directly to the bus to the venue.  No assigned seats or teams on the bus ride home so it makes for some great opportunities to meet fellow competitors and make or renew friendships.  One ride had the section of the bus that I was sitting in, made up of Greeks, Cubans, Argentines and Americans.  We know each other from races and the Village and the Argentines and Cubans get along well.  Athletes from Argentina were passing around a cup of Yerba Mate Tea with a special cup and straw/spoon with a thick bunch of tea leaves ground within the cup.  Yerba Mate is a social drink that opens conversations and we had an enjoyable and very social ride home passing around the tea.  Not advisable as far as the drug-testing is concerned, but for a coach it was ok to share in the cultural experience.  Separately, we are happy to report that drug-testing is going on random selections across the athletes including Trow. 

National Team paint job

As we have settled in and all of the countries have arrived here, growing pains are noticeable.  Only one milk dispenser for 600 people caused a stir at yesterday’s breakfast.  Bus rides on the way to the course have become assigned seating on the way there and folks have been taken off of buses for not signing up properly.  Arrows were put down on the coaching bike path as coaches from many countries converge and sometimes don’t remember in England that riding on the left is the rule.  Sidenote:  While filming and timing from the bike, sometimes, I drift out of my lane.  Yesterday, a coach swerved quickly around me onto the grass as the double did some pieces.   Not sure why, but somehow I must have made him nervous.   There definitely a mindset of very strictly following the rules without deviance.  All this goes along with an event of this magnitude and everything gets worked out. 

Our staff here has been extremely helpful in working through anything that we need.  For the most part we have not had to ask for anything and things have run smoothly, which is a great sign that USRowing and the USOC at many levels took care of everything before the event.  We are very thankful for the ease of everything so we can focus on the rowing.  Special shout out to our medical staff who keeps the athletes ready, working long hours to do so.  Marc Nowak and Dr. Hosea have really helped me personally, when my back has been behaving badly. 

Earlier this week, I had a great experience in meeting up with a group of teenagers and chaperones from Grace Church in Alexandria, where my wife and I go to church.  They had a trip planned to England as their “Journey to Adulthood,” class/experience was wrapping up after two years.  When they found out we were going to be in London at the same time we set-up a meeting.   I walked from the course to meet them in Windsor after practice.   We went out on a boat from Windsor, celebrated a service, and then went to a pub/restaurant where we were able to share experiences and tell some stories.  After we had our meal they dropped  me off at the Royal Holloway University where we walked around the grand Founder’s Building (Hogwart’s) on campus.  Then I was able to share something unique, by walking down to a security gate, where athletes/coaches enter, where the volunteers and security took pictures with the kids, about as close as you can get to the experience.  The really enjoyed the photos with the security (and their automatic weapons), seeing some of the athletes walk by and the campus.  It was very rewarding for me to share some of my experiences with these enthusiastic kids and thank you to Julie Simonton, Jonathan, Lee and Kelly as chaperones for making this happen. 

Where the food happens in the Village

The athletes had the morning off a couple of days ago, and I took advantage by heading to the Olympic Village in London.  The bus trip took went by all of the monuments and then to the Village.  What a place!  Everything is on a different scale.  I headed immediately to the Dining Hall with a Samoan kayaker who was on the bus.   HUGE.  Tables, athletes and food stations with all types of different cuisine, from British traditional, to Halal, to European, to McDonalds cover what looks like at least two football fields.   Fun to see some of the athletes that one recognizes such as Phelps, the beach volleyball team as well as teams from other countries all there together. 

The Village is a community of apartment buildings with plenty of green space.  Seemingly every room, balcony and window has a national flag hanging off of it and all of the athletes are going to and from training in their countries gear.  The Olympic Park is about a 15 minute walk.  There are busses for the athletes to the venues, but only with the right credential, as I found out when I tried to go to the Olympic Stadium without a track and field (Athletics) credential.  Very strict here.  The walk goes buy an enormous mall and then back through security.  The walking spaces are huge and the Orbit, Natatorium, Olympic Stadium also are enormous.  Everyone was busy putting the finishing touches on.  I took some pictures and then hopped on the Tube and a train back out for the afternoon practice.

So, everyone is really ready to get started.  Spares races were the final test over lunch today and it looks like the skycam, timing, etc. are all ready.  We still have three days until we race, so a couple of short rows to sharpen on Saturday and Sunday, but the work is done.  

They were showing some Olympic highlights on the big screens today with Chariots of Fire, or some other motivational music playing.   I’d by lying if I said I didn’t pedal just a little faster with some adrenaline and excitement for the coming week.  It is has been a long road to get to this point.  This is it.  Let the games begin.

Coach Matt Madigan: Now the fun begins

Coach Matt Madigan checks in on the way to London.  We look forward to more! -TPS

Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge go from PBC red and white ...

Now the fun begins.  Together, the three of us, Margot Shumway, Sarah Trowbridge and myself, have been through the ups and downs of training this year and since 2005 and 2006, when they started at Potomac Boat Club.   Countless hours spent on the Potomac and at the National Team Training Centers in Chula Vista, Princeton, and Mercer County (New Jersey), along with racing domestically and internationally, has led us to this very moment and this flight we are on to the 2012 Olympics Games in London.  I spent the second half of the weekend with my family and then left from Dulles, while Margot and Trow, packed up their temporary housing belongings in Princeton and headed out of Newark with the rest of the team.   Ed Ryan, our club president, mentioned he knows an airline story when he sees one, and I don’t want to disappoint after the last one regarding our return from Switzerland.

Since winning the women’s double event at the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland, Margot and Trow have aggressively gone after their workouts over the last eight weeks.  At the end of May and through early June, we were back at PBC and on the Potomac River to get our distance and aerobic training base back after a peak for the Qualification Race.  By training in DC, we were able to re-establish our base not only physically, but also mentally by reconnecting with family, jobs, teammates and our Potomac Boat Club community.   At the end of three weeks, we knew it was time to head back onto a course.  With the Occoquan course being taken out by a surprise dam release, the best place for us to go was Mercer and Carnegie to continue with other team members.   The US boats training in New Jersey included the Men’s and Women’s Eights, Men’s and Women’s Pairs, Women’s Quad, and the Light Men’s Four.  We were in good company.

After making arrangements with USRowing, Bryan Volpenhein really helped to facilitate our water time at both Mercer and Carnegie.  Not only is Volp a gold and bronze medalist in the M8+, he will have two crews, LM4- and M2-, racing in London.  He has been very helpful and his boats have been great training partners for our W2x.  With three individuals working together the intensity can turn up quickly.  By surrounding ourselves with other boats both on the water and crews on the land, a greater diversity of thought can be shared, which allows intensity to be focused on the workout.

To USA red, white and blue! (Margot and Sarah, front and center, on the Row to London page on Facebook)

Since our trials event, one of our themes has been taking full advantage of our second opportunity and doing what it takes to ramp up boat speed with our sights on the Olympics Finals.  Both Margot and Trow have done a tremendous job in taking ownership and attacking this process.  As a result they are fitter, faster, technically skilled, communicate better, and are more prepared than ever.  They have been doing triple-days with hard work on back-to-back days twice a week to prepare us for the heats/repecharge format that we will face in 14 days.  This final week of training for example had us doing interval 500s with competition followed by a bungee on/bungee off workout to 42 strokes/min.  A day of steady state followed with the next set of work being 2 x 2k just below race pace and 2 x 1k full at racepace-plus.   As a bald eagle flew about 50 feet above the double during the last 1000 meter piece, racing our duo for 150 meters, the athletes put together a Personal Best for the workout.  I knew with this sign that it was definitely time to head over the pond and get started on the next phase of training/tapering.

We continue to be grateful to the Village that supports us.  My wife and family sent me off with a American flags and “good lucks” and I certainly couldn’t do this without them.  Our families and friends are deserving of much praise and thanks for the sacrifices it has taken.  Volp, USRowing staff, Princeton National Rowing Association staff, Princeton University staff,  PBC, PRSF, Paul Knight, Erik Meyers, host families in New Jersey, Washington and San Diego, my coaching colleagues and everyone who has done the little things to get us here.  Chris Korzoniewski, Reilly Dampeer and Jim O’Conner have all stepped in to support our efforts and lend their expertise when I could not be there.   Financially, our thanks goes out to all of the contributors who have supported us along the way.

I also would be remiss to not thank all of the rowers who have helped GeoIQ.  Last week after seven years of effort, more from our founder Sean Gorman, the company sold.  Thank you Margot, Sarah, Ruth, Bill, Matia, Jenn, others and especially Don Spero and Sean for pulling us across the finish line.

When we land tomorrow morning, our itinerary has us heading to our housing at the University of London, Royal Holloway campus outside of London near Windsor and much closer to the rowing course at Eton-Dorney, which is still about 35 minutes away.  After dropping off gear and grabbing a quick bite to eat, we will take a bus to processing in central London, where we will receive our gear, get credentials and receive final instructions from USOC/IOC/LOCOG.  We became part of the US Rowing Team by naming at trials, racing in Lucerne and joining the other boats at the National Team Training Center.  Tomorrow, we join the other teams as part of the United States Olympic Team.

[Another update:  Made it through Heathrow and to the rowing village at Royal Holloway.  Great place, looks like all countries but GB will be staying here.  First impressions, tons of volunteers and security.  We returned to the dorms for a quick jog and dinner and to catch-up on sleep.  I may try to sneak down to start rigging the boat or head down the next day.   Yes, it's been a long day or two of travel, but nothing compared to the journey to get us here.]

Join TEAM PBC and Race for the Cure!

Hey, PBC!

Led by our PBC Open Scullers, the competitive teams have come up with a great way for the entire club to do a little cross training together, get out there in the community, and show our support for the ongoing battle against breast cancer:

Join “Team Potomac Boat Club” as we Race for the Cure on June 2, 2012!

We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer so what better way to show our support for them than by racing for the cure as TEAM PBC!

The Open Scullers have already signed up for the 5k run, but there also is a 5k walk and other ways to participate and volunteer as one team!

To join us, click on the link below, then on “Join a Team” and enter in “Team Potomac Boat Club.”  You’ll be all set!

http://www.info-komen.org/site/R?i=HppV0ogCBjCHSXtgoIAi3Q

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Katie Stainken at stainken@hotmail.com.

See you on June 2, PBC!

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