• 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!

From the Porch: News from President Ed Ryan

Will Packard coordinates SHOP details from the porch.

Thanks and congratulations to all of our PBC members and friends who made the Charlie Butt Annual Scullers Head of the Potomac last weekend such a great success. We had a record 400+ boats racing, and it could have not been done without the leadership at the top by Peter Clements, Will Packard, Samantha Byrd, Eric Edmonds, Mike Malone and Morgan Constantine Wimberley. Special props to Peter for stepping in as Regatta Chair this year – it’s a lot of work and demonstrated volunteerism at its finest. And much appreciation to the over 100 volunteers it requires to run this Regatta; you all bled red for the Club and made us a great host for hundreds of other rowers. And to all the PBC rowers who competed – regardless of result, congratulations on getting to the starting line. It takes courage to enter that pain locker, and it’s great to see so many members competing at all levels. Finally, thanks to the Social Committee for once again putting out a great spread.

PBC on the board at the Dulles Plane Pull

More thanks to our intrepid pullers who competed for PBC in the Dulles Plane Pull competition last month. Special thanks to Reilly Dampeer and Sean Durkin for rallying the troops, the 20+ rowers ‘on the rope’, and to all of the PBC members who contributed over $2,000 to the Special Olympics as part of this great community effort. With one year of experience under our belts, we are looking forward to going at it again next year.

Last Reminder – Semi Annual Meeting on Sunday, October 14th

One last reminder of the Semi-Annual meeting next Sunday, October 14th. Social hour at 6:00 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Contrary to some rumors, there will be no cage fight over dues increases, but we will be prepared to address the fiscal state of the Club, and our approach to prudently plan, finance and execute the capital repairs and improvements to the Club that will maintain its integrity and grace through future generations, all the while maintaining our ability to ensure that members have access to a fleet of boats that we can all feel proud and fortunate to row and race in.

One More Word on Dues
We appreciate all of the members who responded to the call for timely dues payments. And remember that you can always change your membership status if circumstances warrant. Just contact our Membership Chair, Pam Roberts, at membership@potomacboatclub.org. But no serial changes by season – any change must stay in place for a minimum of a year.

Vote until Oct. 22!

In case you saw the US Rowing’s Fan Choice Awards on Row2k, I’d like to congratulate and call out Nancy Faigen for her nomination for Masters Coach of the Year. Although a member of the Club for some time, Nancy just this year took over the reins of the Men’s Sweep team and has done a remarkable job (note, I did not say ‘given the talent she has to work with’). The team saw great success on the water all year, and has stepped up their volunteer efforts to help out around the Club. Congrats to you Nancy and to the team for this recognition. Now, as to another PBC nomination under the Fan’s Choice Awards, let me say that I am honored and appreciative, and the fact that two nominations came out of PBC should not go unnoticed, but the fact of the matter is that one of my co-nominees — an 88-year old rower, who is still racing notwithstanding the affliction of Parkinson’s Disease — truly deserves this award. So tempering the competitive juices here, and consciously ignoring the fact that he rows for Saugatuck, let me be the first to congratulate this remarkable octagenarian and suggest that your voting fervor be directed towards Nancy and not me.

Coach Matt Madigan from London: On to the A Final … in incredible fashion

Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge are interviewed after a come from behind finish to get to the Final in the W2x in London.

What an incredible day of racing with come from behind victories and advancements more the norm than the exception. With racing in the Light Men’s Four, less than three seconds of margin between 1st and 4th in both races and with only three to go forward, and the Men’s Double with 3.07 seconds separating the six boats that made the A Final, it was an exciting day of racing to watch.

However, it does not get more exciting than when your crew is in a tight race to go to the A Final and gets it done! Margot and Sarah raced tremendously today. After missing advancing to the A Final in yesterday’s heats by one spot, they both expressed confidence and determination in what they were going to do during the team meeting we had last night. There was not even a question whether or not they would get it done; they both said it, planned for it and believed it. Today they lived it … but they sure made it interesting.

The starting system this morning had some issues. After the horn signaled GO, there was a long dull beep that is the false start system. USA had a good start was even with 4 boats, when the Czech Republic stopped. All boats can stop in first 100 meters if something like this happens and everyone had to go back while the officials sorted it out. They even did a test run that did not work, so after 10 minutes and an increasing crosswind, they started the race without the “boot” that holds the boat in place. Margot and Trow handled all of this beautifully, even helping to make sure the non-English speaking crews on the line knew what was happening, before coming out with an even better start. By 500 all boats had settled into their rhythm. With us in 3rd place behind China and Czech, the only surprise was that the Germans, who were in the World Champion Quad last year, were back.

The margins more or less stayed the same with China a few feet of open water ahead and us down to the Czechs by just under a second. For the middle 1000 meters no one seemed to move. As they approached 750 to go, and only 2 of the three boats to advance, Margot sensed that something needed to be done and did it. Yesterday in the heat, our double waited to long to go and the Polish crew got the jump. Today, Margot harnessed that experience, anticipated the Czech move, and proactively asserted pressure on the two leaders throughout the second 1000. The US boat and Czech boat went after each other without the margins changing much, as the rates and intensity came up. Then it happened. Trow and Margot decided it was time and threw down an incredible boat-speed-increasing move that walked right through Czech and halfway down China’s boat by the finish line. The grandstands really appreciated the effort as the noise level increased all the way through the finish line

Since the end of April, we have been doing back-to-back pieces, specifically to prepare for the races to qualify in Lucerne and in anticipation that we would have back-to-back heat/rep days here. It is awesome to watch the confidence of these athletes after a tight race yesterday, knowing they had to come back today and do it again, with confidence in their capabilities. Now that we have arrived at the A Final, there is additional work to be done in order to be ready. Since April they have raced with nothing to lose, and they should continue that on Friday at 12:10 p.m.

With the new format of racing, the A Finals for the medals are spread out across four days. Tomorrow there are three finals with the US in the hunt in the Women’s Pair, Women’s Quad and the Men’s 8+, with finals racing starting at 11:50 a.m. here in Britain. Should be a great day of racing!

Final note, the support and notes on Facebook, other social media and via email are tremendous and we all appreciate it. In particular having both Margot’s and Trow’s family here has been awesome. Each day after racing it has been a priority to go check-in with them after racing before the cool down in the family area near the boathouse.   There are not words to describe the strength and support that Margot’s Mom Julia gives the team. She has been fighting cancer for 2 years is in the middle of chemo now and after each long day to get here is beaming with pride, providing valuable balance as well as an outlet during the emotions of the Games. Great reminder that we are fighting for positions in a boat race, and her battle with a different foe is bigger.  Thank you, Julia … Kick Cancer’s Ass.

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 from London: On the ground

All smiles for Sarah Trowbridge while the team explores their new temporary home.

We have now been on the ground for five days and have settled into our dorms, the course and our routine.  The last two boats from the US arrived this afternoon, which completes our team.  We will have 12 of the 14 boat classes racing here.  Germany qualified a full contingent.  Great Britain and Australia both have 13 qualified boats.

Once we landed, a short drive took us to our Rowing Village, which is located at Royal Holloway, a University of London campus.  We were here for about 1 hour then off to London.  The bus ride around the outskirts of London led us to USOC processing center.  We received our credentials at the airport, but this processing was to get official team gear.  Thanks to sponsors Nike, Ralph Lauren, P&G, Oakley, and others we received a bunch of Olympic Team gear that we are now proudly wearing around the Rowing Village and Venue.  On the bus ride back, we went right through the heart of London, along the Thames, saw the Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, and the rest of downtown.  We got stuck in traffic, a constant here, and it turned into the nap bus, since we had been traveling nearly non-stop for more than 24 hours and it was a warm 2 hour drive.  The 30ish-mile drive has been two hours twice, and I thought the traffic in DC and the Bay Area is bad.

Royal Holloway, University of London

The Royal Holloway, University of London is a great place.  All rowing countries are staying here except Great Britain, located about a half of a mile from the course.  Nine thousand students during the day give way to the teams, security, volunteers, staff and military personnel.  We are in single rooms with the Slovenians, Dutch, Aussies, Germans, Swiss and others in our compound.  Two-level cafeteria is a three-minute walk away serves good cafeteria food, reflecting the variety of cultures staying here.   There is a gym with 30 rowing ergs and another 15 kayak and canoe ergs as well as a bunch of free weights.   The feature of campus is the Founder’s Building, which was built in the late 1800’s and is beautiful.  It is a traditional brick building with porticos, peaks, bay windows, lots of nooks and crannies and two huge courtyards.  Yesterday there was a wedding reception in one of the courtyards, and knowing the gates were open, I took the photo-op.  Also a couple of pubs that are a short walk away with some good cask beers.

Recycling is clearly a focal point.  The cafeteria is serving on compostable plates with practically everything we touch being recycled.  At the course the silverware is made from potatoes, not sturdy, but enviro-friendly.  Coca-Cola has vending machines everywhere.  I heard 70 machines were at the course.  Also encouraging recycling by advertising that a bottle used here will be turned into a new one within 6 weeks.  Public transportation for everyone associated with the games.  You need your room key to turn on the power in your room, which is common across Europe.

Lots of security here.  Cameras, Bobbies, security forces in green, military troops and automatic weapon toting policemen are located at multiple points throughout campus and especially around the gates.  Double fences all around campus and the venue, vehicle barriers, vehicle inspections, metal detectors and X-ray machines greet us.  We travel from “clean zone” to “clean zone.”  I took a ride with our Program Manager, Fred Honbein, to the Venue, in the USRowing van; it took us about 30 minutes longer than the busses due to additional security and shuttles.  We were discussing getting some spray paint in to paint the oars with Concept2 and Darren Croker and they said the only possible way to do it now would be to ship it UPS where it would be scanned at the airport and then brought in by UPS.  Impressive.

Margot Shumway posts up next to the Palace Guard. (That chin strap is about to become a mouth piece, huh?)

Bus ride to the course is around 30 minutes on the weekends and up to 80 on the weekdays.  They have Olympic lanes on some of the roads, but the Motorways, get packed with traffic and we sit like every other car out there.  What is interesting is that the course is 8 miles by bike, 12 miles via Windsor on backroads and 18 the way we go around Heathrow Airport.  The reason we go the long way that was  mentioned to us is that the backroads are too small with small roundabouts with no contingencies should there be congestion or should something happen.  Thus far we have been taking an early bus to the course and staying through lunch to get the two practices in.

We have been on the course now for five days and there is a flurry of activity around the venue.  The record rainfall in June slowed progress considerably and wood chips, temporary sidewalks and even temporary parking lots have been installed over very soft pastures and soil where spectators, workers, volunteers and athletes will be traversing and watching the rowing competition.  It is an amazing and complex multi-layer infrastructure that goes into putting this on.  The military personnel, security forces, workers and volunteers have their own separate infrastructure including their own dining, transportation, medical and resting areas that for the most part go unseen, unless you look for them.

The venue

The venue itself is very much a “bathtub” course.  It parallels the Thames and was a gravel quarry at another time that has been expanded to an 8-lane regulation course.  Prevailing and significant crosswind from the left hand (starboard) side as we come down the course wears on the athletes.  With a good patch of weather this week, we are hoping that it is a minimal impact.

On both sides of the course are bike paths, that will become coaching pelotons and camera car lanes during the Games.  On both sides of the course in the last 250 meters are grandstands; general public on the north side and family, friends, special guests on the south.  2 big screen TVs, 50 feet by 50 feet are on either side enabling spectators to watch.  A 3-lane warm-up course lies behind the south grandstand.   They also have built 300(+-) foot towers at either end of the course for cameras and have strung 4 cables between them forming a 1.5 mile “cablecam” that will follow the races.  Similar to the cameras above the field at a football game, that someone said is the longest one ever built.  Should make for some great viewing.

Very few countries have been here this week and it has been good to get out on the course and test things out.  The Olympics is a smaller regatta than the World Championships, so fewer boats, coaches, etc., but with the infrastructure around us it is still pretty intense.

Outside the castle gates with Margot Shumway, Sarah Trowbridge and Coach Matt Madigan.

After the travel and four days of double-days, we took an afternoon off for mental refreshment and headed to Windsor.   The athletes need the distraction and since we are 15 minutes away, we took advantage of taking the tour of the castle and having some fish and chips.  The castle was extremely impressive.  Gardens, huge rooms, courtyards, art, tapestries, weapons and the guards made for a great afternoon.  From one of the terraces you could see the camera towers at the course.  Sean Gorman, my brother and I made the ride here from the World Championships in 2006 and it was only 10 minutes by bike.  The Queen was in, but we didn’t get to have tea with her, possibly next time.

The docent explained that with the Jubilee Year, 60^th anniversary of her coronation, and the Olympics she is quite busy.  The rooms we had been touring were used for events nearly nightly and she walked us through the process.  It looked like a museum, and hard to believe it was a fully functioning banquet, reception, social area nightly when the tourists were away.  She mentioned she had wanted to get tickets to the rowing but couldn’t and that her friend had made it as a volunteer.  When we gave her one of our Olympic pins she literally jumped up and down and ran to show another one of the docents.  Awesome to see the excitement we have shared with others for the Games.

Athletes are doing well.  We have settled into a routine.  Normal ups and downs of a trip.  Boat is rigged, athletes are doing the work.  It will be an exciting coming week as the rest of the nations arrive and we complete our training for racing.  We continue to be thankful for our supporters and backers at Potomac as well as our friends and family.

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.]

Matt Madigan: Leading to London

Those big smiles say it all (... along with the medals).

To donate to help our PBC U.S. National Team members, as well as our National Team hopefuls, get even closer to realizing their dreams, please click HERE.

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Dear Friends, Family, Potomac Boat Club, Potomac Boat Club Supporters, Potomac River Sports Foundation and Supporters:

During the course of the past year, since Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge began their journey in the Women’s Double Sculls, I have stated that, “It takes a village.”  This Village enabled Sarah and Margot to win the Final Olympic Qualification Regatta this weekend, earning them a spot on the 2012 Olympic Team. There are a lot of people to whom we cannot say enough Thank Yous. I must start by thanking my wife, Katie, who enables me everyday to “Live the Dream,” while she executes and grows her career in education and takes care of our three wonderful boys.

The PBC team has made the difference in our season, a season that has been full of hard work and overcoming challenges, and a season that began with the PBC Open Sculling Program.  I would like to thank Reilly Dampeer, who strengthens the tradition of strong coaches of the Open Scullers, creating the structure of the program, fundraising with the Rising Stars Dinner, and helping Margot, Trow, and all athletes through her coaching knowledge and perspective.  I would like to thank Jim O’Conner for his continual support of both me in the launch, and the girls in the boat, along with the entire PBC Open Scullers Squad for competitive and moral encouragement.  Sean Gorman gets a special shout out for being the “rabbit” as long as his body could hold out, and through his support at GeoIQ, our employer and where Margot and Trow have both been previously employed.

I would like to thank The Potomac River Sports Foundation, with the leadership of Paul Knight and Eric Meyers, who have provided financial support of our training and qualification process not only now but for years going back.  Also, The PBC Board and the leadership of Bob Price and Ed Ryan, who continue to support the structure of the program, the boathouse, our fine fleet and infrastructure.

To the supporters who have financially contributed to our efforts for the squad travels to West Coast Trials/Training, and International efforts and have continued to write the checks that have come in long after the Rising Stars Dinner, we give a special thank you.  And to the club as a whole, whose daily encouragement and support on the good mornings and tough mornings makes a difference to all of us.

Thank you!

Margot Shumway (b) and Sarah Trowbridge (s) celebrate the qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games in the women's double sculls Final A at the 2012 Final Olympic Qualification Regatta in Lucerne, Switzerland.

So, the story…

We are all PBC athletes and coaches.  Margot started rowing at the club in 2005, and was in and out of the National Team Camp.  Sarah began in 2005, making her first team in 2007.  Reilly joined in 2007, transitioned to coaching in 2008, and took over the program in the summer of 2010.  And I started in 2001.  Each of us developed as athletes and/or coaches at PBC.

After Margot’s win at the Pan Am games in 2011, the discussion went back and forth between the single and the double for months.  When Sarah (Trow) came back from Princeton in January 2012, we knew we could have a dynamic and winning combination.  After some bumps in the road, injuries, and sickness, we got back, but on a still slightly unsteady track, and it was not enough to win the Non-Qualified Olympic Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista in early April.

Trow and Margot’s W2x placed third in their final, which only let one boat to head to the Final Qualification in Switzerland.  For about one hour and 45 min, we all thought that our season was over, until someone from the USRowing staff asked if Margot and Trow were around.  I said no and asked why, to which they replied that they may want to come back because the first two boats were declining.  Incredulous, I clarified a few times just to make sure, and then called the girls, who also could not believe it.

It turns out, the athletes who beat them were Olympians and US team members, a couple of whom won silver in the Women’s Quad the year before at World’s and wanted the opportunity to compete in the already qualified Quad that continues to have a real shot at a medal.  This left the non-qualified double to us.  The girls accepted, and shocked and dazed we headed off to discuss the next step over beer and bacon cheeseburgers.

It is so rare at this level that you get a second opportunity of this magnitude, we knew we had been handed a lifeline  As a group,we committed to taking advantage of this long shot and working towards improving times and getting more race ready and fit.  Between now and Switzerland, we would let no other challenges get in the way of our goal.

I have never seen athletes with such motivation and single-mindedness to succeed. The determination, commitment, attitude and a focus on increasing speed overruled fatigue and any complaints.  Times got better with PR’s in San Diego, DC and once in Lucerne, during race prep.  After four weeks of hard three-a-day workouts between Potomac, Occoquan and back out to the Training Center in Chula Vista, we headed over to Lucerne ten days ago.

Leading into the heats, there were nerves, probably more mine than Margot’s or Trow’s, but the confidence that we all had in the progress and training was evident in loose pre-race meetings and discussions.  In their first race, the heat, the girls executed their plan.  They blasted the first 1000m to a five-second lead and raced smart the rest of the way down the course, increasing speed only when the three boats, Spain, Finland and Denmark, all sprinted.  In the other heat, the Dutch and the Greeks were three seconds and one second faster than us respectively, and we knew we had our work cut-out to come out in the top two in the six boat final.

PBC Athletes Margot Shumway and Sarah Trowbridge share a moment with Coach Matt Madigan following their win in Lucerne, qualifying them for the 2012 Olympics in London.

In the 48 hours before the final we kept up our same routine we had established and the looseness was still there.  In the pre-race talk the day before, Margot even mentioned that if we won, we would be the first US Rowers named to the Olympic Team.   Margot and Trow arrived on race day with the same determination we had seen in the four-week lead up.  There were no doubts when they launched that they were ready and focused to execute.  They did.  They rowed an extremely solid race that never wavered.  They gained a lead in the first 500, extended in 2^nd 500, continued through the third and increased speed when the Netherlands, Spain and Italy  pushed.  All leading to the Margot Roar and Trow in disbelief of what had just happened.  It is a great and satisfying feeling to see your crew on the awards dock being announced as the Olympic Qualifiers for London.

Additionally, yesterday, U.S. team spirit kicked in again right after our race in the double, when the light men’s four, coached by Bryan Volpenhein, Sarah’s boyfriend, came down in an awesome race, ripping the lead from two other boats to qualify.  Finally, the men’s eight, led by Mike Teti, and having to qualify for the first time in history, came down the course to ensure that a men’s eight will represent the U.S., as one has in every modern Olympics where rowing has been competed.  A great dinner overlooking Lucerne with all of the qualifying boats, coaches and sponsored by Gary Rogers, and attended by several National Rowing Foundation members, created a celebratory evening.

Although this is a great day in a long season, it is just one day, and the goal is still to carry the fire forward to London.  As we sit on the plane headed home, we are contemplative and in planning mode for the next steps needed to be successful.  We will continue this journey with a nothing to lose attitude and the determination and commitment that it will take.  No doubt it will continue to take the support of our Potomac Village to lead us to the Olympic Village.

Other stars of our Potomac Team include Reilly’s boat of Willy and Whelpley, who did extremely well at the Non-Qualified regatta having one of the best races we have seen from a Potomac Boat.  PBC’er Sam Stitt and partner Warren Anderson were aggressively pressed the whole way down the course and held-off Willy and Whelpley’s efforts.  There was contemplation that Sam and Warren would stay in the priority and qualified Quad, which would open the Double to Reilly, but they decided to race in Lucerne and are racing sometime during this flight. Long-time PBC coach Cam Kiosoglous is leading their efforts and we wish them the best of luck.

Kevin Baum lookin’ sharp in Oxford Blue

PBC's Kevin Baum, third from left, to race for Oxford

Okay, so maybe we’ll let him wear blue instead of red this one time.

PBC’s own Kevin Baum has been chosen to row for Oxford University in The Boat Race on April 7, 2012.  Kevin is one of two Americans who join an international crew from England, Germany, and the Netherlands to battle Cambridge during the 158th running of this historic competition.

Kevin previously rowed for the St. Albans School, Stanford University and has been a member of the PBC Open Sculling Program since 2008.  He is also the son of Senior Member George Baum.

PBC Open Sculling Program Coach Reilly Dampeer says of Kevin, “Kevin is a relentless competitor and exemplary member of the PBC team … and gives us a great reason to cheer for Oxford this year!”

(Causing certain members of PBC to ask, “Did we need another reason?”)

Click here for a story that includes a brief sound byte from Kevin.  For more information about The Boat Race, please visit http://www.theboatrace.org/.

Good luck, Kevin!  Your PBC family will be cheering you on from here!

Social Committee … Do we smell another happy hour?! (Or do we just smell the keg o’ rater?)

PBC’s Shumway finds gold in Mexico

PBC's Margot Shumway at this year's Pan Am Games (Photo courtesy of Margaux Jackson)

Potomac Boat Club’s Margot Shumway won gold today in the Women’s Single event at the XVI Pan American Games 2011.

Margot’s win earned the U.S. one of the two gold and one bronze medals won by our National Team on this second day of finals in Ciudad Guzman.

Click here to read the Rowing News article about Margot’s win and here to read the ESPN article about the win and for more updates from Mexico.

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARGOT AND COACHES MATT MADIGAN AND REILLY DAMPEER!  We’re so proud of you!

Kevin Baum … from Red to Blue

We wish Kevin the best of luck on his quest to earn a seat in the Blue Boat. Don’t forget to write.

To read Kevin’s bio, click here.  -PS

A safe bet

Time is impervious to the effect specific moments have on people. We ascribe extraordinary value to events, which can re-define us as people, yet are offered no chance to sit by and observe that moment. The clock keeps ticking and lives need living, regardless of the internal psychological transformation that has taken place.

Such is rowing. Win or lose, succeed or fail, we still wake up the next day and have to get back at it again. Ultimately, rowing careers are judged by wins and losses and medals won, but the value of rowing goes much deeper. The life of an oarsman revolves around training. It consumes 99.9% of our time, and it is from this experience that we derive worth from the sport. Winning races would mean nothing without the thousands of hours of training that brings us there. There is a direct correlation between effort exerted in achieving a goal and how consequential achieving that goal is.

Coming off a four month ankle injury last fall, the prospect of re-gaining my previous fitness was daunting. Recognizing success lay in improving on that previous level was overwhelming. The only way to survive experiences like this (especially the first few months of only erging), was to set a tangible, achievable goal: Pan American Game Trials in August. I had seven months to get myself back into shape and in a position to race for a spot on team USA. I knew barring any major changes, I would be racing in the double with Taylor Frank. Having raced with him many times before, I felt very comfortable with this lineup and was excited to see how fast we could make it go in seven months.

By the end of the summer, we were starting to feel very confident in our speed. Rowing at the US Elite Nationals, we placed third, sprinting through a double from the US Training Center with far superior erg scores, to claim the bronze. One more month of training and we would be ready.

Unlike many of the races I have participated in at PBC, I felt a strange sense of calm for this one. Psychologically and physically, I was in a better position for success than any previous PBC race. I had remained largely sickness and injury free during the seven months. Taylor and I had logged many hours in the double and had total confidence in our rhythm. We were ready.

Our heat went as well as could be expected, with our double placing first and earning an automatic spot in the final. It was a learning experience however, as our long, effective 36, became a short, less effective 36 in the second thousand after the wind shifted from a direct tail to a direct head. However, we pulled out the win in an excruciating last 500. We earned ourselves a day of rest which we sorely (no pun intended) needed. The rep the next day showed us that our speed was right in the mix, with the top two crews finishing 1 second and 0.5 seconds ahead of the crew we had beaten the day before.

Success requires skill, hard work and luck. You must put yourself in a position to succeed, but sometimes the best preparation doesn’t always lead to the desired or expected result. Ask Mahe Drysdale in 2008. Ultimately, we did not take advantage of the good position in which we had placed ourselves. After a solid start and a decent first 500, the wheels came off. The rhythm we had found in practice and in the heat was not there, and we struggled to get it back. Maybe it was the hour and a half rain delay. Maybe it was the nerves generated by our best chance to win a regatta. Whatever it was, we did not execute. Hats off to the winning crews. By the last 500, we were totally out of the race, and were forced to row through the referee wake for 500 meters tripling the margin.

Devastation. Frustration. Embarrassment. Myriad emotions swirled through my frazzled brain after the race. It wasn’t just that we lost. The other crews had trained just as hard and long as we had. It was underperforming so epically. It would have been tough to be mad if had we raced as to our potential. Chances are, if we had rowed our greatest race, we would have still lost. But we did not give ourselves the opportunity to find out. We let ourselves, our coaches, and our training down. In rowing, you only get one shot. As much as I desired to just sit on the water and never come back to shore, the world had not stopped. The clock continued to tick, and we continued to breathe.

One of these name tapes soon might read, "Baum"

The toughest part was feeling like we had let Ri down. What she had done with two undersized, under-gifted athletes in such a short time was remarkable, and I cannot say enough how incredible a coach she has been. Even though we did not achieve our goal, I am proud of the effort we made. Those seven months of training were the real experience, and one that I will carry with me the rest of my life, even though I will not be racing in Mexico. The hours on the water in the dark and cold. The training in Augusta. Proving to myself that I could overcome my injury and get back to my previous level. Proving to ourselves that we could race and compete with the big boys, regardless of our ergs or our experience. These are the lessons that have changed me and I will carry with me.

The clock kept ticking. After taking some time to put it all in perspective, I had life choices to make. Ultimately, for a variety of reasons, I accepted a place I had been offered to study for a Master’s degree at Oxford University. I will continue to row there, and attempt to make the Blue Boat for the 158th Boat Race.

I will be sure to keep Potomac Star updated as to my progress while I am on the other side of the pond, and am thankful for all the support I have received from everyone at Potomac over the past few years.

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