Sunday, July 31, 2011
Opening Ceremony
My last entry is incorrect-- the Opening Ceremony is on Tuesday. After a while the days start to blur together... :)
Sunday
We're into our routine now-- the shuttles to the course are running every half hour, the "Olympic" caterers have taken over our meal preparation and the teams are starting to roll in. The germans and french showed up in force this morning and the italians arrived this evening. The boats and blades at this point are mostly rigged and painted. The crews are getting into their respective grooves. Several of the US crews raced each other today in practice into a very stiff headwind.
So it is safe to say the arrival period is over and we're rapidly approaching "go" time. If an athlete isn't very mindful of their focus it is easy to get intimidated at this point. The competition here is the best in the world and they look and act like it. It is critical that the rowers stay confident and aggressive and spend their time and energy on making their own practices the best they can be. So far our crews are working like pros-- one of the British organizers commented to me today that we always look "so dialed in and on top of things." Credit to our coaches and crews then, for showing the competition that we are ready to rumble.
Tomorrow is the opening ceremony and one assumes that by that point everyone will have arrived, so the course ought to be pretty busy in the morning. For those able to come the ceremony: I haven't had an answer yet from the organizing committee about where you are supposed to park. I'll post details just as soon as I can. You are certainly welcome however. Ceremony starts at 7:30pm and lasts an hour.
For those who purchased FISA friends and family tickets: I will have you tickets waiting at the ticket booth (photo above) which is located at about the 1250m mark on the course. They will be available for pick-up from Wednesday afternoon.
For those who still need tickets: You can get them on-line (http://www.wrjc2011.com/spectators/tickets) or buy them at the door. The "regular" seating may consist of simple plastic chairs, set on the hill adjacent the course. You may even be sitting on the grass. Either way, I suspect it will be first come first served. The "FISA Friends and Family" ticket holders will certainly have great seats for the medal ceremony, but otherwise the regular tickets will have exactly the same look at the racing- albeit from the other side of the course. I'm confident everyone will be able to get a great view. Just get there early and bring a rain coat (umbrellas would block viewing).
So it is safe to say the arrival period is over and we're rapidly approaching "go" time. If an athlete isn't very mindful of their focus it is easy to get intimidated at this point. The competition here is the best in the world and they look and act like it. It is critical that the rowers stay confident and aggressive and spend their time and energy on making their own practices the best they can be. So far our crews are working like pros-- one of the British organizers commented to me today that we always look "so dialed in and on top of things." Credit to our coaches and crews then, for showing the competition that we are ready to rumble.
Tomorrow is the opening ceremony and one assumes that by that point everyone will have arrived, so the course ought to be pretty busy in the morning. For those able to come the ceremony: I haven't had an answer yet from the organizing committee about where you are supposed to park. I'll post details just as soon as I can. You are certainly welcome however. Ceremony starts at 7:30pm and lasts an hour.
For those who purchased FISA friends and family tickets: I will have you tickets waiting at the ticket booth (photo above) which is located at about the 1250m mark on the course. They will be available for pick-up from Wednesday afternoon.
For those who still need tickets: You can get them on-line (http://www.wrjc2011.com/spectators/tickets) or buy them at the door. The "regular" seating may consist of simple plastic chairs, set on the hill adjacent the course. You may even be sitting on the grass. Either way, I suspect it will be first come first served. The "FISA Friends and Family" ticket holders will certainly have great seats for the medal ceremony, but otherwise the regular tickets will have exactly the same look at the racing- albeit from the other side of the course. I'm confident everyone will be able to get a great view. Just get there early and bring a rain coat (umbrellas would block viewing).
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday
Compared to yesterday, today was easy. When I wrote yesterday's entry I assumed we were done for the day... not quite. At about midnight we had ourselves a little fire drill. Fortunately we had been well briefed on the fire alarm procedure, and we all assembled outside of the building until we were cleared to return. There were some pretty groggy, confused and irritated rowers though. What an end to a long day!
Today started much better. The group headed off to Windsor for the morning to see the sights. By all accounts the sights were seen; the castle, the changing of the guard, the high street shops and even a cafe or two. You can't really dig in in a couple of hours, but at least they got a taste.
Then it was back to the rowing. The afternoon session saw many of the crews fine-tuning their rigs and getting their first real full session in. It is safe to say the kids are adjusting to the time and environment quickly. A couple of the coaches might still be catching up :) but in fairness, today was the second day they've worked through the lunch break, so they're working very hard.
Tomorrow the official London2012 Olympics crew takes over the venue, so we'll see if things ratchet up a notch.
For parents in London: The Opening Ceremony is being held at the Royal Holloway, so if you want to come and watch on Tuesday evening, please do. 7:30-8:30pm.
Today started much better. The group headed off to Windsor for the morning to see the sights. By all accounts the sights were seen; the castle, the changing of the guard, the high street shops and even a cafe or two. You can't really dig in in a couple of hours, but at least they got a taste.
Then it was back to the rowing. The afternoon session saw many of the crews fine-tuning their rigs and getting their first real full session in. It is safe to say the kids are adjusting to the time and environment quickly. A couple of the coaches might still be catching up :) but in fairness, today was the second day they've worked through the lunch break, so they're working very hard.
Tomorrow the official London2012 Olympics crew takes over the venue, so we'll see if things ratchet up a notch.
For parents in London: The Opening Ceremony is being held at the Royal Holloway, so if you want to come and watch on Tuesday evening, please do. 7:30-8:30pm.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Team USA arrives!
It's the end of a long first day for Team USA. Everyone arrived safe and sound this morning at 7am. After a quick trip to our accommodations at the Royal Holloway for breakfast and check-in, we made our first run to the course. Our boats arrived moments before the team so everyone set to work unwrapping, rigging and even painting. There was a fair amount of sightseeing too-- it isn't often you get to visit one of the finest rowing courses in the world!
Back to the Dorm for lunch and the briefest of pauses before everyone loaded back up for the course. By this time everyone was starting to drag a bit :) but the prospect of getting the first row in galvanized the squad and on to the course they went. It was a succinct row, but a successful one and shortly thereafter the gang made their way home for the last trip of the day- a bit of dinner and off to bed.
The team did a great job today and nobody grumbled or complained. We got a tremendous amount done. The coaches deserve extra credit for skipping lunch and rigging straight through the day. It means that tomorrow we'll be ready to get to some serious rowing and really get settled in. That is, after we do a bit of sightseeing. In lieu of London we're opting for a trip to Windsor in the morning. The kids will be able to take a tour of the castle, do a bit of shopping on the high street or perhaps take a boat tour on the Thames. It should be a great way to really drive home that we are in a foreign land- and one that is overflowing with history and culture. After all, it is the birthplace of modern rowing (amongst other things).
So far so good!
Back to the Dorm for lunch and the briefest of pauses before everyone loaded back up for the course. By this time everyone was starting to drag a bit :) but the prospect of getting the first row in galvanized the squad and on to the course they went. It was a succinct row, but a successful one and shortly thereafter the gang made their way home for the last trip of the day- a bit of dinner and off to bed.
The team did a great job today and nobody grumbled or complained. We got a tremendous amount done. The coaches deserve extra credit for skipping lunch and rigging straight through the day. It means that tomorrow we'll be ready to get to some serious rowing and really get settled in. That is, after we do a bit of sightseeing. In lieu of London we're opting for a trip to Windsor in the morning. The kids will be able to take a tour of the castle, do a bit of shopping on the high street or perhaps take a boat tour on the Thames. It should be a great way to really drive home that we are in a foreign land- and one that is overflowing with history and culture. After all, it is the birthplace of modern rowing (amongst other things).
So far so good!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Arrived in the UK
It's good to be back in the UK! After a long trip I arrived early in the morning local time and after renting the car headed straight to Dorney Lake. The place is exactly as I remember it from '06- it is a fantastic course that is very well cared for. This week as you can imagine it is abuzz with activity- tents and racks going up, people zipping this way and that. Our boats haven't arrived yet, but everything else seems very organized and nearly ready to go.
Our accommodation at the Royal Holloway is very nice. Each athlete gets their own room, which is unprecedented in my experience with international racing... it is a bit of a drive to the course, but I am confident we'll be very comfortable and well cared for by the staff here. I was met by our Organizing Committee liaison, Miriam Luke, who is a former GB national-teamer with a tremendous resume. It was an honor to meet her. She knows exactly what we are here to do and will no doubt be very helpful.
I've recently heard that www.worldrowing.com will be streaming a live "race tracker" on their web page. So folks at home won't be able to see any video, but World Rowing will be tracking each race as it unfolds. In addition, I've located a wifi signal at the finish line, so hopefully I can provide some color commentary at the end of each race.
The gang arrives tomorrow morning and the fun will begin. The Aussies and Kiwis are already here and all the athletes are in dorms circling a central green- so hopefully it will be wonderful atmosphere and the kids will all make new friends from around the world.
Cant wait to meet the team tomorrow and watch them row!
Our accommodation at the Royal Holloway is very nice. Each athlete gets their own room, which is unprecedented in my experience with international racing... it is a bit of a drive to the course, but I am confident we'll be very comfortable and well cared for by the staff here. I was met by our Organizing Committee liaison, Miriam Luke, who is a former GB national-teamer with a tremendous resume. It was an honor to meet her. She knows exactly what we are here to do and will no doubt be very helpful.
I've recently heard that www.worldrowing.com will be streaming a live "race tracker" on their web page. So folks at home won't be able to see any video, but World Rowing will be tracking each race as it unfolds. In addition, I've located a wifi signal at the finish line, so hopefully I can provide some color commentary at the end of each race.
The gang arrives tomorrow morning and the fun will begin. The Aussies and Kiwis are already here and all the athletes are in dorms circling a central green- so hopefully it will be wonderful atmosphere and the kids will all make new friends from around the world.
Cant wait to meet the team tomorrow and watch them row!
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