Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Opening Ceremony and Spare Races
I apologize for the late start to the blog this time, but we're off and running now! I'll try and recap the day's racing as we go and relate some of the trials and triumphs of this year's team.
The regatta opened yesterday at the official ceremony and on the water. Team USA fielded three crews in the spare races; the men's pair and women's pair and single. Virtually the entire team was chanting "USA, USA, USA" from the Grandstand. It was very uplifting to hear our team spirit coming into the last 500m and single (Danielle) and the boys (Alex and Emmett) put on a show for the crowd, sprinting through their nearest competition. The girls (Lydia and Katie) found themselves and behind a strong German crew early in the race, so they had to go for broke in the third 500m. It was great to watch them be brave enough to attack with absolutely everything with so much of the race remaining.
In the evening we headed to the old town for the official opening ceremony. The venue was a spectacular ancient theater that is thousands of years old. After speeches from national and local dignitaries, the FISA representative declared the regatta open. There was singing, dancing, chanting and people twirling fire. It was a lot of fun. Despite the fact that there will be undoubtedly some epic battles on the water this week, the atmosphere at the ceremony was very open and jovial. Kids are kids all over the world and it was great to see them interacting in a positive way with people of all cultures and races.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
A note to parents
I decided to take a fairly casual tone in this blog as opposed to writing press releases. You run the risk of offending people sometimes when you do that. Hope no one was too put off. The parental support of this endeavor (The World Championships) was incredible. I know how much it meant to the kids and coaches to have parents in the stands and at home going crazy cheering for our crews. I want to thank you on behalf of the whole US team for your commitment to support our efforts.
As we continue to develop the JNT experience the feedback of our the athletes' parents is crucial. If you have a comment you'd like to make I'd like to hear it. Not necessarily about the camp, the selection process or the coaching. Those comments need to be directed to the coaches. In my role as manager this year I'd like to see if I can make some notes for the next time that relate to communication with parents, before and during the event. This blog was one experiment, but there is plenty of room for more development.
nickhaley@comcast.net
Thanks for your support. Go USA!
As we continue to develop the JNT experience the feedback of our the athletes' parents is crucial. If you have a comment you'd like to make I'd like to hear it. Not necessarily about the camp, the selection process or the coaching. Those comments need to be directed to the coaches. In my role as manager this year I'd like to see if I can make some notes for the next time that relate to communication with parents, before and during the event. This blog was one experiment, but there is plenty of room for more development.
nickhaley@comcast.net
Thanks for your support. Go USA!
Sunday racing
We were so prepared for the storm of the century today that when we woke up to sunshine it was a nice surprise. Conditions on the course were windy, but even at the end of racing I think they remained fair and rowable. Good sign for next year's Olympics.
The boys' pair started the day. Once again, the guys got off the line a bit behind the leaders and once again they showed great maturity and composure as the established their rhythm and began hunting down the crews in front of them. The were consistent and aggressive to the line and took some great strokes. There was one crew that went faster than the US and there wasn't anything we could do about that. I asked Mike after the race if it was a good row and he said it was. I asked him if he was happy and he paused and then gave an uncharacteristic little smile that spoke volumes. "Eighth in the world... that's pretty good I guess..." And they can never take it away from you Michael.
At the 1500m mark of the girls' double race I almost stopped my bike and turned around. The quad was coming next and the race looked pretty set in stone. Boy, am I glad I stayed with it. Maria and Hannah cranked that last 500m like you wouldn't believe and all of a sudden they were going through crews like a hot knife through butter. It was a thrilling finish and a testament to Guenter's training program and the girls "never-say-die" attitude. It ain't over 'til it's over. This year's combined finishes of the girls scullers marks the best the US has ever done. Awesome job girls!
The boys' quad had a good race too, with the best finishing quarter the guys have produced. They did a great job in the middle of the race staying focused and lifting with the pack. They might not have had the speed required to medal this year, but they produced their best rowing in the final.
It bothers me that there are probably people thinking that the girls' bronze medal in the eight is kind of a consolation prize. I hope the girls don't feel that way. Look, that German eight was unbelievable. They finished the course- on a windy day - in 6:20. That is scary fast. They rowed through a Romanian eight that had nearly a full length advantage by the halfway mark. And the Romanian girls aren't exactly chopped liver. The German girls were in their own class today, as were the Italian guys yesterday. I didn't get a chance to watch our girls train and I don't know if they took their best strokes today. But they sure as heck deserve those medals. The French, the Italians, The Aussies, the BRITS-- none of these teams fielded girls' eights. Why? Because they knew we'd beat them. They know how hard the US girls train and they know how good our coaches are. They had no confidence they could overcome that. Our girls earned the rep they have just like they earned the medals they now wear. It's all the same thing. They did the work. They earned the prize.
Would we have brought the girls' eight if we knew exactly how fast the Germans were today? Well, I think if you look you'll see we brought every single class of boat. You'll never know what it means to be a champion unless you enter the race. And our crews demonstrated that they were willing to test themselves against the best- without guarantees of medals or grand finals. That attitude is a valuable one to cultivate.
Well done to all the US crews. They did us proud. And not for nothing-- every single one of the regatta organizers I spoke to said our team was the nicest, most respectful and happy group of the regatta. Job done.
The boys' pair started the day. Once again, the guys got off the line a bit behind the leaders and once again they showed great maturity and composure as the established their rhythm and began hunting down the crews in front of them. The were consistent and aggressive to the line and took some great strokes. There was one crew that went faster than the US and there wasn't anything we could do about that. I asked Mike after the race if it was a good row and he said it was. I asked him if he was happy and he paused and then gave an uncharacteristic little smile that spoke volumes. "Eighth in the world... that's pretty good I guess..." And they can never take it away from you Michael.
At the 1500m mark of the girls' double race I almost stopped my bike and turned around. The quad was coming next and the race looked pretty set in stone. Boy, am I glad I stayed with it. Maria and Hannah cranked that last 500m like you wouldn't believe and all of a sudden they were going through crews like a hot knife through butter. It was a thrilling finish and a testament to Guenter's training program and the girls "never-say-die" attitude. It ain't over 'til it's over. This year's combined finishes of the girls scullers marks the best the US has ever done. Awesome job girls!
The boys' quad had a good race too, with the best finishing quarter the guys have produced. They did a great job in the middle of the race staying focused and lifting with the pack. They might not have had the speed required to medal this year, but they produced their best rowing in the final.
It bothers me that there are probably people thinking that the girls' bronze medal in the eight is kind of a consolation prize. I hope the girls don't feel that way. Look, that German eight was unbelievable. They finished the course- on a windy day - in 6:20. That is scary fast. They rowed through a Romanian eight that had nearly a full length advantage by the halfway mark. And the Romanian girls aren't exactly chopped liver. The German girls were in their own class today, as were the Italian guys yesterday. I didn't get a chance to watch our girls train and I don't know if they took their best strokes today. But they sure as heck deserve those medals. The French, the Italians, The Aussies, the BRITS-- none of these teams fielded girls' eights. Why? Because they knew we'd beat them. They know how hard the US girls train and they know how good our coaches are. They had no confidence they could overcome that. Our girls earned the rep they have just like they earned the medals they now wear. It's all the same thing. They did the work. They earned the prize.
Would we have brought the girls' eight if we knew exactly how fast the Germans were today? Well, I think if you look you'll see we brought every single class of boat. You'll never know what it means to be a champion unless you enter the race. And our crews demonstrated that they were willing to test themselves against the best- without guarantees of medals or grand finals. That attitude is a valuable one to cultivate.
Well done to all the US crews. They did us proud. And not for nothing-- every single one of the regatta organizers I spoke to said our team was the nicest, most respectful and happy group of the regatta. Job done.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Saturday racing
The word that keeps coming to the top of my brain is "momentum." Today's racing saw some spectacular racing and more often than not the battles were won by the crews that seized the momentum at exactly the right time. That's real racing!
A couple of our crews had to race twice today, as the schedule has been compressed. There's a big storm coming tomorrow, so everything has been moved up in order to finish early. The boys's double knew going in they would race twice, but didn't back off at all in their semi. In a close race they got the job done and qualified for the C final. That was some great work and they deserve credit for pushing to their limit and grabbing the highest possible rung on the ladder.
I had a great time following Sophie's race in the single. She raced very intelligently. Knowing she just needed second to qualify for the C final she charged out to a length open water and then sat in front of Zimbabwe all the way down. No sweat. She and I had a chuckle afterwards- the other single in the race was Greece and she apparently only has one gear, because she raced at top speed all the way down. I was on the bike next to her coach who would NOT stop screaming at her, even when she was over three lengths up and clearly going to qualify. Sophie told me she just keep thinking "go ahead, burn it all up now... See ya in the final tomorrow..."
Ryan raced twice today and his coach told me the final was the better of the two pieces. Perhaps he was able to really relax and get into his rhythm. I'm sure he gained a tremendous amount of insight into racing at the elite level this weekend. That his last race was his best means he kept on working at it all the way through. Good man.
The boys' coxed four raced very well. They were a bit stunned by the blazing start of the Serbs, whose strategy of throwing everything humanly possible into the first minute of the race paid off. Our guys rowed well and pushed back, but the Serbs had just enough momentum and confidence to hold it. The US just didn't have enough to come back at them.
The straight four had a similar fate. They just got over powered. The field was very, very competitive and each time a crew moved the others responded. The effect was to drive the pace of the pack up to the point where we couldn't quite follow. I think it was a better row for the guys, but not quite enough to match the leaders.
The boys' pair also raced a gutsy race. When I asked them how it went they conceded that the other guys were simply faster today. No big problems, it was a good row. The South African crew are the top two guys in their country. The same is true of many of the boats in this category. They can row. The US went after it with all their resources, but couldn't find a way to shake them up and grab a spot in the A final. The boys will have a great challenge in the B final tomorrow and it sure is an improvement from our finishing place last year (17th).
The girls' double are also headed to the B final tomorrow. Coach Beutter thought they rowed well. They responded to challenges and stayed within themselves. I know they are fired up for the final, so I'm excited to watch the race.
I was frustrated for the guys in the quad as I watched the race. They were going so hard and throwing everything they could at their competition. At points it must have seemed like trying to chop down a mountain with a feather. The monster guys in the lead boats were unassailable. But as I say, the US boys raced very, very hard and should be proud of their effort.
There are some great interviews and quotes on the world rowing web site. They capture the drama and excitement of the girls' four race very well. It goes without saying that the crew are rockstars and did a phenomenal job. Super aggressive out of the gate and then once they had their lead that sat of the field and waited patiently for someone to try it on. They responded to moves and kept their lead and then simply brought it home. Sounds easier than it was. I suspect the emotions in the boat were the exact opposite to the emotions on the bikes. As a coach, when you see the BIG PRIZE shaping up before your eyes there is a tendency to get pretty wound up. Thoughts like "They could do it" and "Hold on!" and "Almost there!" are going through your mind at a mile a minute. The girls may have known they had it in the bag before the line, but there were some pretty loud exhalations on the shore when the horn sounded. Happy happy happy.
The girls in the pair said they had a good row. It was awfully bouncy out there in lane one to be racing a pair, but they acquitted themselves well. They haven't had the smoothest week of training, but their racing has improved with each race. A great effort to make the A final and compete with the best.
The girls' quad pulled out all the stops. They finished just short of a medal, but with a time that in any other year would have done it. Personal best speed achieved. Great row and great race. Coach was very proud of their accomplishment. One of the Canadian coaches commented to me that he has noticed the American scullers seem to be improving rapidly-- yup!
I know the boys in the eight are disappointed about their result. As I told them: they did what they had to do to get in the race. They improved their start and were a close second in the first few hundred meters. Job done. When the field tried to break away in the second five hundred- a real danger spot for our crew- the guys pushed right back. Crossing the 1000m Italy was in front, but we were dead even with GB and Germany. Job done. We just couldn't keep it going. We ran out of steam, or fell out of rhythm, or maybe a bit of both. That's all it takes. Look at the progression though, over the week, and you'll see a crew that evolved under pressure. Another couple of days and we might have won it. Nothing wrong with the job they did here. It was top work.
A big storm is coming in tomorrow, so I hope we get it all in. Plenty of racing left. Hope you're listening in and following the race tracker. We're almost done!
A couple of our crews had to race twice today, as the schedule has been compressed. There's a big storm coming tomorrow, so everything has been moved up in order to finish early. The boys's double knew going in they would race twice, but didn't back off at all in their semi. In a close race they got the job done and qualified for the C final. That was some great work and they deserve credit for pushing to their limit and grabbing the highest possible rung on the ladder.
I had a great time following Sophie's race in the single. She raced very intelligently. Knowing she just needed second to qualify for the C final she charged out to a length open water and then sat in front of Zimbabwe all the way down. No sweat. She and I had a chuckle afterwards- the other single in the race was Greece and she apparently only has one gear, because she raced at top speed all the way down. I was on the bike next to her coach who would NOT stop screaming at her, even when she was over three lengths up and clearly going to qualify. Sophie told me she just keep thinking "go ahead, burn it all up now... See ya in the final tomorrow..."
Ryan raced twice today and his coach told me the final was the better of the two pieces. Perhaps he was able to really relax and get into his rhythm. I'm sure he gained a tremendous amount of insight into racing at the elite level this weekend. That his last race was his best means he kept on working at it all the way through. Good man.
The boys' coxed four raced very well. They were a bit stunned by the blazing start of the Serbs, whose strategy of throwing everything humanly possible into the first minute of the race paid off. Our guys rowed well and pushed back, but the Serbs had just enough momentum and confidence to hold it. The US just didn't have enough to come back at them.
The straight four had a similar fate. They just got over powered. The field was very, very competitive and each time a crew moved the others responded. The effect was to drive the pace of the pack up to the point where we couldn't quite follow. I think it was a better row for the guys, but not quite enough to match the leaders.
The boys' pair also raced a gutsy race. When I asked them how it went they conceded that the other guys were simply faster today. No big problems, it was a good row. The South African crew are the top two guys in their country. The same is true of many of the boats in this category. They can row. The US went after it with all their resources, but couldn't find a way to shake them up and grab a spot in the A final. The boys will have a great challenge in the B final tomorrow and it sure is an improvement from our finishing place last year (17th).
The girls' double are also headed to the B final tomorrow. Coach Beutter thought they rowed well. They responded to challenges and stayed within themselves. I know they are fired up for the final, so I'm excited to watch the race.
I was frustrated for the guys in the quad as I watched the race. They were going so hard and throwing everything they could at their competition. At points it must have seemed like trying to chop down a mountain with a feather. The monster guys in the lead boats were unassailable. But as I say, the US boys raced very, very hard and should be proud of their effort.
There are some great interviews and quotes on the world rowing web site. They capture the drama and excitement of the girls' four race very well. It goes without saying that the crew are rockstars and did a phenomenal job. Super aggressive out of the gate and then once they had their lead that sat of the field and waited patiently for someone to try it on. They responded to moves and kept their lead and then simply brought it home. Sounds easier than it was. I suspect the emotions in the boat were the exact opposite to the emotions on the bikes. As a coach, when you see the BIG PRIZE shaping up before your eyes there is a tendency to get pretty wound up. Thoughts like "They could do it" and "Hold on!" and "Almost there!" are going through your mind at a mile a minute. The girls may have known they had it in the bag before the line, but there were some pretty loud exhalations on the shore when the horn sounded. Happy happy happy.
The girls in the pair said they had a good row. It was awfully bouncy out there in lane one to be racing a pair, but they acquitted themselves well. They haven't had the smoothest week of training, but their racing has improved with each race. A great effort to make the A final and compete with the best.
The girls' quad pulled out all the stops. They finished just short of a medal, but with a time that in any other year would have done it. Personal best speed achieved. Great row and great race. Coach was very proud of their accomplishment. One of the Canadian coaches commented to me that he has noticed the American scullers seem to be improving rapidly-- yup!
I know the boys in the eight are disappointed about their result. As I told them: they did what they had to do to get in the race. They improved their start and were a close second in the first few hundred meters. Job done. When the field tried to break away in the second five hundred- a real danger spot for our crew- the guys pushed right back. Crossing the 1000m Italy was in front, but we were dead even with GB and Germany. Job done. We just couldn't keep it going. We ran out of steam, or fell out of rhythm, or maybe a bit of both. That's all it takes. Look at the progression though, over the week, and you'll see a crew that evolved under pressure. Another couple of days and we might have won it. Nothing wrong with the job they did here. It was top work.
A big storm is coming in tomorrow, so I hope we get it all in. Plenty of racing left. Hope you're listening in and following the race tracker. We're almost done!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Post-event party
I've had some inquiries about the nature of the festivities that are scheduled after the racing is over. There are three events that will occur:
1) Gear Swap Melee: This will begin before the racing is over. The kids will all be in a mass trading their kit and making new friends. It is an important social tradition at World Championships. Your kids love you and want to see you, but they want the cool German unisuit more :) Best to let them dig in for a bit.
2) Official Post Regatta party: This will run for an hour and a half immediately after the last medal ceremony at the course. My understanding is that light refreshments will be served. This is not considered by the kids to be a "real party"- it is pretty tame and most of the time they're seeing parents etc. They'll take the buses back to the dorms afterwards.
3) Socializing at the Dorms: FISA has recommended some rules for the teams for Saturday and Sunday nights. There will be a curfew (kids back in their dorms) of 10pm on Saturday and 11pm on Sunday. There will be no alcohol allowed on the campus. The coaches collectively have added the rule that only US athletes will be allowed inside our dorm. We'll be checking to make sure all the kids are in by curfew.
So the kids will be allowed to hang out outside the dorm, meet the other kids and generally make a lot of noise and blow off whatever energy they might have left. Realistically, it is very difficult for the coaches to prevent those who really want to from disappearing into the woods for twenty minutes.* They will be told, however, in no uncertain terms what our rules are and what we think are smart activities vs. activities they will regret. They will also be told that breaking the rules may negatively impact their future on any US National Team.
Parents are more than welcome to come and take their kids out to dinner. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of that argument though :)
*This is an informal, personal comment, not and official USRA position -in case you don't have a sense of humor.
1) Gear Swap Melee: This will begin before the racing is over. The kids will all be in a mass trading their kit and making new friends. It is an important social tradition at World Championships. Your kids love you and want to see you, but they want the cool German unisuit more :) Best to let them dig in for a bit.
2) Official Post Regatta party: This will run for an hour and a half immediately after the last medal ceremony at the course. My understanding is that light refreshments will be served. This is not considered by the kids to be a "real party"- it is pretty tame and most of the time they're seeing parents etc. They'll take the buses back to the dorms afterwards.
3) Socializing at the Dorms: FISA has recommended some rules for the teams for Saturday and Sunday nights. There will be a curfew (kids back in their dorms) of 10pm on Saturday and 11pm on Sunday. There will be no alcohol allowed on the campus. The coaches collectively have added the rule that only US athletes will be allowed inside our dorm. We'll be checking to make sure all the kids are in by curfew.
So the kids will be allowed to hang out outside the dorm, meet the other kids and generally make a lot of noise and blow off whatever energy they might have left. Realistically, it is very difficult for the coaches to prevent those who really want to from disappearing into the woods for twenty minutes.* They will be told, however, in no uncertain terms what our rules are and what we think are smart activities vs. activities they will regret. They will also be told that breaking the rules may negatively impact their future on any US National Team.
Parents are more than welcome to come and take their kids out to dinner. I wouldn't want to be in the middle of that argument though :)
*This is an informal, personal comment, not and official USRA position -in case you don't have a sense of humor.
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