WC 1: Day 1
Well. Let me start by saying I wouldn't have done the heat any other way.
I needed to get that out of my system.
Lining up next to Synek this morning was hilarious. I mean, I'm sorry, but it's Ondrej SYNEK. I have been watching him win medals since I started rowing. I couldn't help but smile as I pulled into the stake boats.
I was not nervous, I was just giddy. When that green light came on, I just got the hell out of there. Took me a few strokes to get my composure on the handles and straight in the lane, but once I did, all systems were go. At 250 down, I glanced across and well, I just saw bow balls. One of them was the bow ball of Ondrej Synek. Haha. Ok. Well, what now? I went to base and found a nice rhythm. Through the 500, he and I were about a length ahead of the Bulgarian and the Brit. I kept pressing through the 750 and to the 1k, where Synek had slipped to a length advantage on me. At that point, I was still about 3/4 l up on the Bulgarian and a length on the GB sculler. I hoped that one of the two would see that they were not in qualifying position and drop off, saving energy for the rep. That was wishful thinking. Mainly because without really knowing it, I had spent a lot of energy to be up near the lead. So, I was not ready to be pushed to the line. At the 1500, I was still sitting in second, but I could feel the pressure. I shifted to hold the lead, but those guys went to a much more powerful and effienct gear. I was out of gas and I knew it. It was a classic slingshot for them. I was the rabbit and they let me wear myself out. But whatever, thats what I wanted to do and I wouldn't have changed my approach if I did it again. I know I can go faster over 2k, but my plan was to be reckless.
In the afternoon rep, I got out to an early lead against the Israeli sculler who just recently finished 6th at European Champs. We cruised easily to the line and into the semis.
The draw for the semi is:
USA, ISR2, GER, BUL, ARG, KOR.
I actually think this a better draw than I would have gotten if I had gotten through the heat, ha! Funny how that goes, but we'll see. Regardless, it is very very tough racing no matter how you splice it. I will have to find a way to stay ahead of that bulgarian, hopefully by a little better pacing and higher onus on the finishing 500m.
It cannot be overstated how much fun it was to race today. I am truly a freshman out here in this field and I love it. No expectations just big big strokes.
It will probably be nasty conditions tomorrow and I will certainly be in the unfavored lane, but that is what it is. I will give it everything I don't got!
I needed to get that out of my system.
Lining up next to Synek this morning was hilarious. I mean, I'm sorry, but it's Ondrej SYNEK. I have been watching him win medals since I started rowing. I couldn't help but smile as I pulled into the stake boats.
I was not nervous, I was just giddy. When that green light came on, I just got the hell out of there. Took me a few strokes to get my composure on the handles and straight in the lane, but once I did, all systems were go. At 250 down, I glanced across and well, I just saw bow balls. One of them was the bow ball of Ondrej Synek. Haha. Ok. Well, what now? I went to base and found a nice rhythm. Through the 500, he and I were about a length ahead of the Bulgarian and the Brit. I kept pressing through the 750 and to the 1k, where Synek had slipped to a length advantage on me. At that point, I was still about 3/4 l up on the Bulgarian and a length on the GB sculler. I hoped that one of the two would see that they were not in qualifying position and drop off, saving energy for the rep. That was wishful thinking. Mainly because without really knowing it, I had spent a lot of energy to be up near the lead. So, I was not ready to be pushed to the line. At the 1500, I was still sitting in second, but I could feel the pressure. I shifted to hold the lead, but those guys went to a much more powerful and effienct gear. I was out of gas and I knew it. It was a classic slingshot for them. I was the rabbit and they let me wear myself out. But whatever, thats what I wanted to do and I wouldn't have changed my approach if I did it again. I know I can go faster over 2k, but my plan was to be reckless.
In the afternoon rep, I got out to an early lead against the Israeli sculler who just recently finished 6th at European Champs. We cruised easily to the line and into the semis.
The draw for the semi is:
USA, ISR2, GER, BUL, ARG, KOR.
I actually think this a better draw than I would have gotten if I had gotten through the heat, ha! Funny how that goes, but we'll see. Regardless, it is very very tough racing no matter how you splice it. I will have to find a way to stay ahead of that bulgarian, hopefully by a little better pacing and higher onus on the finishing 500m.
It cannot be overstated how much fun it was to race today. I am truly a freshman out here in this field and I love it. No expectations just big big strokes.
It will probably be nasty conditions tomorrow and I will certainly be in the unfavored lane, but that is what it is. I will give it everything I don't got!
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