WWKD

Sunday morning,  I went down to the boathouse to do some boat maintenance and take a light paddle. Keeping the wheels and tracks clean is free speed. I have also been doing oar testing for C2, testing a new set of thin blades that I have coined as Thin Mints. They are the same shaft/blade shape as the oars I typically use, but the blade itself is thinner. They are also black carbon with no paint on them, so casting any technological advantages aside, they just look cooler. I was on the water for about an hour rowing lightly, not necessarily exercising, but mostly just spending time with my fingertips on the handles, pressure against the pins, weight on the handle, weight off the handle, the balls of my feet on the footboard, my weight off the seat and my weight on the seat. It was a row to take the time to do the things that you might not necessarily do when you are so concerned with getting mileage in or rowing hard.

If this year is anything like last, the coming week is going to be filled with race rehearsal pieces in the single. 500s, 1000s, 1500s, and  lots of them. This morning I paired up with lightweight men's pair again for 2 x 30 min of firm rowing, 20 for 10 min, 22 for 10 min, and 18 for 10 min. I am careful to get carried away about low rate speed, only race pace speed is consequential,  but my speeds at these rates are encouraging and if nothing else,  have improved from last year at this point. I think the main difference is not necessarily the raw speeds but being able to hit the speeds consistently and in the correct intensity. It will be interesting to see how it carries over to race pace. I think initially, going to 35 spm in the single is going to be uncomfortable and forced, but that is what this week is for. 

Perusing through NSR 1 entries yesterday and saw Ken Jurkowski entered in the single. When I saw his name, I felt a rush of energy and emotion, probably because I have been thinking about him a lot recently, even without knowing he is rowing this year. First of all, I think of him as a role model and more of an idol than anything else. As a youngster, I watched intently as he won NSR's, looking like the epitome of a man on a mission; quiet, strong, determined, and totally badass. Machine-like. I looked up to my brothers the most, but this was the guy that would crush everyone in the single when he was on his game. He was on another level and was enigmatic doing it. He reminded me of the videos of Thomas Lange I had watched, videos that I am certain he watched himself. I remember watching the 2008 NSR 1, with brother Peter competing and eventually finishing third. I was a sophomore in college  and in the middle of a memorable collegiate season. I watched from the gazebo at Mercer as Ken powered into a massive headwind and opened up at least 10 seconds worth of open water on Peter and Andrew Liverman. I'll never forget it. It was one of the most badass things I'd ever seen. You could hear a few people yelling but there are no fans at NSR 1. Just a cold wind, grey skies, choppy water, and a man on a mission to go to the Olympics in the M1x. 

Very few people know this, but in 2011, I had the privilege of sharing a house in Hamburg, Germany with Ken, Julie Nichols, Kristin Hedstrom, Brian De Regt, and Jon Winter. Ken was the US 1x, Brian and Jon the light 2x, Kristin and Julie light 2x, and I was racing as the light 1x. We trained, raced, and lived together for that week of World Cup 2. I had never met Ken before, but right away he was incredibly gracious, kind, and open to me. That week was a tutorial on how to be the US single sculler. That summer Ken going fast and doing things right. I watched in awe as he filled up a family size pot with pasta and beef. He was eating 5 or 6 times more than I was. He shook his head when he saw Brian and Jon eating candy bars, nutella, and other lightweight snacks. I noticed that he didn't waste any calories. Everything had a purpose and the purpose was the fuel this massive engine that was engineered carefully to move a single scull. His sense of purpose is what I picked up on the most. If its not going into making the boat go faster--forget it. Don't worry about the things you can't control, but absolutely master the things you can. I was inspired by how fast he was going that summer. He came through the first 500 in Hamburg in 1.37, right with Drysdale all the way down the course. It was obvious that whatever he was doing was working. Meanwhile, I struggled to make weight, and battled through an under-prescribed lightweight single field to make the A final in WC2, finishing 5th. It was my best result, but I was humbled by just how much faster Ken was than me. To me, he was in the league of those giants in the M1x, the guys who can produce outrageous speeds that I was nowhere close to. I was overwhelmed by just how far the top was. That is mainly what kept me trying to row lightweight. I thought it was the only place I could be competitive. When Ken got a bronze medal in Hamburg and then went on to get 4th in Lucerne, I was ecstatic for him, for sculling in America, and just to know him. I tried to act as his apprentice as much as I could in those final days in Hamburg; asking questions, listening, observing, learning. The night of the day Ken won bronze in Hamburg, we went out in the city for dinner. The mood was celebratory because all boats had performed pretty well. Kristin and Julie had won a medal, as well. For lightweights, the end of racing is the beginning of eating stupid amount of food to make yourself feel better from starving for a week. Yes, I was excited to eat, I cannot lie about that; but, it was at the dinner table that night with Ken when I saw up close just how for real he was. It would have been so easy for Ken to rest on his laurels, winning the first sculling medal for the US in I don't know how many years. He deserved to have a few drinks and eat shitty food for a night. He showed me what it meant to have your actions aligned with your beliefs. In no way was that bit of success for him the end goal or good enough for him. He was intent on going to Lucerne and turning heads. The momentary elation of greasy food and alcohol had no appeal to him. The things that made him tick were much deeper and seemed to me so much stronger. I felt fragile at that point in my life. He had genuine inspiration, true belief in himself and the process. He was thriving.  I saw that in him and knew I did not have it. 

From left: Brian, myself, Julie, Ken, Kristin, Jon at the startline of the Hamburg course where we were staying. 

I went back home, hopped in the 2x with Taylor Washburn, led for 1k, then missed qualifying in the light 2x, losing to Brian and Jon. I went back to Craftsbury and began rowing the single again. Next on the schedule were the 2011 Pan American Trials. There was not a lightweight single, just heavyweight. I thought if Ken was not there I might have a shot. Sure enough, he entered, and used the race as a tune-up for the upcoming World Championships in Bled. While I knew I did not have the speed to beat Ken, it would be a wonderful opportunity to see him again and race it up. Coach Gluckman and I drove down together and arrived on a memorably calm and wet afternoon in Princeton. I unloaded, rigged up, and with very little hassle, brought my boat down to the water. As I was un-doing my oarlocks, another sculler walked on to the same dock and said " Hey there" Enter, Ken Jurkowski. I had been talking to Larry about Ken the entire drive down to Princeton and now he stood on the edge of the dock witnessing Ken talking to me. I was ecstatic just to have him remember me. We paddled away from the dock together and headed down to the start. The next 12 kilometers of rowing were some of most enjoyable  and memorable sculling strokes I have ever taken. We started out by doing 3 x 250 m at race pace to get ready for the following day. I was so honored for him to think I was worthy of doing pieces with him. We blasted off the line and soon enough, Ken had a length on me. I felt what A final M1x speed felt like off the start. In 48 seconds he was done. At base pace, I think I impressed him a little bit, rowing 1.40-1.41 splits, but I was rowing out of my skin, and he was rowing an honest base. On the finishing piece, he left town. It was awesome. We was kind enough to let me paddle next to him for the next 8k. I asked him about everything.  Again he was incredibly gracious and open. There was no place I would have rather been than on dead flat water, rowing my single, at conversational pace with Ken Jurkowski. When we got out on the dock, Larry met us, and shook Ken's hand. Ken noticed that I hand a lot of water in my boat. He quickly showed me the sponge that he keeps in his boat for bailing. Naturally, Larry thought that was an amazing idea. The next morning, before our heat, Ken walked up to me and said, " Pick a color!" He was holding a fresh package of sponges he had just bought at the store. I told Larry shortly after Ken walked away, " Well, coach, I think we can leave now. I got to row with Ken and he gave me a sponge. Things will only go down from here." And they did. I went slow. I did not know how to be an open weight. I ate too much at every meal and was rowing at 175 lbs. A bad 175 lbs. Ken was thriving, I was struggling. Still, he showed me what thriving looked like. 

So, fast forward a couple years. When I had the honor of winning NSR 1 last year and racing as the US M1x in Europe, I knew exactly what it meant, and how big the shoes were that I was trying to fill. I just tried to conduct myself the way Ken would. Long story long, I am really happy he is racing next week and is back at it. People around here have been asking if I am scared to race him and they just don't understand the history. He has been at the top of sculling in the US since 2004-5. If anything, I am just excited to show him what I can do. I am excited to thank him for helping me become a confident heavyweight sculler. I am excited for him to help US heavyweight sculling be great in Rio. I remember joking with Kristin Hedstrom about making bracelets that read, " WWKD". What Would Ken Do. Asking myself that question has made me a better sculler. 

WWKD.