Bochum

I've been told that it's uncharacteristically warm in Germany this summer several times. I figure it's not that different from a Boston summer. Anyhow, camping overnight in the heat made the Bochum regatta I went to all the more interesting. We went to bed really late after the first day of racing because of the heat (and partly because of the soccer game....that Germany ended up winning to put them 3rd in the World Cup) and just when it was cool enough to drift off, a spectacular thunderstorm broke out. We couldn't even talk over the deafening thunder so we just twiddled our thumbs until like 2A at which point we all passed out--then woke up at 7A to prep for the first race of the day...mine :) We were pretty lucky that the tent remained waterproof and that we hadn't been lazy and decided to sleep without putting it up :P

So these were 500m sprint races four lanes accross. I'd initially entered lightweight but was the only one in my age group so I ended up racing the only other heavyweight rower in my age group. Yea not much competition there (for her that is) but I had fun just going all out.

Now the quad was something. The other three girls were definitely skilled and experienced. They were from a different club than I practice at so we got in the boat together for the first time about 30 minutes before the race and when bow called the first practice 20, I just about lost my grip on the oar. lol. hey, I loved it but I sure was questioning why they were willing to race with someone who hadn't taken a sculling stroke higher than something like 22. It felt like they went up to 30 but who knows. All I know is that I was barely keeping up. And whew, remember (for the upperclassmen who've been there) the long walk to launch at that Championship Regatta (i forget the actual name) the week before the Head of the Charles? Well, similarly in Bochum, it was a wonderful walk with a single (i got to race in one made out of wood) but the quad was an empacher and boy was i unprepared for how heavy it was :)

So after all that excitement, I'm ready to just go back to nice and easy long rows down the Weser. The coach took some pictures of the funny faces people were making as I was giving them a massage and of the racing but yea I don't have a copy of those yet.

Oh and I guess results: yea, in typical MIT fashion, no first places :) In the single, 2nd out of 2 and in the quad, 3rd out of 3. lol. yep, I had to reassure the coach that I wasn't bothered at all by the finishes especially since we were racing openweights and I was just there for fun.