IDR

Since we've had a lull in the posting, I'm going to post again. I'm in Philly right now for IDR, had one race on Friday (a lwt 1x) and THREE yesterday (openweight 2x) - fun times race times! But it was an exhausting couple days, so I'm happy we're done racing now. We advanced through heats and semis to finals in the 2x, which was awesome, although it made for 3 races yesterday. I missed going from the heat to the final in the 1x by a second, that would have put another race yesterday afternoon, it was the fastest heat, and I felt like I had a good race, so it worked out. We're waiting for a couple teammates to finish racing this afternoon and then driving home this evening. Overall, it was a pretty exciting weekend, and I was pretty excited with the results! Although I had my share of derpy moments....

First of all, turns out I'm not great at that turn. Almost missed it in the single (I guess I just expected it to happen without turning? I don't know. You know when you're driving on the highway and the road makes a slight turn and I guess you must turn the wheel slightly but you don't even notice and you still stay in the center of the road? That did not happen). and then oversteered and ended up in the lane to my starboard for a few strokes. The marshall pretty much had to babysit me down around that turn. Also, I was like a length down on 2nd place the whole last 500m or so, so the whole time I was just trying and trying to push past her. And she kept sitting. So I geared up for a POWER FIVE DO IT HERE PASS HER and I did it! I actually gained a length on her in five strokes! How did that even happen?! Then I realized we crossed the finish line like right as I started my power five, she'd stopped rowing and somehow I'd missed that, the finish buoys, and the finish horn. It probably looked pretty stupid from the grandstand.

The doubles turns were equally disastrous - in the semi, we were in 4th place after the turn, and ended up placing 1st after we had 1200m of straight course to work with - but it peaked in the final yesterday evening when I ... hit the big buoy that marks the beginning of the turn. The boat pretty much stopped when an oar got tangled in it. It was awkward. Sad, too, because we finally figured out our most effective start on our third trip together down the course. But anyway, we kind of recovered and worked back up into 4th in the final. Not bad, all things considered. But fuck the Schuykill, that turn is not cool. Margaret always talks about how she likes that course because it's SO INTERESTING TO STEER shut up Margaret.

Anyway, racing this weekend was so much fun - I'm really excited we still have club nationals and canadian henley to go to this summer. And wegmans at club nationals! Oh, that reminds me...

Wegmans in Northboro!