Amsterdam - HollandBeker Regatta

Quick race update!...Last weekend was the HollandBeker Regatta in Amsterdam.  I raced with yet another combination of the European eight on both Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday we had a straight final, and on Sunday we had a heat and a final. 

Despite our last minute crew changes, due to illness and injury, we worked together quickly and in the few outings we had before racing we really managed to create a positive boat.  Our final on saturday was good, we came third behind the Dutch and the Canadian senior squad eights and for the most part we were really pleased with our row.  On Sunday we had a mediocre race in the heat, and although we qualified straight to the final we posted a much slower time than the GB U23 boat, in the opposing heat, so the pressure was on for the final.  Later that day in the final we had a showdown with the U23's and our overall strength managed to shine through, as we beat them by 6 seconds.  Again, the Dutch and the Canadian boats beat us and we finished in third place.

The racing was of international quality and great experience, and we got to see some of the star performers on the world stage. Notably in the single sculls, both the men and the women were hotly contested and great races to watch, with Synek and Karsten emerging triumphant.

Sadly I am not racing at Henley Regatta tomorrow, a few of the senior squad girls have dropped down into our European boat and without any solid testing results yet, I am one of the girls who has been moved out of the boat for this race.  I have been training in a four this week, preparing for our seat racing in fours which will be done the week after next.

x

Henley Women's Regatta

Last weekend was Henley Women's Regatta, and I competed in Elite Eights, rowing for Reading University Boat Club in a composite 'European Eight' boat.  This eight I've been rowing in has been put together by GB Rowing, it includes a group of about twelve women and is aiming for selection for the European Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, 16-18th September.  Different combinations of women have rowed in the eight at the Met regatta, Henley Women's and are planned for the Holland-Bekker regatta in Amsterdam and Henley Royal Regatta.

We first raced on the Sunday morning of Henley Women's Regatta, drawn against the Princeton University Varsity crew.  They had been unbeaten this season and had posted times in racing that matched ours.  The University paid for the Princeton crews to come over to the UK and race, so they had a lot riding on their performances.  We were pretty psyched for our first race and thought that it could be anyone's call as to who won.  We got off to a poor start, and the Princeton Crew had maybe half a length on us by the end of Temple Island; about 200m into the race.  Shortly after this one of the girls in our crew caught a massive crab (Crab, or Catch a Crab

A rowing error where the rower is unable to timely remove or release the oar blade from the water and the oar blade acts as a brake on the boat until it is removed from the water. This results in slowing the boat down. A severe crab can even eject a rower out of the shell or make the boat capsize (unlikely except in small boats). Occasionally, in a severe crab, the oar handle will knock the rower flat and end up behind him/her, in which case it is referred to as an 'over-the-head crab.') 

and we almost saw the race run away from us.  I must admit, I thought that was it!  Yet we recovered as quickly as we could, the offending blade was finally extracted and we fought our way back into the race.  We found a great rhythm and somehow clawed back the distance between us and the Princeton crew.  Every stroke we got ourselves closer to them, but they also got themselves closer to the finish line!  At only 1500m long the Henley Women's course is shorter than the normal summer regatta length of 2km, and we were only too aware of how little time we had to make up the distance.  Our cox Zoe De Toledo was telling us we were moving on them, but I didn't believe it until I saw the stern of their boat in my peripheral vision.  Then it seemed as if we suddenly broke them, we had one seat, and then another, we were level and then we were trying to put as much distance between us before the finish line! The verdict at the finish was a win by 3/4 of a length.

In our final we raced the U23 GB eight, who we have raced a few times this season and have always beaten them.  Due to illness and injury though we had a couple of subs in our boat, and the U23 boat had strengthened their boat with a couple of girls who had been away at american universities.  We got a good race, both crews rowed strongly and we won by one and a third lengths.  This was my first win at Women's Henley and it was very exciting!

Next on the agenda is Amsterdam, the Holland Bekker Regatta.  I leave first thing tomorrow and will update this when I have a moment when I get back!

Metropolitan Regatta

Quick update!...Last weekend, 4-5th June, we raced at the Metropolitan Regatta, at Dorney Lake.  I raced an eight on both days, and a four on saturday.  We all had a brilliant weekend's racing, and I came away with two Gold's and a second place.  We won the Elite Eights event on both saturday and sunday, and my four came second on the saturday.  We divided the eight into two fours, and the other four from our eight won our event.  All our events were straight finals which was frustrating because it meant we didn't get to race for lanes.  If heats have to be run then they draw the semi/finals according to the heat results.  So the fastest crews have the best lanes, according to the weather conditions.  The conditions were pretty nasty for the higher numbered lanes due to a massive cross wind, and in our fours we had the north sea in lane 7 whilst the opposing four of our eight has lake placid in lane one!  Despite our upset at being beaten in such unfair conditions, we were very pleased that both fours came out top in the event, and it gives us much confidence for the eight as a whole.

 

 Elite eight winners Saturday. L-R Leonora Kennedy, Erica Bodman, Monica Relph, Vicky Meyer-Laker, Lucinda Gooderham, Georgie Hazell, Laura Wheeler, Zoe Lee and Zoe De Toledo (cox)

Me with Sat medal at Dorney lake

Elite eights winners Sunday. L-R: Zoe de Toledo (cox), Leonora Kennedy, Monica Relph, Erica Bodman, Vicky Meyer-Laker, Lucinda Gooderham, Georgie Hazell, Laura Wheeler, Zoe Lee

After last weekend's racing we had this weekend off racing, and were able to get some solid training done.  We are racing the next three weekends in different combinations of the eight.  I am very pleased to have been put into each variation of the crew.  Firstly, next weekend on the 18-19th June we have Henley Women's Regatta.  We have been given a bye in the first round, so will only be racing on the sunday in the semi final, and hopefully final!  Princeton have sent three crews over, so it looks like they will provide us with some pretty stiff competition.

The following weekend we are racing in Amsterdam at the Holland-Bekker Regatta.  The Canadian and Dutch senior teams have both entered their eights at Amsterdam so this is going to give us some top class international racing, which is very exciting.

The following weekend, we are racing at Henley Royal Regatta.  Many countries will send their top senior eight, including Great Britain.  The racing here is always very tough and it will be interesting to see how far we can get.

At home, Battlecat is growing by the day and remains curious, playful and completely mad!