We moved into the Henley boat tents Sunday night and then celebrated the night away with an incredible group of parents, hosts, friends, and rowers at the Little Angel pub. The celebration was really wonderful and being able to relax and enjoy the success of the squad was wonderful. The conversations between the departing rowers, seniors and otherwise, were a little bit tough because the end of their trip seemed to come quickly but nevertheless I'm glad we had the extra time together.Monday was a rare off day and the men arrived with their 4-, 4+, 8+, and 2- and it was great to hear about their training at home and see the enthusiasm that they are bringing to the river.
In terms of training, we are throwing the book out the window and attempting to absolutely maximize these next few days before the time trial to REALLY raise the standard of the rowing. We are most likely rowing later than any Division III crew has before us and the varsity seems really eager to set the bar as high as possible. With a Head of the Charles victory, NCAA victory, and now a Henley victory it seems tough to duplicate!
We brushed UC Dublin over the course this afternoon at 26 with the lead crew dropping the rating to keep the crews close...we extended to about a length two times over the course and then lengthened. The time was encouraging and we'll come back this afternoon for some easier technical work and the course at 12.Tomorrow evening we'll head to a reception hosted by the Louis' family in London with the guest of honor as President James Jones Jr. I think we could make a significant impact with blazers and medals blazing.
