From Hartford to East Hartford, to Vermont and Worcester, to Sacramento, and finally Henley-on-Thames the season for the Trinity Women's Rowing team has finally come to a close. While one of the rowers remarked that it was incredibly strange to finish a season with a practice I feel incredibly lucky to have seen them move the boat through a shared desire to make boats go fast, a feeling of competency, and the ability to apply their knowledge.Monday, one of our seniors, and two-time All-American selection Loren Massimino hopped on the C2 ergometer in the boat tents and pulled a PR 7:02.5 and her teammates, Ali Schmidt and captain Carmel Zahran pulled 7:15 and 7:17.5 on Tuesday (Carmel later pulled a 7:14.0 on Wednesday in a great attempt at improving her score). I thought this was an absolutely stunning display of commitment to have the self-discipline and desire to pull a 2000m erg piece after being on the water for so long and to all record their personal bests! Maybe there is something to this training piece after all...
Monday afternoon we brushed University College Dublin for the final time and while they showed improved speed we were able to pull something together by the end of practice and we wish them all the best at their national championships in two weeks.
Tuesday, about half an hour after finishing their 2000m pieces, the Head of the Charles collegiate 8+ champions, New England Champions, NCAA Champions, and Henley Women's Regatta championship 8+ went for one final practice. I'd be lying if I said I didn't get emotional watching them perform the drills and demonstrate the skills that took them to such a great season...coaches on the toe path remarked again about how sharp they looked and how they were clearly still on task despite the equipment failure in the qualifier. We did a tip of the island piece in about 41 seconds and a barrier piece in a time of 2:16 into a really blowing head wind. I'll be interested to see how those times stack up against our Remenham Cup opposition.
Where do we go from here? Our captains and seniors from the Class of 2009 have to define what they want to accomplish next year while I have to decide upon what the physical standard of the team needs to be in order to meet those goals. I already have at least three criteria that I've identified as separating our successful rowers from those who are still looking for improvement. But perhaps most importantly, the women that are at Henley right now should enjoy this historical venue and festive atmosphere, enjoy each other's company, and treat this as a hard-earned and well-deserved vacation for the next five days. My guess is that it will be some time before these Trinity students will have the chance to hang out with so many of their College friends in the near future.
Observation #1: Henley desperately needs either an ice cream store, a crepe place, or a place specializing in desserts that does not rhyme with "tar shucks".
Observation #2: The BBC shows some INCREDIBLY graphic stuff...very uncomfortable
Observation #3: The enclosure and food areas lining the entire bank of the river are increasingly modern looking in stark contrast to the timelessness of the Steward's Enclosure.
Best of luck to all of the Trinity men's crews, St.Joseph's Prep and Newport Aquatic Center who I hope will meet on the weekend in the PE Cup, Leander and Columbia in the Ladies Plate, and the California Rowing Club quad with my good friend and former college teammate Andy Liverman on board.
