Men’s Double Sculls Racing Report

Hey There Sports Fans,

Ben here to update those interested in progress of the Men’s Double Sculls event at the 3rd World Cup in Lucerne.

I last wrote in the beginning of this week, touching upon our positive feelings of progress and excitement to race. In the present moment, I feel the same way I did last Sunday, but this past week has been a puzzling and rocky ride.  John and I tend to feel quite comfortable rowing together, but since the first time the boat touched water on the Rotsee, we have had the roughest time negotiating the boat’s stability.

Once crews start to arrive at the course, opportunities to practice in flat water rapidly disappear. If a boat is not going well or something feels off, the problems only amplify with increasingly challenging and unpredictable water.  Bless the Rotsee for being the best rowing course in the world, but curse it for the tempest it becomes during race week.  You have to love rowing for throwing you those extra hurdles.

That being said, John and I have been fighting tooth and nail to prove ourselves a relevant crew, and with some success.  Our 3rd quarter of the race has improved undoubtedly, which I couldn’t have said earlier this season.  However, we are learning our lessons the hard way, and our inability to create a stable platform has cost us a lot of speed overall.  We have kept a good attitude, which I see as one of our strengths, and I feel confident we will work through this problem and come out as better rowers. Part of the benefit of rowing in World Cups is figuring out how to correct kinks so as not to encounter them when it counts the most at World Championships.

Going forward, John and I will race the B final tomorrow, giving us one more chance at qualifying for Worlds through the World Cup by finishing top 7.  A.k.a. we have to win tomorrow to forgo trials.

We will kick of 9:30 am Swiss time.

Lane 5

Competing against: Serbia, France, Latvia, Norway, and Denmark.

Over and Out,

Ben