7/7/10

Hi all! Welcome to the first post!
Today was the first day after the cuts. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the process, what happened was: 23 rowers and 4 coxswains were invited to this camp and after two weeks of training and evaluation (as well as two 2k tests) seven of the rowers and two of the coxswains were sent home. It's sad and a little strange to watch one's friends go, but at the same time it's a really exciting feeling to have made it this far and it just makes one want to strive that much more for the top eight. We have sixteen girls and two coxswains left. The way it's going to be divided is as follows: there will be a first eight and a second eight both rowing at Club Nationals, as well as two fours and two pairs. Of these line-ups, only the first eight will recieve the honor of rowing the CanAmMex regatta, and also breaking up into a four and two pairs for said event. We leave for Tennessee on the twelth.
This means that after today, the rowers only have six practices (two a day) in which to prove themselves. It's going to be intense, to say the least.
This morning's practice (after warming up) was a low rate pressure piece. The two boats were set with lineups that should theroretically make them equal, though one did pull ahead from the other by half a length over the fifteen minutes. This boat (with a few seat swithces) was thus unofficially dubbed the "A boat" for the afternoon practice, and broken up to practice elsewhere in a four and pairs while the "B boat" worked as an eight on starts. These lineups aren't set in stone, however. One main difference between this camp and most people's experience on thier team back home is that, at home, the girls here are all the top of thier programs: used to having an erg score a good twenty or thirty seconds faster than the second best and comfortably settled into an undisputed role of "top dog." Here, there is no room for complacency. The moment you think you're safe and become sloppy is when they switch you for one of the eight girls breathing down your neck for that seat. It can be slightly stressful, but it also gives you a chance to push yourself and expand your definition of what you think you're capable of.
Which is why people stay, despite the lack of air conditioning on campus.