Monday, June 23, 2008 11:11 PM
Saturday's Race No. 50 : Women's Division D, Doubles.the weather was fine and there was great sun at champion lakes that day. everything went just well for the race, everything but the wind. every rower fears the winds, the very main factor of mother nature's gust that we cant control. the high tides and strong currents caused by the bust of winds are good enough to call off a race due to bad weather, other than lightning.
our race started at 2.47pm but we decided to go there a lil earlier to check out the first few races before ours, survey the course route that we were to take, warm up and row the boat to the starting line. that day, the winds were'nt on our side, there were white-capped waves (wind-surfing waves) that capsized many boats in the earlier few races.
we took the
prion as our racing boat that day, because of its light weight and slim outline- however, the lightness of the boat is compromised by its unsteadiness in the waters and it usually calls for great balance between the partners. the winds should have been on our side since
prion usually tilts slightly to the left because of its shape.
the race started on time. we had to row the boats from the shore end to the starting line and align ourselves with each boat lane. we had lane no. 5, the second furthest from the shore. soon after the shotgun was sounded, we started out with our racing starts- it helps to get the boat moving from a standstill point, which helped us gain an edge over everyone else.
we had a racing plan drawn up for the race. 20 hard strokes and long strides before reaching the half point, with another 20 hard and long strokes till another 4m till the finishing line, where we would do sprints to the end of the line. i guess, during the race, i was so mentally tired that i didnt care what strokes i did at all and just did sprints all the way.
it was so close. just another 3 metres, another 10 more hard strokes and we could have gotten third placing in the Women's Division D Doubles race. if only we hadnt we didnt make a small technical mistake and if only the winds werent against us. we capsized.
yeah, we sucummbed to the mental and physical tiredness and the worn-out state of our muscles. we both looked at the same time to the back. thats at least 2 of our half body weights on one side of the boat. the boat tipped one side and for that one split second, i knew we could have balanced back if not for the winds that were in our direction, thus tipping the whole boat over with little effort.
i know this sounds weird, but we both starting laughing after our coach came with another on the speedboat to rescue. she thought we were just crazy since we were disqualified from the race and yet after all the hard effort and sweat we put into the preparation of the race and itself, we still laughed. we were so tired and exhausted from the race that we didnt even have the energy to swim back to shore and had to be pulled up by my coach into the boat.
the empire took the boat back to the shore and for our very first race, no we didnt come in first, second or third, we didnt even win the race, not to mention we got disqualified and yet we made a name for ourselves when we returned back to shore dripping wet. we were the first team to have capsized in a double boat on their very first race, and 3m from the finishing line.
everyone was shocked by our performance out there in the waters. coach jo was so proud of us that she kept praising us for the amazing racing out there in the white-capping waves. before the race, she told us, winning isnt about everything and for this very first race, winning would be hard for us, but all she ever wanted was for us to row professionally, row with effort and row with perfection, and we did in that race.
everyone else was taken aback by how much more we had till to finished the race. yet, they too were proud of us. Women's Division D: the way the rowing assiociation sorts out your division is by the years of experience you have. there wasnt any Division E racing for Doubles in this race, so my partner and i thought we'll take our chances, try for a D which equates to a year or two of rowing and we hadnt even had that amount of time- just four months was all we got,
a third placing if we hadnt fallen in, hell yeah. we rock! and the best part was that we werent very far behind the first and the second placing just a boat's length behind and half of a boat length in front of the fourth place.
we were immediately famous right after we got on shore- today's performance would mean coach would demand more from our effort in the next quad race that we do on the 5th of july. michelle and johan came to support me, thanks guys, the encouragement and the support really helped me with my confidence for this race.
just when i thought i could run away from all the boat stacking back to the boat shed, we had to row the 5km from champion lakes to salter's point back to boat shed. oh gosh, 1km of hard rowing and now, long distance rowing. we took ages to get back because of the hungry waves made by the 2 jetskis in the area. we spent like 30 just trying to get out of the area without being capsized again from the waves.
i ate like the whole half of the packet of dorritos nachos that i bought and a full serving of rice at dinner. i yawned quite a bit at church- i really didnt have the energy to stay awake for much and dropped into bed by about 945pm.
the race was unexpected but the outcome was favourable.
we loved the support from everyone who came down to support us,
and best of all, we didnt let you down.
we'll aim at greater heights and achieve only the best
go TEAM CURTIN.
