RowingRelated

RR series: #HoosGoingToHenley, Part One As longtime readers of RowingRelated will remember, we have twice connected with athletes and crews heading over to Henley Royal Regatta in the past. This year, we're doing it again.

Pimm's in the Enclosures (Photo: Marianne Wood) Despite a game effort from the Potomac Boat Club Thames Cup VIII, the crew was unable to match speed with Royal Chester in the quarterfinal, and the race saw PBC's run at the Thames Challenge Cup come to a close for 2012. While it's always disappointing to end a regatta on a loss, it's difficult to be discontent for too long when in Henley-on-Thames, and the Potomac boys have kept this in mind on Saturday. Here's John's take on Friday's race and PBC's plans for future HRRs:   For our quarterfinal race, we drew Royal Chester Rowing Club and a relatively early 9AM race time. The strong headwind that started on Thursday afternoon had slacked off a bit by Friday morning and at times was swirling around to a crosswind. It seemed that the increase in wind would be offset a slight lessening in the strength of the current. Royal Chester was very quick off the start and took about six seats on us by the quarter...

The Progress Board (Photo: Marianne Wood) As anyone on the towpath, or listening to Regatta Radio can tell you, the morning race between the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and Potomac Boat Club was a barnburner. PBC took a small lead early, and were able to fight off push after push from RHKYC down the course, responding to Hong Kong's furious sprint and taking a 1/4 length victory to advance to Friday.  Here's the John's take on the race: Thursday morning brought us an exciting second round race against the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, the only other non-UK entry in the Thames Cup this year. Racing conditions were roughly similar to yesterday with a strong current but with a lighter wind. Going into the race, we had some information on Hong Kong but not a lot. From the racing program, we knew that their weight average is nearly identical to ours. From talking with them at the Overseas Crew Reception, we knew that they are similar to us in age, experience, and preparation....

Potomac Boat Club Thames Cup VIII races the heat (Photo: Marianne Wood) While the Potomac Wyfold IV experienced some hard Henley luck, the Thames Cup VIII crew responded well to a tough challenge from local favorites, Marlow Rowing Club.  Here's John's view of the first round of the Thames Challenge Cup from the six seat of the PBC eight: Today was the first day of racing at Henley Royal Regatta. PBC’s four and eight were scheduled to race at opposite ends of the day—8:40AM and 6:30PM. The four drew London Rowing Club ‘B’ in a morning Wyfold match up. It was a close race early on with Potomac taking a slight lead before drifting into London’s water. There was a clash and the race umpire disqualified PBC for interference. It is an understatement to call this a disappointing way to exit the regatta, but the four is handling it admirably. The eight then had the rest of the day to prepare for our evening race against Marlow Rowing Club. After a lunch break paddle, we rest...

PBC Thames Cup VIII on the way to Reading (Photo: Allison Prevatt) It was a busy weekend for Potomac, as the PBC Thames Cup VIII headed over to compete in the Reading Town Regatta –a common practice as crews prepare for Henley Royal–narrowly avoiding a group of 'pirates' paddling along the Thames as PBC progressed through the locks on the way to Reading.  Here's the latest from John Forrest:  On Saturday morning, the eight paddled from Henley to Reading for the Reading Town Regatta. The row was about eight miles long and took us upriver through a fairly winding section of the Thames. This was a scenic row as we passed by a lot of country houses, waterfront pubs, and open fields. There was a little bit of excitement as we passed a group of pirates paddling down the river in canoes. They later wandered onto the Henley course and almost collided with the Potomac four as it was practicing. One of the unique parts of the row to Reading is rowing through three locks. The ...

Prince Albert Cup Qualifier (Photo: John Forrest) The Potomac Boat Club Thames Cup crew has arrived in Henley, and the qualifiers are now done and dusted, following a very windy day on the Thames. Getting acclimated to the surroundings, time-change, and course will be the task at hand for the next two days, with The Draw next on the list–a hugely important factor at Henley Royal every year.  Here's John's account of the PBC arrival in England: Yesterday was like most Thursdays—row, work, and class—except it ended with a transatlantic flight. After a pre-departure email with more words of advice and encouragement from our coach Nancy Faigen, we made our way from Washington to Henley. Today was all about finishing some big and small logistical details and getting settled in. First on the list was successfully meeting up in Terminal 1 of Heathrow Airport in order to catch a ride with Henley Taxis. Although most of us were on the same flight, there was a bit of uncertainty a...

The 2012 Henley Royal Regatta is just around the corner, with qualifiers set for Friday, 22nd June and the racing beginning on Wednesday, 27 June. Last year, in our first-ever On the Water (OTW) Series , Matt Miller of the Virginia Cavaliers gave us an insight into his team’s trip over to Henley-on-Thames, racing with the UVa varsity eight in the Temple Challenge Cup, and reaching the semifinals.  This year, Georgetown alum  John Forrest  of Potomac Boat Club's Thames Challenge Cup eight will be picking up where Matt left off, giving us an inside look at PBC’s preparation and training, as well as the experience of racing Henley.  In John’s first installment, he introduces the PBC crews that will line up in the starting blocks on the Thames, as the team gets ready to head over to England: Potomac Boat Club (PBC) has entered the Thames Challenge Cup for club eights and the Wyfold Challenge Cup for club coxless fours at the Henley Royal Regatta. These crews are dra...

UVa through Fawley, Temple Semifinal (Photo: Allen Miller) The UVa men carried a great deal of momentum into today's semifinal v. a talented Dutch crew from ASR Nereus . The Cavs fought well, but when all was said and done, the verdict was 1 length to Nereus, and one of the most successful seasons in the history of the UVa Men's Rowing Program came to a close. On the other side of the bracket, California's frosh eight, coached by UVa alum Wyatt Allen , defeated the Harvard freshmen to reach the final. En route to victory, the Golden Bears broke their own course record to Fawley again .  Here's Matt's take on Saturday's racing in Henley: Saturday at Henley is bustling with energy and spectators. It seems like the number of Virginia fans doubled overnight. We’ve gained the support of a number of eliminated American crews, as well as the English crews we beat earlier in the week. It was great getting so many cheers on our way to the starting line. This mor...

Henley-on-Thames, England: UVa Reaches Semifinals at Henley Royal Regatta The Cavaliers faced another tough challenge today from the last British crew remaining in the Temple, and again UVa came out on top. Though the University of London was very quick off the line, the Cavs were able to reel them in through the middle of the piece, establishing firm control by Fawley.  Here's Matt's view of the race from the five seat of the UVa eight: The last remaining English crew of the Temple Cup did not go down without a fight. A poor start put us down to the University of London by a seat or two, but as we lengthened down to base rate, we gained back ground we had lost. The middle of the race is where we won it. We accomplished our goal of finding the rhythm that we were missing yesterday. It didn’t feel like we had worked very hard up to Fawley, and we continued to walk away. Like yesterday, a move put us a full length ahead. UL brought the rate up with about 400m to go, but only ...

UVa men's eight launches - alongside a notable pair (Photo: Allen Miller) Update from Henley-on-Thames: Round two is now done, and the UVa men have delivered another strong performance, though the four has been knocked out by a strong Durham crew. The eight had a solid race against a tough Oxford Brookes entry – conditions are always variable at Henley, and Brookes handled the changing winds and wakes very well, hanging on throughout the race.  Here's Matt's view on the racing from within the UVa eight: UVa engine room (Photo: Allen Miller)  The competition certainly improves after the first round. Frank warned the eight today that the 2006 champions, Oxford Brookes University, would go out hard. We had a good start, but they were right with us through the end of the island. By the barrier, our flow and rhythm at base-rate had gained us half a boat. A big move put us a length ahead, and we would hold that margin to the line. It was not a particularly good row for us be...

The UVa 4+ takes off in Henley (Photo: Allen Miller) Update from Henley-on-Thames: The UVa men's eight and men's four have both won their first round match-ups in the Temple and Prince Albert, respectively, and will be looking to build on their new racing experience on the course tomorrow. The timetable has just been released for tomorrow's racing, and can be found here .  Below, Matt shares his thoughts on UVa's performance: Races at Henley are everything I was promised and more. The crowds were already noticeable for our 7 AM warm up row, both in the number of visitors and unusual fashion. After one lap of the course in the morning, we went home for a quick breakfast, and back to the course to watch the varsity four’s race. Because the Steward’s Enclosure has a strict dress code, the varsity eight watched from the downstream enclosure. Our four took control early with a ¾ length lead, and sustained that margin for the remainder of the race. University of London ma...

UVa at Henley abode (Photo: Allen Miller) The latest installment in our OTW series – Matt catches us up on The Draw and the weekend in Henley, as UVa prepares to race tomorrow: The Draw is out, and it feels like a complete reversal of luck from a Spring season with unfortunate circumstances and races we believe did not show our full potential. The stewards were obviously impressed by our ACRA results; beating the Dad Vail champions at our last regatta earned us a spot in the top eight seeded crews. The team watched intently from a crowded, hot town hall in the heart of Henley as stewards drew names from a cup. Somehow the other seeded American crews (Harvard, Yale and California) all appeared on the other side of the bracket, leaving us on the bottom against some undoubtedly fast unknown European talent. Even FIT, a team I expected to be seeded, is in the top-half of the bracket. The eight faces East Anglia at 11:35 AM on Wednesday. The four will face the University of London in ...

The boat tents at Henley, from the bridge (Photo: Matt Miller) Good news for Virginia from Henley, as the four has successfully qualified for the Prince Albert Challenge Cup, following their time trial earlier today. While the four had other concerns, Matt and the eight were training both on land and on the water.  Here's Matt's update from the shores of the Thames: There are new faces around the boat tents and on the course every day as we approach dual races starting Wednesday. Friday was a taste of official racing for the qualifying time trials. The eight practiced twice as part of the training program, while the four went out for a course walk-through in preparation for their 5:07 PM time trial. The UVa men's four after qualifying (Photo: Matt Miller)  A very kind Virginia Tech grad with a house overlooking the finishing area and docks introduced himself earlier in the week. So far from home, traditional sports rivalries are forgotten and fellow Virginians are clo...

Causing a stir in South Kensington (Photo: Matt Miller) Matt and the UVa boys have arrived in England, and are now training at the course as the boat tents begin to fill up and crews from all over the world come pouring into the little town of Henley-on-Thames. Miller describes a little bit of the work they have been doing on the water, and gives a sense of the atmosphere around the regatta venue in the days immediately prior to the event. In addition to training, the UVa squad has enjoyed a trip to London, which they finished off with dinner at the London Rowing Club (my former home away from home) on the Putney Embankment.  Here's what Matt has to say: Apart from long lines at Dulles Airport, travel to our new home in Henley was uneventful. The red-eye put us into Heathrow around 8:00 AM Monday, and immediately there were a number of adjustments to be made to our new surroundings. We anticipated the exchange rate from dollars to pounds, but were surprised by prices, particu...

Thursday night send-off at the Boathouse Grille (Photo: Clem Bezold) Since this post, Matt has packed his bags and taken off for London along with the rest of the Cavaliers, pictured above (they will be racing an eight and a four, in the Temple Challenge Cup and the Prince Albert Challenge Cup , respectively). Once in England they will look to get settled in and resume their training as quickly as possible prior to beginning the taper for Henley Royal, which starts on June 29th, and runs through July 3rd. While this is certainly an exciting prospect, the last few days of practice have been bittersweet for Miller, who graduated this year and whose last strokes as a Virginia oarsman will come at Henley.  Here's the second installment from Matt: Preparations are making the Henley trip feel more real by the day. The first adjustment to history and tradition was in converting weights to stones for roster submission. It had been a while since the last weigh-in (last erg testing week...

Matt Miller and the UVa Seniors 'support' Frank Biller (Photo: Allen Miller) Introducing a new series called On the Water , which will take a behind-the-scenes look from an athlete's (or coach's) perspective into training and racing, and what it takes to be the best. In our first installment, we go OTW with Matt Miller from the University of Virginia as ACRA Coach of the Year Frank Biller prepares his crew for the international stage at Henley Royal Regatta. Matt will keep us posted on how the training is progressing, what the experience of going to Henley is like for US collegiate athletes, and how they're racing is going as we move into the Regatta.  Here's the first update from the man himself: As would be expected, spirits were high after returning to Charlottesville from ACRAs. The team took a few days off to rest and recover before Henley selections. This was a big change from daily schedules dictated by rowing. Much of the team went home to visi...