[dobbs]

Well this morning we went for a long paddle. Approximately 12km away from our boathouse (yes 12km, we have a long stretch of river) a footplate broke from one person, and a rigger broke from another person.

Oh yes, and both on stroke side.

So cue rowing back Bow 4 (I sit at bow) for 5km, then having fixed something with the footplates rowing back in 6s.

Oh and upstream, and against the outgoing tide which was quite strong today.

Longest.Outing.Ever.

8am outing. Back at 11.45am. Gutted.

[Anatheme]

I just got back home. I left at 4:45am this morning after an hour sleep, slept some more in the coach, woke up and saw that there was snow . It was absolutely freezing, and I'm pretty sure walking bare feet on snow is actually more painful than rowing (I know, it doesn't sound plausible but after you've spent 3min in a freezing river, snow is awful), and quite happy with our results. We were 19th, Worcester behind us and we started reaaally badly as we caught two massive crabs during the run up, so Worcester overtook us, we had to stop to get the blade out of the water, start again, caught 3 more massive crabs, and somehow still managed to catch up with Worcester and overtake them again, we finished 13th, reaaally pleased with that as it was actually our first ever outing with everyone from the crew (always had subs before), and with what happened, I think we did pretty well.

I am absolutely shattered and will therefore go to my beloved bed

[Jessaay!]

(Original post by Anatheme)
I just got back home. I left at 4:45am this morning after an hour sleep, slept some more in the coach, woke up and saw that there was snow . It was absolutely freezing, and I'm pretty sure walking bare feet on snow is actually more painful than rowing (I know, it doesn't sound plausible but after you've spent 3min in a freezing river, snow is awful), and quite happy with our results. We were 19th, Worcester behind us and we started reaaally badly as we caught two massive crabs during the run up, so Worcester overtook us, we had to stop to get the blade out of the water, start again, caught 3 more massive crabs, and somehow still managed to catch up with Worcester and overtake them again, we finished 13th, reaaally pleased with that as it was actually our first ever outing with everyone from the crew (always had subs before), and with what happened, I think we did pretty well.

I am absolutely shattered and will therefore go to my beloved bed

I've stood barefoot in the snow before, it resulted in us all whimpering in pain as our coach insisted that we do the crew chat still in the snow so we'd actually pay attention.

[Anatheme]

(Original post by Jessaay!)
I've stood barefoot in the snow before, it resulted in us all whimpering in pain as our coach insisted that we do the crew chat still in the snow so we'd actually pay attention.

Bahaha, as if you'd pay more attentiong to something when you're dying of pain

[Mithra]

One day the others will learn that 'keep in time with stroke' doesn't actually mean 'keep in time with stroke, assuming he is going at the pace you want to go at'.

Also, first team get to go down to London . Not fair .

[Jessaay!]

(Original post by Mithra)
Also, first team get to go down to London . Not fair .

Assuming they're going to be rowing here, console yourself with the fact they will be rowing in the thames, where you go past some areas and you can actively smell raw sewage from the places they pour it which are pretty much directly next to your boat, and they WILL have to step almost knee deep in the water, and if they have ANY cuts ANYWHERE, they WILL get infected.

I have three infected cuts at the moment, two on my hands from the standard blade pressure points, and one on my ankle

[Jessaay!]

(Original post by Anatheme)
Bahaha, as if you'd pay more attentiong to something when you're dying of pain

He has bizarre views on life.

[Anatheme]

Overtaking Worcester (take thaaat, you don't overtake Manchester even after they take 5 crabs, kthxbai ) and Lolbowfour pic (aka sheer suffering before the finish).

[partoftheweekend]

Getting rowed through by a crew that has crabbed 5 times must be pretty soul destroying.

Do you know any of the category results?

[Anatheme]

(Original post by partoftheweekend)
Getting rowed through by a crew that has crabbed 5 times must be pretty soul destroying.

It's the same girl that caught the crabs, it was the first time ever she caught one and she was ready to quit rowing when we finished our race . I hope she won't, 'cause we did pretty well, given the circumstances, I think.

[Mithra]

(Original post by Anatheme)
Overtaking Worcester (take thaaat, you don't overtake Manchester even after they take 5 crabs, kthxbai ) and Lolbowfour pic (aka sheer suffering before the finish).

Bow four look like they are loving that in the second pic.

Also, I note almost all of your elbows are out sideways in the first pic, should this be so?

(which one are you? )

[Anatheme]

(Original post by Mithra)
Bow four look like they are loving that in the second pic.

Also, I note almost all of your elbows are out sideways in the first pic, should this be so?

(which one are you? )

I don't think we really cared about the technique anymore at that point, haha. I'm four, and loved it in the second pic

[Mithra]

. The only photos that exist of me rowing are after a 2k race and we are all horrendously out of time .

[partoftheweekend]

(Original post by Mithra)
Also, I note almost all of your elbows are out sideways in the first pic, should this be so? :beard

I dont think it really makes any difference to boat speed as long as everyone is doing the same thing.

[Mithra]

(Original post by partoftheweekend)
I dont think it really makes any difference to boat speed as long as everyone is doing the same thing.

Our coach tells us off for it .

[Jessaay!]

Oh yay rowing pictures!

I'll post one of our proudest moment:



These were first sprints we did, as you can see we'd overtaken our opposition (St. George's) by a mile. If only pictures had audio, you could hear me screaming "COME ON GUYS" (I get very vocal during races) because I was at stroke for this race and so I could see the boat in the distance and had the horrible feeling they'd be the dark horse and catch up.

And one of our least proud moment:



The same day. Everyone was out of time and someone caught a crab, and it sent us flying into the Queen Mary boat. We had to stop and start again. Oddly enough we still won anyway

[Mithra]

I like the colour coordination

[Jessaay!]

(Original post by Mithra)
I like the colour coordination

We hadn't got our kit at that stage, so we went for the team colours in primark hoodies. We liked it, but one of the men's seconds told us we looked like a circus troop

[partoftheweekend]

See in the first pic, the GB 8. Some guys have their elbows out at the finish a lot more than others, its pretty inconsistant. Same in the 2nd picture with triggs-hodge and pete reed, the top GB pair. Again I dont think it will make too much difference either way and there are a lot more important technical issues that will make a huge difference to boat speed After all this isn't Dressage, boat speed is much more important than looking good

[Mithra]

I'll print these out and throw them at my coach next outing .