TRC HP wraps up training camp, heads to Czech Republic
Hey y’all,
It has been a busy month for TRC HP as we gear up for the World Championships, which begin this Sunday!
Today’s newsletter will cover our past month of training, share some photos, and outline our racing next week. A mega-race preview email will follow on Saturday, with information on the exact schedule and how to watch!
Since mid-August, the whole TRC HP squad has been on the east coast, at a training camp preparing for Worlds. The idea behind these camps is that when we leave home, we leave our daily routines and the training takes on more importance — we are here to do a job. Also, being in Princeton allowed us to row in some cooler temperatures, get more afternoon sessions in, and do pieces alongside other national team boats.
While in Princeton, Peter oversaw our small team of the W1x, LM1x, LM2x, and W2x. Jimmy (in the LM1x) would often be able to do pieces with Sophia and Kristi Wagner (in the W2x) and the lightweight women’s double. Jasper and Zach (LM2x) had a perfect sparring partner in the women’s quad, and Kara could race against Mary Jones, gold medalist from World Cup II in the lightweight women’s single, plus the women’s spares. These match-ups made each workout more competitive, helped us push harder, and certainly made us faster.
Kevin and JP, along with the rest of the M4x, spent a couple weeks at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont before meeting the group in Princeton at the beginning of September. One highlight of their time in New England was a trip to the Connecticut River in Hanover, where they cruised for a 2 hour row: one hour up without stops, one hour back. Once the M4x arrived in Princeton, they could get in on the fun by lining up side-by-side against the men’s straight four (a sweep boat) for pieces.
Check out Row2k for photos of our boats in action!
All this time, our whole team was staying at the Residence Inn in Princeton thanks to USRowing. It wasn’t a bad set-up — each person had their own bedroom and each suite had a kitchen. A basketball court outside, driving range down the street, and a running trail nearby made the four weeks there pretty pleasant! After those four weeks, plus these two in Europe, the team will certainly be ready to head back home for the fall.
While in Princeton, we also had help from a few other generous coaches. Michelle Guerette, who won silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the W1x, was in Princeton helping to coach the lightweight women’s quad. She rode in the launch with Peter a few times and got to connect with this year’s W1x, Kara (pictured below)! In addition, Isabelle Jacobs helped to coach the women’s sculling boats at the camp, allowing Peter to focus on one boat at a time. She was an assistant coach in the Netherlands until last year, and came to the US along with USRowing’s new Chief High Performance Officer, Josy Verdonkschot.
We wrapped up camp last Saturday and headed to the airport that Sunday. After a quick stop in Frankfurt and a relatively painless travel experience, we arrived in Prague on Monday. We’ve spent the past couple days shaking off the jet lag and getting some final preparations in!
Racing begins Sunday, September 18th, and finals will be on the following Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, depending on the event. For a detailed schedule, please see this document. Further information will be posted on the World Rowing event page.
