One Week From The Opening Ceremonies!
Posted on July 20, 2012 by nationalrowingfoundation

Not much has changed since I last posted. The rowing village and the course are still pretty empty, so not much new to report on. However, we did see Matthew Pinsent this morning and he shared with us that the huge towers on either side of the course are going to be connected by a SEVEN TON wire. Apparently the wire will be used for a camera(s) to track the entirety of each race. I’m no engineer so I’m curious as to how two towers (which already look a bit unsteady, especially if the wind is to really pick up) about 2500 meters apart can hold so much weight plus cameras? There’s got to be a lot of support on either side I guess! And how do they get the wire up there? I’m really interested to see how that works, and I sure hope it does work because a seven-ton wire falling on top of rowers doesn’t sound pleasant.

The men’s 8+ and women’s 1x arrive today, so we’re almost all here (with the exception of the men’s 4x and men’s 4-). There are tents set up at the course for every country next to the boathouse and I ventured out there yesterday to see what they were like. They are actually really cool, they have carpet-covered wood floors, glass doors and cots for us to sleep in. They also included mats and USRowing brought along some watt bikes. Since no one is really around, it is a nice quiet place to relax in between rows. Another awesome perk is all the free Coca-Cola products. They have Diet Coke, Coke, Coke Zero (my favorite), Sprite Zero and Powerade everywhere you go. I usually try not to drink much soda, especially before racing, but it’s hard to resist when it’s everywhere!

Just one week to go! As always, thank you very much for your support of the NRF. Every dollar helps!

While waking up this morning wasn’t as easy as it usually is, I didn’t feel as bad as I thought I would after such a big day. We ate breakfast in the Village and then made our way to the course, which took a lot less time than we had expected. Eton Dorney Lake really is incredible. The venue is beautiful; there are Olympic rings, signs and mascots everywhere. The boathouse is the nicest boathouse I’ve ever rowed out of that’s for sure. We decided to stay at the course in between rows because of the distance back to the Olympic Rowing Village, so we ate lunch there and rested in the Athlete Lounge. While I really like the energy around a big regatta with all the other foreign athletes around, it was very peaceful to be one of the only teams there. We had the run of the place, so we made ourselves comfortable. The two things I took away from the course were that it’s chilly out there and that there will be wind, most likely a crosswind. Nothing we haven’t seen before, but it’s good to accept it and learn to ignore it. So far, there’s really nothing to complain about. It feels like we have a ton of time before racing, but I know it will go by quickly! I’m off to bed now, but look for more updates soon! I’m so grateful and excited to be here, Team USA wouldn’t be here without your support of the NRF, thank you!

Men’s Single Sculls (M1x)

Ken Jurkowski – Cornell University – New Fairfield, Conn.

Women’s Single Sculls (W1x)

Genevra Stone – Princeton University – Newton, Mass.

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls (LW2x)

Julie Nichols – Univ. of California, Berkeley – Livermore, Calif.

Kristin Hedstrom – Univ. of Wisconsin – Concord, Mass.

Women’s Double Sculls (W2x)

Margot Shumway – Ohio State University – Westlake, Ohio

Sarah Trowbridge – Univ. of Michigan – Guilford, Conn.

Men’s Pair without coxswain (M2-)

Silas Stafford – Stanford University – Santa Rosa, Calif.

Tom Peszek – Univ. of Michigan – Farmington Hills, Mich.

Women’s Pair without coxswain (W2-)

Sarah Zelenka – Grand Valley State University – Itasca, Ill.

Sara Hendershot – Princeton University – West Simsbury, Conn.

Lightweight Men’s Four (LM4-)

Robin Prendes – Princeton University – Miami, Fla.

Nick LaCava – Columbia University – Weston, Conn.

William Newell – Harvard University – Weston, Mass.

Anthony Fahden – Dartmouth College – Layfayette, Calif.

Men’s Four (M4-)

Scott Gault – Univ. of Washington – Piedmont, Calif.

Charlie Cole – Yale University – New Canaan, Conn.

Henrik Rummel – Harvard University – Pittsford, N.Y.

Glenn Ochal – Princeton University – Philadelphia, Pa.

Women’s Quadruple Sculls (W4x)

Adrienne Martelli – Univ. of Washington – University Place, Wa.

Natalie Dell – Penn State University – Clearville, Pa.

Megan Kalmoe – Univ. of Washington – St. Croix Falls, Wa.

Kara Kohler – Univ. of California, Berkeley – Clayton, Calif.

Men’s Quadruple Sculls (M4x)

Peter Graves – Trinity College – Cincinnati, Ohio

Alex Osborne – Stanford University – Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Elliot Hovey – Univ. of California, Berkeley – Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass.

Wes Piermarini – Univ. of Massachusetts, West Brookfield, Mass.

Women’s Eight (W8+)

Mary Whipple – Univ. of Washington – Orangevale, Calif.

Caryn Davies – Harvard University – Ithaca, N.Y.

Caroline Lind – Princeton University – Greensboro, N.C.

Eleanor Logan – Stanford University – Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Meghan Musnicki – Ithaca College – Naples, N.Y.

Taylor Ritzel – Yale University – Larkspur, Colo.

Esther Lofgren – Harvard University – Newport Beach, Calif.

Susan Francia – Univ. of Pennsylvania – Abington, Pa.

Erin Cafaro – Univ. of California, Berkeley – Modesto, Calif.

Men’s Eight (M8+)

Zach Vlahos – Univ. of California, Berkeley – Piedmont, Calif.

Grant James – Univ. of Wisconsin – DeKalb, Ill.

David Banks – Stanford University – Potomac, Md.

Steve Kasprzyk – Drexel University – Cinnaminson, N.J.

Jake Cornelius – Stanford University – Brooktondale, N.Y.

Brett Newlin – Univ. of Washington – Riverton, Wyo.

Ross James – Univ. of Wisconsin – DeKalb, Ill.

Will Miller – Northeastern University – Duxbury, Mass.

Giuseppe Lanzone – Univ. of Washington – Annandale, Va.

Alternates

Amanda Polk – University of Notre Dame – Pittsburgh, Pa.

Jamie Redman – Yale University – Spokane, Wa.

Ty Otto – Univ. of Washington – Seattle, Wa.

Mike Gennaro – Syracuse University – Havertown, Pa.

Will Daly – Boston University – Vail, Colo.