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!