We’re almost finished our week of training in Duisburg and it was really profitable. Andrew and I went C-2 four times and at each occasion, we worked on some technical adjustments as we’ve been advised by our crew of coaches. I try to reach even longer and put more use the momentum energy at the catch. However, I’ve been feeling a little out of my shoes because new technique isn’t always feeling comfortable right away. Plus, I left my comfort zone and it makes my body sore. My motivation is grand because Andrew and I just finished a really hard pacing practice and we’ll analyse the video soon, but it felt like we paddled with more amplitude and that was our goal. Here is some pieces of our latest workout session, and the start of our 5 km race in Poznan.
I am excited to rest on Sunday, maybe we’ll go to the zoo, I’ll surely eat a doner kabab, and I’ll sign up to receive one of Bernie’s legendary massages. Check out the videos at the bottom of the page!
Thanks for reading and keep training hard!
Salutations,
Nous avons presque complété notre semaine d’entraînement ici à Duisburg et je suis très content de notre cheminement. Andrew et moi avons ramé 4 fois en C-2 et à chaque occasion, nous avons travaillé sur notre technique comme nous l’a soigneusement suggéré notre grande équipe d’entraîneurs. J’ai essayé d’allonger mon coup de rame de quelques centimètres et d’utiliser tout le poids de mon corps lorsque ma rame entre dans l’eau. Ceci m’aide à propulser le bateau vers l’avant avec encore plus de puissance tout au long de mon coup de rame. Cependant, appliquer des changements techniques riment souvent avec perte d’équilibre et muscles endoloris. J’ai confiance que bientôt j’arriverai à ramer constamment d’une manière plus efficace et je suis très motivé à poursuivre mon travail.
Mais d’abord, nous allons prendre ce dimanche de repos. Nous allons peut-être aller au zoo, assurément aller manger un sandwich doner kabab et je terminerai avec un des légendaires massages de notre thérapeute Bernie.
Tamas a filmé beaucoup lors de nos pratiques alors voici un clip de notre entraînement et le départ de notre 5 km à Poznan.
Merci de me lire et continuez de vous entraîner fort!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Un Deux c'est bien mieux! One Two Punch!
Bonjour à vous,
Vive les courses de 5 km! Je suis heureux de commencer ce journal sur une note beaucoup plus positive. J’ai terminé 2e tout juste derrière Mark dans le C-1 5 km dimanche dernier. Cette course s’est déroulée parfaitement comme nous l’avions planifiée. Il était possible de travailler en équipe et nous en avons tiré grand avantage. Juste après le premier tournant, Mark et moi avons pris la tête et après plusieurs manœuvres, nous nous sommes aidés mutuellement afin d’imposer une cadence trop rapide pour que le groupe de chasse puisse nous rattraper.
Après la course, je compris à quel point il m’a été profitable de pouvoir surfer sur la vague et de conserver mon énergie. J’ai repensé à tous ces mercredi matin lors des « time control » de 2 km à ramer dans la vague des gars de l’équipe nationale. Je comprend maintenant que mes qualités acquises dans ces conditions m’ont permis de me maintenir dans le peloton de tête dimanche dernier. Je suis fier d’avoir ainsi persévéré.
Notre course de C-2 1000 mètres s’est aussi bien passé. Malgré notre 7e position, Andrew et moi étions content. Nous avons exécuté du mieux qu’on a pu notre plan de course. Notre but cette année est de courser pour gagner. Pour ça, il a fallu attaquer beaucoup plus et conserver une vitesse de croisière plus rapide lors des premiers 800m. Nous avons réussi cette étape et malgré notre baisse de régime à la toute fin, cela montre qu’on a déjà progressé.
Nous sommes maintenant à Duisburg pour un stage d’entraînement d’environ une semaine. Nous demeurons dans un hôtel confortable et une fois de plus je partage une chambre avec Mark. Mon but pour cette semaine est de travailler sur ma technique. Ce printemps j’ai pu améliorer beaucoup mon entrée dans l’eau, je veux maintenant parfaire mon exécution, chose plus difficile en C-2. Le synchronisme de nos mouvements doit être amélioré et j’ai hâte d’y arriver pour aller encore plus vite lors de notre deuxième course en Hongrie dans deux semaines! Merci de me suivre et n’oubliez pas de mettre de la crème solaire!
C4Cers!
5 km races rock! I’m happy to start today’s journal on a way more positive note than my last one. I finished 2nd to Mark last Sunday at the 5 km C-1 race. It’s one of these races where everything goes as you initially planned it. Right after the first turn, Mark and I were leading the pack and we never looked back. At every turn we changed the lead without loosing any time and with our good wash riding skills, we were able to maintain a good travel speed and stay ahead the whole way.
After the race I realized how much my good wash riding skills were to me. I thanked all the group 2 km time controls I have done every Wednesday morning of all Florida training camps I’ve participated to. Struggling at the back of a big group can sometimes be hard and discouraging, but if you persevere and improve at keeping up with the big guys, you will gain important paddling skills and sooner than later you will be in front.
The C-2 1000m race was also very good. Despite our 7th place result, I think it’s a race Andrew and I have be proud of. Our goal for this year is to race to win. In order to do that, we need to improve our travel speed through the first 800m and that’s exactly were able to do on Sunday. Although we were not quite as explosive for the finish, we were right up there in the lead pack and that’s an improvement already.
We are now in Duisburg for about a week of training. We live downtown in a comfortable hotel and I’m rooming once more with Mark. My goal for this week is to improve the execution of my stroke. So far this spring, I’ve been able to change a little bit how I attack the catch and it’s now time to be consistent at it. Every stroke I will think about my blade angle and putting weight on it. The catch has been my weakness for too long and I intend to get it straight before we land in Hungary the 2nd of June.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to use sunscreen!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
No excuses, just a bad race - Pas d'excuse, juste une mauvaise course
Greeting C4C readers,
The 500m is done and it didn’t go as planned. Andrew and I had a really good semi final in the morning finishing 2nd to the Germans, but this afternoon we weren’t able to deliver. The conditions were hard to handle, the wind was blowing very strongly from the back creating high white cap rolls that took our boat in all directions except straight. All day I was looking forward to challenging myself in these conditions. We’ve been able to handle similar waves in the past, so our hopes were high to get a top position… but not today. I must say I’m disappointed by the outcome of our race, but it’s important for me to realize that factors out of my control greatly influenced how the race went. I lost the steering right from the beginning. Our first 3 strokes were good but I caught a wave coming back and when we were supposed to gain speed, we went left, right then water started to come in the boat at a great rate. So fast, we fell behind and weren’t able to get into a rhythm.
I really wish I could go back on the start line and re-do it and have another chance to do better. I hate this feeling. The thing to realize for me is that I have to learn how to control better my steering and balance skills. France won the race, we never lost against them, that means that the victory came to the crew that could control the most components, not always to the fastest crew. I can’t wait for tomorrow, my goal is to do everything even better so I can feel completely satisfied when I cross the finish line.
Bonjour à tous,
Notre course du 500m est finie et ça n’a été comme je le voulais. Pourtant ce matin Andrew et moi avions eu une très bonne course finissant 2e juste derrière les Allemands, mais cette après-midi fût une autre histoire. Les conditions étaient difficiles, il ventait à plus de 30 km/h avec des vagues partout qui nous dirigeaient dans toutes les directions sauf droit devant. Après la course de ce matin, j’étais confiant d’être en mesure de bien ramer malgré ces vagues car plus d’une fois nous avons bien réussi dans de telles conditions… mais pas aujourd’hui. Je suis déçu. Par contre, je dois réaliser que plusieurs facteurs hors de mon contrôle ont grandement influencé notre course. Dès le début de la course, après seulement 3 coups de rame, j’ai dû faire des coups en J afin de rétablir la direction. Au lieu d’accélérer, nous avons presque chaviré, puis à la mi course l’eau avait rempli notre bateau au point que nous n’avons jamais été en mesure d’établir un bon rythme.
J’aimerais tout recommencer du début. Je hais cette sensation d’avoir échoué. Je dois cependant réaliser que les conditions étaient difficiles et la seule chose à faire est de travailler encore plus fort pour développer mes qualités de rameur. L’équilibre et travailler la direction du bateau sont désormais à mon agenda d’entraînement. Le C-2 français nous a battu, une équipe qui nous a jamais devancé auparavant. Ce qui veut dire que chaque course est unique et que c’est l’équipe qui compose le mieux avec les conditions extérieures qui l’emportera, pas nécessairement les plus rapides. J’ai hâte à demain pour me reprendre et tout donner afin que je puisse aller me coucher avec la sensation du devoir accompli.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Mike Scott Roast
Dear C4Cers,
Last Friday night was the Mike Scott Roast in honour of his more than 60 years involvement and devotion to the Rideau Canoe Club. There was no better idea for a canoe club fundraiser to invite Mike’s list of paddling friends to a dinner in his honour. He is without a doubt the paddler with the thickest phone book for the whole country. More than 350 people gathered in their best looking outfits, and came to thank Mike and meet some old friends brought together by the sport of paddling.
The organizing committee did a really good job getting the room nicely decorated with Mike’s old pictures, giving a perspective on how long he has been around not only the canoe club, but the whole Ottawa amateur sport scene. As well, everyone had name tags which gave me the chance to go meet some people by matching their faces I had seen on Rideau’s wall of champions.
Another great move was to put Morty on as the MC. He opened the night with a entrance speech full of jokes roasting different paddlers from all generations. He did a really good job finding the right comments to either make people’s jaw drop, turn red or laugh out loud. I also greatly enjoyed the other roasters that highlighted how selfless and committed Mike had been over the years.
Then the moment I’d been waiting for the most came at last; Mike Scott was invited to share a few words. As soon as he dried his eyes, he made all the Olympians in the room rise. An impressive 15 people stood up. Then he asked all the people that had been on the national team to stand up, (around 30 people were now standing). Then Mike asked for everyone that had won a gold medal at the national championships to stand up. I estimate that half of the room were then on their feet looking at Mike. His eyes were full of water once more.
Then I realized why he did it. He wanted us to realize how immense the impact of volunteering has on people. He wanted us to size up how proud he is of his canoe club. I understood how for 60 years his happiness was growing with the amount of time he was spending helping people. Never for trophies or fame, but for the pure joy in seeing people succeed.
I am privileged to know Mike and I was happy to be there Friday to realize how many people are feeling the same way I do. I think Sue Holloway had it right on when she described Mike. She said that a good volunteer is able to give countless hours towards a cause, but a great volunteer is able to set an example and to inspire people to get involved and give countless hours towards a cause. And that is just what Mike has done for all those years, and why he will continue to be the leader of Rideau in the future.
