Live and direct from the pristine (for now) Szeged race course.

Hello Friends

The Wireless is free at the race course and one arm and one leg at the hotel, so our updates will be brought to you strait from the boat bay here at the storied Szeged race course

And the bus is here....in short: its really hot, nice weather, calm so far, I am feeling better, we got all our boats, Hi Mom.

More updates tomorrow.

IAN

My first race back!


Well, after a whirlwind week I am finally sitting in front of a computer with time to write an entry about last weekend. It is always amazing how much a couple races at trials direct the rest of the season. After the long build up to Georgia, it seems like we are moving at turbo speed now getting ready for the qualifier in Montreal and, hopefully, World Cups in a couple of weeks. But, I will not get ahead of myself.

The last month leading into trials was a great experience for me personally. Following our last easy week at the turn of April, I came back to training feeling a lot stronger. I think that the biggest difference was that my shoulder was finally able to handle heavier weight in the gym, this allowed me to make noticeable gains over the month of March, strength wise. After the easy week, I finally was able to feel like I could get my more and more power onto the blade. The C-2 sessions with Kyle started going better and better and we were able to have at least one or two very good pieces every practice we did in the boat together. The vibe of the whole canoe team for the month of April was really great. We all noticed a level of camaraderie and relaxed but focused training that we hadn’t experienced before. The usual Poker tournaments, rounds of golf, fun soccer games, team lap run relays, the morning joke/stretch circle, Friday afternoon fun paddles and games of ten trick all continued right up to the Olympic trials and I think everyone benefited from the commitment that everyone personally made to continue to act as a team and work together leading into the big races.

That being said, no matter how relaxed and loose you try to stay the pressure does mount and as the trials approached I was begging to get anxious about the races. As the big dance approached I was able to put the advice I had preached to the kids at my club to the test on myself. I told myself everyday to stay positive and do everything I could each practice to get ready to race. I found that making that decision each day as I warmed up for practice helped me relax off the water a lot more. I was satisfied that I was making every effort to do what I could on the water to give Kyle and I a shot. By the time we loaded up the car and headed to the peach state of Georgia I was pretty hyped up. Kyle and I talked a bit on the open road about the stress and what our approach would be. Both Kyle and I have had periods away from the boat in the last couple years and we both remembered what we missed about paddling when we were away from it: Racing. We love to race, so we decided to keep that in the front of our minds and decided to enjoy the whole experience as much as we could from start to finish.

The week leading up to trials I started feeling really strong, it was nice to get a change of scenery and paddle in some fresh water. Kyle, Mark and I had one amazing session in C1 on Thursday morning. We paddled up the lake away from the course, the water was dead calm and the temperature was perfect with the morning sun blazing. It was such a great practice both physically and mentally for us three, to really enjoy a paddle with your best friend’s right before a big competition. By the night before the races, I was very primed and just wanted to get going.

The 1000 day at trials was a nervous one for me. I had not raced a real race since mid-summer 2006, and there would be no heat or semi for Kyle and I to get warmed up in before the big dance at 3:40 in the afternoon. We went out in the morning and had a solid warm up. I found my mentality of putting a full focus into each practice in April helped me in the warm ups those race days, because once I got on the water, I really felt like I was back in control of what I was doing and my nerves diminished. When I was getting nervous about the fact I had not raced in so long I reminded my self how long I hade been racing. “You have been racing since you were 9 years old,” I told my self, “you know what you are doing.” That helped me a lot, plus anytime I think about how serious I used to take my pewee C-1 races it makes me laugh which helped even more.

Going on the water for the final Kyle and I were pretty hyped up and ready to go, I felt that we were both on the same page and Kyle very simply reminded me as we got on the water, “We just need to execute.” When we were lining up something happened that I had forgotten about racing. As soon as the starter said, “One Minute to Start,” I stopped being nervous, it was all behind us. The build up, the training the nerves: that was all over, it was time just to go really hard. It was an exhilarating feeling to get back again, and I really missed it in the year and half I spent away from racing. As we went into the blocks I was smiling and totally pumped. We had a bit of a rough start, and were a half boat behind the Buday’s and Gab and Andrew out of the blocks. We moved really well into our travel speed though, and the first 500m flew buy with all three crews fairly even as we passed the five hundred meter docks. Right after the 500 Gab and Andrew made a very good move and pulled out a boat in front of us, the Budays went with them a bit and we stayed in touch a bit back. We really kept to our pace well, which was our plan and with 250 left we were still in the hunt for 2nd. We started making a really good move and Kyle and I both felt like we had a bit left in the tank, but Gab and Aruss made another burst and sent us back a nice wash. We were on the edge of either shooting down the wave or getting pulled over by it for a full 100m. If Kyle didn’t have so much coxing experience we fully would have gone out of our lane. With 50m left we couldn’t quite get over the wash and we floundered a bit, coming home in 3rd place. It was a good race. We had traveled at a better pace than we had in training and we had both felt that we had some energy at the end. Yet, we were both a bit frustrated at not being able to really push to the line. It was still really awesome to get my first race back under my belt, and to push hard with these World Class crews. Gab and Andrew had an unreal pace and this was my first race against them since they made a big jump. These guys are really, really good. When I came in off the water Mark said strait up, “YOU looked really good.” That made me feel better right away because I knew we had paddled well and that we had a lot left for the 500m. Before we went to bed that night at the hotel Scott O told me, “You should be pumped for tomorrow.” But I already was.

Kyle and I both knew, since about early March, that 500m was going to be our better distance. You can get a feeling for that in training, which travel speed is coming more naturally, and it was definitely the 500m pure speed which was clicking easier for us. In the warm ups on Sunday we felt awesome; just really sharp. Our last piece of the warm up felt so good, Kyle made some sort of growl/yell wookie -like noise as we finished it. As we paddled in easy, in silence after the Chewbacca noise, Kyle broke out all of a sudden, “Dude, make a joke. We are too hyped up.” From that point, until we got in boat to race we just joked and stayed as relaxed as we could. Adam V said after, “I saw you guys joking with Scott and Mark and I had to check to make sure I didn’t miss your race. It looked like you were done racing you were so relaxed.” It was perfect, we both were happy and loose going on the water. Lining up I was again really pumped, but calmer than the 1000m day. I was really excited and mentally was trying to feed off the energy of racing against 3 other really strong crews in Gab and Andrew, Attila and Tamas and Rich and Benny. In the last minute before the start I got the same feeling as the day before and was smiling and felt very ready to rock. Right before the start of the race the thought flashed through my head that I had had way back when I found out I would have to have surgery on my shoulder. “When I get back I will not be scared to take a risk, I won’t hold back.” So I didn’t. We had a good start, a lot better than the 1000 start, but still we were a bit behind the other 3 crews after 75 meters. But then we really hit our pace, I felt Kyle’s legs really start driving the boat and I hit a good rhythm and we pulled up even with the pack. Then, after 200 m Gab and Andrew made a big move and started to take off. I thought, “Here we go, this is It.” and just started hammering as hard as I could. We made a really good move and pulled up with the boys and pushed them right into the last 100m. We started to tie up into the last 50m and Gab and Andrew took a few meters on us. I knew we were going to tie up and had been prepared to totally hit the wall. I knew what to think, “LEGS. JUST KEEP MOVING THE BOAT.” The last 10 strokes were some of the hardest I have taken and we barely held off a charge from the Buday’s. But we did it: We got 2nd.

Kyle had the all difficult task of keeping up to my stroke rate and keeping the boat in the lane. I have steered in a lot of races and know how tough it can be to hang on when you are tying up at the end of a hard race. He gave it everything, totally everything, in the last 100m. He poured on so much power in the middle of the race it was incredible. He put it all on the line in the race, and showed it after. He was down for about 20 minutes after the finish lying in boat control not able to move. What more could you want from your partner? Nothing. We gave absolutely everything we had. It was very satisfying for me personally to really hammer for a whole 500m. I felt so strong through the middle of the race and my shoulder was perfect. I have not felt that good in a boat since 2004. It was great.

I could never say enough good things about my teammates who we race against with so much on the line. Attila and Tamas right away congratulated us on the dock and gave me a big hug. To have Attila Buday look at me right in the eye after he just had a disappointing race and say, “Way to go. You were really good. I am happy for you,” means a lot to me. Ati and Tommy have set the tone for the whole canoe team since I started training with them in 2000. The atmosphere of fun, respect and very hard work that is now typical of the canoe team is thanks, in large part, to there example. Gab and Aruss too were right there, in there moment of glory winning with a strong, strong race, telling US, “You guys were fast! You pushed us right to the limit.” It feels good, and it makes me proud to just be a part of the sport with these guys.

The other member of C4C had amazing trials himself. All year Gab and I have trained with Mark and in every little way we have noticed that he has steeped it up. From picking groceries, to fall training, to weights, to skiing this winter and into an insanely intense Florida camp, Mark has pushed it in everyway. It was all worth it. He looked awesome in both his races at trials, moving the boat so well and looking totally in control. It may be easy for people to forget looking at Mark now that he fought through years of injury. But it was his example, his attitude of not for a second questioning that he would be back, that I followed in my recovery. I am very proud of this guy.

Another person I am very proud of is my, not so little, brother. Angus had an amazing trials, coming second in K-2 1000m, K-1 500m and winning K-4 1000m. Goose has caught quite a bit of flack from people over the last couple years, including me at times, about his focus and being too caught up in K-1. Well, over the course of Florida this year he really came into his own in crew boats and showed me, and a lot of other people that he can get it done in the big boats. I realized early on in Florida that the biggest thing that Goose had gained through his hard work in K-1 the last couple years was not the results or times he threw down, he gained a serious sense of self confidence. He totally believes in himself and his ability, and it shows in his paddling. Way to go Angus, keep it up.

Big props, as well, to Adam Vank. With his two victories Adam clinched his Olympic entry, no small accomplishment at any time, and Adam looked very strong doing it. Adam’s outstanding attitude and work ethic are a huge influence on the whole team, and the effects of his success has spread through out the team, and it was apparent last weekend. Every person who won a race at trials, probably everyone who raced at trials, would say, “Adam Van Koeverden is a big inspiration for me.” (Even Willows, but it might take a while for him to admit it.) Our homeboy Vank has changed the face of our sport in Canada, and he is just getting warm!

Finally, I wore my Rideau Jersey on Sunday at trials to say thank you to the young athletes at my club who I coached over the winter of 2006/2007 when I had my surgery. You guys didn’t know it, but you helped me through one of the hardest times I have ever had. Working with you reminded me every day of all the things the sport has given me and made me remember why I love it so much. Thank you.

So, with all that excitement done, we roll to the next episode. Qualifier in Montreal, Kyle and I are here training with Gab and Andrew as they prepare to represent against the best of North AND South America. Take a deep breath cause this is going to get exciting. If you can walk, fly or swim here be at the Basin for May 17th and 18th .