Going West

Post # 12

Somewhere on I-80 in Indiana – Accompanied by a few leftover birthday cupcakes beside me, I’m sitting in a cramped backseat of the Wisconsin truck driving back to Madison. With fourteen hours of driving behind us and four ahead, it’s safe to say we’re itching to be back. A few quick updates from the weekend:

On Friday, I celebrated my 24th birthday. For the past nine years, my birthday has fallen during the weekend of a championship race and this year was no different. However, I will admit that this year was unique in that it fell on a non-racing day between two racing days. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and for wishing me and Michelle luck in racing.

Racing results from my final can be found here and pictures from Thursday morning are here.

The Wisconsin lightweights raced at a different course 45 minutes south of where I was in New Jersey at the Eastern Sprints championship race. What a banner day they had! They defended their title in the varsity eight by winning gold for the fifth year running. The second varsity eight and freshman eight also came home with gold medals. Full recap is here.

Finally, the Wisconsin men’s varsity eight came away with a fourth place finish at their championship race in Worcester, Massachusetts yesterday. Their morning heat was arguably the most exciting race of the day. In a six-boat race where the top two boats advance to the “A” final, they beat out Yale to take the second place spot by mere fractions of a second. Results here . Check out this photo finish!

Off to do some epic unpacking from my month-long trip. I'll be back at Randall tomorrow morning and can't wait!

Second Home

Post # 11

Princeton, New Jersey - We had the most amazing dinner last night in the most amazing house. But first, rewind. Michelle (my doubles partner) and I have been in Princeton at the national training center for three weeks now. We have been putting in miles on Lake Mercer, the site of countless hours of training over the course of five months leading up to the World Championships last year. We're back, and it feels just like a second home.

In Princeton, many community members generously open their doors to national team rowers, providing them with a place to stay during training and competition. Michelle and I are lucky enough to stay in a beautiful barn-turned-house designed by the architects that live in it and are hosting us. I'm talkin' beautiful courtyard, thirty foot ceilings, exposed brick from the original barn, and much, much more. It's so unique that I almost feel out of place. I guess that's what living in college apartments for the past five years will do to you!



Our coach, Bryan, has won two Olympic medals (one gold and one bronze) along with countless other national and international medals. He is one of the most (if not THE most) decorated rower in US history. Turns out Bryan is also an incredible chef. He cooked an amazing meal for a dinner party at our house last night. There were twenty three people in attendance, including three generations of US national team rowers plus several other community members. We had a great time catching up with old friends as well as hearing stories from former national teamers.



The spread: grilled yams, grilled asparagus, couscous and beet salad, grilled steak, shrimp, grilled pineapple, and spring salad. Yum!

The second race of the season begins on Thursday morning. Michelle and I are racing six other crews in the lightweight double event. More updates to come as we approach the weekend!