National Selection Regatta #1

Post #41

Princeton, New Jersey - Ok, here it is: the first of several posts about NSR 1. I've been traveling the country for the past few months and everyone (former teammates, host families, friends, aunts, uncles, third graders at Randall, etc.) has been asking how they can follow me when I race. In an effort to keep you more updated on what's happening, I'll be posting to this as I progress through this week's racing.

I'm racing at the first National Selection Regatta (NSR) of the 2011 season in the lightweight single. For us lightweights, it serves as a race to see where we stand. We've all been training in singles throughout the winter and early spring, so we reconvene at this race to see how we stack up against each other. This race is an interesting one in that it doesn't mean much but also does at the same time. It doesn't mean much because the single isn't our Olympic event, the double is. Winning this race doesn't qualify you for a World Cup trip. At the same time, it does mean something because it affects who you partner up with for the next NSR (NSR 2, May 12-14) in doubles. Winning NSR 2 does qualify you to race at a World Cup. The selection process extends well beyond NSR 2, so just think of NSR 1 as the first step in that process (qualification for Worlds is an incredibly confusing process, even for me).

Coming back to the dock after racing the heat at NSR 1 in 2010

There are sixteen entries in the lightweight single this year and the group hails from clubs around the country: Seattle, Oklahoma, Philly, Boston, California, etc. The racing schedule is as follows:

Thursday:

8:15 am: head race style time trial (this determines seeding for the heats)

5:40/5:47/5:54 pm: three heats (top 2 advance to A final, next 2 to B final, last 2 to C final)

Friday:

7:56 am: A final

8:20 am: B final

9:02 am: C final

Saturday: practice and scrimmage in doubles (more to come on this)

If you're looking at the full schedule and are unfamiliar with the codes we use in rowing, the lightweight single is listed as LW1x. I'm unsure where they'll be posting the results of the racing but will update this when I know.

Debriefing with Erik at the end of the NSR in 2010

I was able to get out on the course this afternoon for a swing row. It felt so good to get out of the car and move around a bit! As I went down the course, I felt ready to race. I haven't raced (or even been on a fully buoyed course) since Worlds in November, and I can't wait to get back out there. Tomorrow will be a final tune-up before it all starts. On to the races!