Practice 7: 4 is harder than we thought....
We started our 7th practice with a smaller group, which allowed us to take out a 4 boat. We initially thought this would be easier than the 8 boat, but we were quickly proved wrong! Although the boat was lighter to carry down, the boat itself is much tippier without the extra people, and mistakes are much more noticeable without our other teammates to help cover them up!
We are planning on having an 8 boat as well as a 4 boat for the final regatta, so this was great practice for Tatiana, Rosemary, Jackie, and Javiera. Every movement on the boat makes the boat tip back and forth and made us grab on harder and gasp as we swayed dangerously close to the murky water....
Above, Tatiana and Rosemary sat solid in the middle of the boat. We worked really hard today on matching up our strokes and following the person in front of us...
We actually got to row all 4 together in synchrony- which is an incredibly beautiful and graceful sight to the observer! 
Javiera set the pace in the front with strong, even paced strokes. Way to go Javiera! 
Caiti and I each got to sit in the coxswain seat and practice steering the boat. Caiti was a little better at hiding her fear of falling into the water than I was!
Our crew member of the day is Jackie! She did an awesome job setting the boat and really improved her stroke! The best part was, she stuck with it and tried harder even when she was getting frustrated. Jackie is one of our youngest team members at 16. Her son, Daniel, is 5 months old and super cute! Jackie is going to be a sophomore in high school in the fall and loves hanging out with her friends and taking her son out for walks in her free time. She's an awesome addition to the team and we are so lucky to have her! Jackie, you're the riggin' best!
Go Jackie!!!
ReplyDelete