WIRAs and beyond
Once again I find myself far behind on recaps with only a few short days left in our season. We are busy prepping for WIRAs this week and are looking forward to finishing off the season in style before looking back and then forward.
This season has gotten away from us in a way. We got hit with the worst possible conditions in the middle of the season and spent a month plus off the water due to flooding quickly followed by new lows, thus making the actual days we were on the water easier to count than days off.
We just finished up NCRC Championships this past weekend. The teams put together a solid outing and while the results weren't quite what we had hoped for - a lot of just missed finishes - we still had some excellent races. The highlights of the regatta were the 3rd place finished by both the Women's Varsity 4 and the Men's Novice 4. Our Women's Novice 4 finished 4th, a little over a second outside of 3rd and the Men's JV4 finished 5th. The Men's V4 was the race of the day with three athletes who had raced in the N4 coming in and going right back out. They were in 4th place coming into the last 300 meters before the 3 seat rigger broke. It was fitting given how this season has unfolded in terms of the bad luck we've encountered but certainly not deserved and everyone was incredibly proud of how hard they fought.
So we come to a close on the 2012 spring season with some bright spots and unfortunately a lot of regrets and empty finishes. To say that we need to hang our head would be to overlook the improvement of the men's team and the excitement generated by the novice ladies but it is far from satisfying. This year we say goodbye to three seniors on the women's team but return with the core of the team intact for another run next year. The men's team standing on the cusp of something great with zero seniors on the team and only two seniors next season. Where they go from here will largely depend on what they've learned this year and how they choose to apply it going forward.
As for me, 2012 will be a season that I remember for a very long time for both good and not so good reasons. I'm proud of the way the men's team rebounded and put together some competitive finishes but I'm also looking at a lot of meters and work left on the table. We sampled from everything but didn't take full bites, something that we will have to remedy next year. It is good to know that the plan that I put together this year, with Ryan's help, is more than on par with where we're trying to go and it's also good to see that there is still room for improvement.
Next year is going to be a different year. Things are going to get more competitive, times and finishes are going to mean more and carry more weight in terms of where athletes stand but we are trending in the right direction. After taking a month or so off to digest what this season has been, I'm looking forward to diving back in again with the possibility of going back east this fall to the Head of the Hooch or possibly the Head of the Charles.
As with all things, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Still, I'm going into the summer with renewed optimism and hope that better things are just over the horizon.
This season has gotten away from us in a way. We got hit with the worst possible conditions in the middle of the season and spent a month plus off the water due to flooding quickly followed by new lows, thus making the actual days we were on the water easier to count than days off.
We just finished up NCRC Championships this past weekend. The teams put together a solid outing and while the results weren't quite what we had hoped for - a lot of just missed finishes - we still had some excellent races. The highlights of the regatta were the 3rd place finished by both the Women's Varsity 4 and the Men's Novice 4. Our Women's Novice 4 finished 4th, a little over a second outside of 3rd and the Men's JV4 finished 5th. The Men's V4 was the race of the day with three athletes who had raced in the N4 coming in and going right back out. They were in 4th place coming into the last 300 meters before the 3 seat rigger broke. It was fitting given how this season has unfolded in terms of the bad luck we've encountered but certainly not deserved and everyone was incredibly proud of how hard they fought.
So we come to a close on the 2012 spring season with some bright spots and unfortunately a lot of regrets and empty finishes. To say that we need to hang our head would be to overlook the improvement of the men's team and the excitement generated by the novice ladies but it is far from satisfying. This year we say goodbye to three seniors on the women's team but return with the core of the team intact for another run next year. The men's team standing on the cusp of something great with zero seniors on the team and only two seniors next season. Where they go from here will largely depend on what they've learned this year and how they choose to apply it going forward.
As for me, 2012 will be a season that I remember for a very long time for both good and not so good reasons. I'm proud of the way the men's team rebounded and put together some competitive finishes but I'm also looking at a lot of meters and work left on the table. We sampled from everything but didn't take full bites, something that we will have to remedy next year. It is good to know that the plan that I put together this year, with Ryan's help, is more than on par with where we're trying to go and it's also good to see that there is still room for improvement.
Next year is going to be a different year. Things are going to get more competitive, times and finishes are going to mean more and carry more weight in terms of where athletes stand but we are trending in the right direction. After taking a month or so off to digest what this season has been, I'm looking forward to diving back in again with the possibility of going back east this fall to the Head of the Hooch or possibly the Head of the Charles.
As with all things, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Still, I'm going into the summer with renewed optimism and hope that better things are just over the horizon.
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