Post Gov's Cup Recap

I don't feel like recapping the racing, but the men's boat did exactly as I thought it would do, and I'm happy with that.  There are many reasons why we executed the race plan that we did, and in talking with the boat after they came off the water, we're all on the same page as we go forward.  Additionally, I got to see some solid racing from Lewis and Clark against University of Puget Sound, and I'm looking forward to incorporating some of the things that I saw into our future race plans.  Overall, I was pleased with how the boys did.  I realize that the race results might indicate otherwise, or that the expectations here are low, but that's far from the case.  We're following the plan they developed as a team, and we're moving upward and onward.

Other than finally getting out to stretch the legs, and get the racing portion of the season underway, it was really good to see Aaron again.  I was impressed by what I saw out of his team, and in talking with the other two coaches who work with him.  They may be an opponent, but I will always have a soft spot for UPS.  It was encouraging to hear the enthusiasm in the other coaches about the way the program is heading, and I'm looking forward to some good racing against them from here on out.  

I was also very happy to run into a former athlete, now novice women's coach with UPS.  Betsy rowed in the 1st novice 8 when I was the novice women's coach, and I was thrilled to hear that she'd returned to her alma mater.  It's never easy catching up at a regatta with everything that has to happen, but we managed to get a solid 15 minutes of talk in between launching and recovering boats.  I had to laugh at the things that she was experiencing as a first time coach, reminding her that when she was a novice, she and her teammates put me through many of the same jokes, and gentle pranks.  What goes around, always seems to come around.  We did a lot of catching up - we haven't seen each other since 2009 - which further illustrated the point that we need to catch up after the season has ended.  

Overall it was a good weekend.  I realize that it seems odd that I've spent more time discussing catching up with other coaches, but rest assured, I got the information I was hoping for this weekend in terms of racing and boat speed.  We start spring break soon, and I'm looking forward to solidifying a lineup and moving forward with our season goal.  

Next up, Spring Break and Cascade Sprints.