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France, 25th March-2nd April 2005
Day 1. Friday 25th March
Following a shocking result at the HORR, the first boat being comprehensively beaten by our main rival's first and second boat, the squad have taken a week off and are heading to France for Spring training camp.
There are just five weeks to BUSA. Will we be able to use this time and camp to avoid a humiliating defeat at the hands of our rivals and their coaching team led by an ex GB rower and coach?
This task is made more complex as morale is low, especially amongst the smaller boys following an email from the coach, which was read by several amongst the squad as 'lightweights are a waste of time'. For several reasons. Including this, I have shifted my priority towards my single for the remainder of this season and probably the next too.
Day 2. Saturday 26th March
Miles travelled 200, time spent travelling 1.25 hours (thank god for relaxed French speed policing)
8am
Driving from St Malo to Nantes. The plan to race the other cars to Nantes was made more difficult by being last off the ferry, putting us half an hour behind.
Eventually managed to catch up with the rest of the squad vehicles, pulling 5Gs through the bends. We have also exhausted every French joke and Eddie Izzard impression en route.
4:30pm
In our unique style we managed to faff till now. More importantly, the Empacher VIII's backstays and my scull's riggers had not been loaded. I am severely not happy.
6pm
On the water - at last - and all is not well for the eights. Many are frustrated as the coach has decided to race the equipment. Surprisingly, the one year old Empacher beat the 10 year old Sims. Admittedly the conditions were not 100 per cent perfect but the result still suggests that the 19 second advantage that the first eight had at HORR is down to the boat alone. Needless to say, there was a long chat.
Day 3. Sunday 27th March (Easter Day)
Alcohol units 2 (very needed and would have been so many more if I had not been driving...bloody car), outings 1
9am
Wow. Morale is at an all time low. The equipment racing, under conditions which the first eight saw as uncontrolled, and the coach's permanent lack of communication and post outing/race analysis have been the final straws for a couple of the guys. One has quit the squad and one is seriously contemplating his future. This could leave no second eight. To make matters more interesting, no-one from the second eight is being given the chance to race for the final seat. Instead Nick has returned from injury and will swap sides.
11am
Meetings have been called to discuss how to take this forward. Things could get interesting, especially with the men's second eights needing to race several times this year. This could get embarrassing.
Will the coach's job be on the line?
2pm
Tensions have calmed following the outing, a coach/crew discussion and lunch. Meanwhile, a race on the river Erdre (a Loire tributary) has restricted our training to a 1.5k section of water so the emphasis was on technique exercises.
The atmosphere has lightened further as the Oxbridge boat race approaches, even though we cannot watch it. A sweepstake has been set up, and a couple of toys thrown when the two "win due to paranormal activity" cards were drawn. At least Goldie massacred Isis and I drew the winning crew but "Oxford easily" is still a tad optimistic.
9pm
There is NO toy left in my pram. They were thrown along with anything that was not tied to it. Reasons...
- My riggers were not packed
- The replacement boat, borrowed from the local rowing club, is horrible
- My 4 month old splash top ripped when I took it off in the single
- A terrible map to tonight's restaurant was given and the other drivers disappeared before an explanation could be given
- My car's map light had been left on, flattening the battery, so I couldn't even drive to the restaurant of unknown location
This is not fun. On the plus side, the beer, metres of pizza and kamikaze driving to the restaurant helped to chill me out. The first eight's wrangling and subsequent meetings have also meant that we have only done 30k in two days of training camp so am more awake than I was expecting.
Day 4. Monday 28th March
Soakings 3, equipment breakages 1, changes of kit 4
8am
What a great start to the day. The club has locked the river access gate. Once again the boys are late to start. These pieces against Patrick's single and the girls' pairs could take some time to start, let alone finish.
1pm
One outing down and three capsizes, including myself. The eights are focusing on technique, a coaching method that had been missing since October. Meanwhile, the singles and pairs have been racing over a 1k stretch, into a head wind and rain.
The racing had been going well. Four races down, three wins and a second place due to two tired crabs just before the line. The fifth piece would be happening in 10 minutes and my wet kit was making me shiver. Stupidly I changed into dry kit in the short break. The fifth piece (in dry kit) saw me collide with an oncoming scull half way down the course and go swimming, gaining a blade shaped bruise on my back.
Oh well, it could be so much worse, my blades are still intact unlike Patrick's. His broke when he fell out pushing off from the pontoon.
Day 5. Tuesday 29th March
Squad couples to date 3, incidents 2
2:30pm
Fantastic... Two amazingly brilliant technical outings down for the day and I'm really feeling like I'm getting the hang of the single, which is also going well now that it has been re-geared. Okay, so I still need a quicker catch. And a smoother recovery. Maybe a smoother tap down at the finish. And the power curve could be more even. Ah!
Lunches have also become embarrassing. Now that Easter is over the lunch is served in the canteen. Unfortunately we only made it off the river with 10 minutes remaining so had to rock up in lycra; strangely the French girls (who appear to have a fetish for knitwear) were laughing. A lot.
3pm
Someone please save me from the coupling that keeps happening. Even the weather is conspiring against me as lightning has put the afternoon's outing on hold. However, this is possibly a good thing as the minibus' keys have just been locked inside the minibus. So far the solution appears to be a pixie midget (ie five times World Championship winning French cox) fiddling with a coat hanger for 45 minutes. Herbie is also looking eager to use his sledgehammer though...
9pm
Thank god. The mood is finally improving, especially in the sculling squad. The morning's great technical outings were followed by an afternoon of four race pieces. Being a lightweight the tailwind in half of the pieces was heaven.
In the eights, the fat boys (read first squad) are still frustrated with the coach. At least an equipment failure means that they can focus even more on technique in small boats.
Day 6. Wednesday 30 March
Collisions 2, number of men leaving the squad 1, outings 3
7:30am
B-U-G-G-E-R! It's raining, this is going to be one unpleasant mo-fo of an outing, especially as I could barely grip the blades due to blisters when they were dry.
12 midday
This is getting comical. Yet another crash has happened, this time with a four foot wide green buoy, snapping the involved pair's blade. According to the bow man the buoy was in the wrong, coming out of nowhere. Unbelievably, the pair stayed upright and borrowed two blades from the eight to row the 5k home. Thank god for an afternoon off.
2:30pm
When I said I'd write a training camp diary I was afraid I'd have to fill it with junk to make it readable. Instead, the camp is more like a series of Big Brother. Nicholas has become the latest person to leave the boathouse. Beautifully, the second eight have refused to disband, this time leaving no first eight. Oh yeah, and the girls' double has just put a hole in a French international pair's canvas.
10:00pm
The Big Brother boathouse is once again full following a trip into Nantes. The crew are relaxing with beer and wine and for once the conversation is anywhere but rowing. A football and frisbee have been bought and conversation is switching between subjects including cartoons, the developing squad relationships and how truly luxurious a McDonald's toilet with broken stainless steel bowl is. Well, we have been using hole in the ground for nearly a week.
Day 7. Thursday 31st March
Outings 3, calories burned 6,000, sunburned squad members 7 (oh dear!)
7:45am
OWWWWWW! My hands are properly shafted. My back is also screaming in pain from the week's earlier accident. I need sleep. I need a break. Oh well, outing in 15 minutes, lets get it done with.
11:15am
That was amazing. The river is as wide as the Thames and the word millpond doesn't come close. The sun is out and the year's first topless rowing has happened for almost all of the squad (we're working on the girls). Hopefully the water will hold for the afternoon's pieces against Patrick, who is now getting good and has a 25kg and a huge height advantage.
4:30
I may as well retire from rowing now. I will never top the last outing. At several races I have stood up to empty my bladder, never have I done it in a single. Basically I have just recreated the picture from the 'What It Takes' book. Better still for the boat club there have been no more incidents, even with this blatant invitation for a swim from me. The two stroke siders in the girl's four also switched positions simultaneously, producing an image that people would pay to see on the web as they both clambered over the 3 girl from either end - Beautiful!
Day 8. Friday 1st April
Squad alcohol units 300+, Outings 2.5
8am
Final day, bring it on. The pain and exhaustion are killing me but the end is nigh and only two technique outings and a few pieces remain.
12:30pm
We finally have a first eight again. This regrettably means that there in now only a second seven. None of the scullers are willing to join the eight so discussions on who might be convinced to return to the squad from those that quit in January. And best of all, there's only one more outing before the comedy racing!
4:30
Finally, good news from the first eight. The fat boys' outings in pairs has done a lot of good - what a shock! The eight is now moving nicely and the mood has also shifted to upbeat, the entire boat jumping in the river 10k from home.
The final job remaining is a show-down. Our borrowed J14, 5-foot-tall female cox has issued a challenge to Matt, 99kg and 6'6" who will be going for GB next year and possesses the fastest erg score in the squad but has little sculling experience. The course was a mammoth 100m in which Matt was creamed. One and a half lengths of clear water - I think he will be focusing on his scull over the coming months. Wonderfully Matt took it with great dignity, especially as he was actually going for the win - I hope he makes it to the GB squad so the video can go on the Slug.
Right - Alcohol
Day 9. Saturday 2nd April
Hungover squad members 26, hours travelling 17, children on boat that should be throttled 7
Ferry home
So shattered. Three hours of sleep, 200km drive and an early ferry have left me gasping for sleep but only managing about 1 hour, even with half a bottle of red wine to knock me out.
The kids in the sleeping room need to be gagged and their portable DVD player smashed. At least the camp went well... except for:
- Forgetting riggers
- Forgetting the Empacher's backstays
- My accidental swim
- K's swim
- Patrick's swim and blade breaking
- Pete's blade being smashed on a buoy
- Al quitting
- Nicholas quitting
- The women's double putting a hole in a French international pair.
Happy days!
Bodgit Johns, aged 26 and 1/4
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