A Gutsy Effort!

 Sorry guys. I know this is very late. But access to internet has been limited. There should be a flurry of posts coming in the next week.

After the disappointment we experienced in Pau, we were anxious to make the most of our last race before the Olympics. Seu provided a new challenge. We have been using surfboard fins to help us keep the boat tracking. By the way, thanks to FCS fins for their assistance!! However, due to low water levels, we weren’t able to use the fins. It was a challenge paddling without them, but we eventually remembered how to paddle without fins.

There are several quirky traditions that, usually, accompany a race in Seu. My favorite is the coach’s run. Perhaps it’s because we get to see the coaches in pain, but more importantly it’s a great social event that brings everyone together away from paddling. Disappointingly, it wasn’t held this year. Not happy Seu. I know the financial crisis has hit Spain hard but come on! Another tradition is the Australian Team dinner. Each class cooks a course and then we play trivial pursuit paddling style with a few activities chucked in for good measure. One activity entailed deciphering which paddler was in the obscured photo. It led to some… interesting findings. Kynan and my C2 relationship is perhaps getting too close after I thought one of the photos was me when it was actually Kynan.

Race time. There were some impressive performances from the Aussie team, particularly from Will Forsythe who beat a world-class Men’s K1 class in qualification. Everything seemed to be going right, and then I start to feel a bit off. Perhaps, because the chicken I had was also off! After a night spent cuddling porcelain I had no energy. In a few hours I was meant to be racing! Still feeling rubbish, I dragged myself down to the course. I knew I couldn’t approach it like a normal race. I used my lack of energy as an opportunity to test my mental strength and Kynan’s physical strength! We had one mistake in the middle, which meant that after the first run we were in 12^th. Solid, but would it be enough to make it through to semi’s. My energy levels were flagging, but it would be a gamble not to do the second run. We decided to prepare for the second run. The coaches would tell us if we were safely into semi’s and needn’t waste our energy. It was close, but our first run was good enough, just, for 19^th.

Semifinal day, business time! Still feeling sub par but able to contribute more to the boat. The finals course was relentless. Luckily it played into our hands because precision was more important than power. We thought we had a solid run, with one mistake, but would it be enough? Waiting to see if you have qualified for the final is excruciating! We watched crew after crew finish behind us and we realized that the run was much better than solid. We qualified 3^rd fastest for the final! Our first podium was in sight. Unfortunately 3 touches pushed us back into 9^th. It didn’t matter. The race confirmed that we are in the hunt for a medal at the Olympics. In just 3 weeks we will be in the Olympic Village!