Winners of the World Cup Series

At the conclusion of the third World Cup in Poznan, in which we didn't compete in, the Australian Women's Eight became winners of the 2008 World Cup Series. The series is done on a point system and with our gold medal from Munich and the silver medal from Lucerne we came out on top just in front of Romania and Canada respectively.

This achievement doesn't mean a lot in the big picture as we head towards the Olympic Games, although it is a nice win to get along the way, and something that Australia hasn't achieved in many years.

Back in to training now in Canberra, and it is a lovely chilly and foggy morning here. We will be getting on the water at 10:30 thankfully, however we did have to do 90minutes of cross training this morning... just to keep out of the cold!

Back in Oz!

I am back in Canberra now, well at least physically, I am still not sure where my body clock is. Jet lag is one of the worst sensations. It is taking me a few more days than I had hoped for me to get over it. The first night I got back I managed 5 hours sleep, then 12 hours sleep and just as I was thinking I was over the jet lag, I was wide awake at 3am this morning thinking about all the things I had to do.
However, if it is not the disrupted sleep patterns that annoys me, it is having to get back into training while still jet lagged. Even though I have only managed to do some light cross training in the gym, it has still hurt a lot more than what it should. For example, this morning I did one hour on the bike. Usually I would struggle to get my heart rate above 140bpm, however, this morning I was struggling to keep it under 160bpm (which is quite high for light exercise). I became quite worried, although was settled when I realised that my body clock is still disrupted and even though I was doing exercise at 9am (AUS time), my body was probably wondering what I was doing trying to exercise at 1am (Europe time)...
Other than trying to re-adjust to the new time zone, I am attempting to prepare myself for my two exams in the next week. I am managing to get through three pages before I want to drift off to sleep. So it should be interesting. Fortunately I was able to do a substantial amount of uni work on tour, so I should be prepared well enough already, I will just need to go over it all again on Monday morning and hope for the best!

The End of the Camp

Only twenty-four hours until we embark on the flight back to Australia. Just quietly, I can't wait! We have had our final training session this morning; we did 90 minutes of cardio in the 'sweat box' gym. It is the gym that we have been frequenting for the past seven weeks for weights and cardio sessions, although it is like no other. It's humidity is about 90% (worse than any Brisbane day) and temperatures well into the thirty's, good for weight loss!
This afternoon we will be spending time transforming into normal people. The hair straighteners will be out again, washing the hair of course and packing our suitcases, strategically trying to fit about 40 kilograms of luggage into a 22kg suitcase and 7kg hand luggage. Some of us are struggling!
I will be flying back into Canberra on Wednesday night and then we have four days to recover from jet lag with some light training. Ready to get back into training Monday afternoon. I will be sure to keep you all updated on our progress in Canberra. Until then, ciao!

Almost Home!

Well it has been a long campaign, but it has disappeared relatively fast. Today the crew for the Olympic Games was announced as the four girls who were completing final selection were told of their positions. The crew for the Games now stands as Lizzie Patrick (cox), Sarah Heard, Sarah Tait, Kate Hornsey, Liz Kell, Brooke Prately, Natalie Bale, Pauline Frasca and Myself. At the moment, there is only one position for a reserve in Beijing, however, on the 23rd June we will be informed if Australia is allowed to have two reserves for the women's team. If so, the two girls who missed out on final selection will be able to go to Beijing, but not compete.
It is a hard situation as the eight is trying to move on with our progress, yet within our squad there are now two girls not feeling too great. We are all sensitive to their feelings, and hope that they will be able to accept their position and be able to meet us back in Canberra refreshed from a tiring campaign and support us towards our goal of winning the Olympic Games.
Outside of selection, I am finishing my final preparations for my exams. I will be sitting these at the AIS the week after I return home from Italy. It will be very exciting once they are over, as I plan to have the following semester study free to focus on the Olympics, and to enjoy my time off rowing post Olympics.
Well, with only four sleeps to go, I am finishing up the final touches of my European tan, just in time to return to Canberra and rug up again. The last few days of the tour have been bright and sunny which has been a nice change from the continual daily drizzle.
On that note, I best get my running shoes on and start the run to the gym...

Varese Camp 2

With only one week to go until we begin our journey back home, there is still so much to be done. At the moment, the eight is undergoing final selection for the last two seats in the boat. Due to special circumstances, the starting eight is being re-assessed and by the time we arrive back in Australia, the Olympic eight will have been named. Currently, there are six of us who are guaranteed a seat, including myself, but there are four girls who will be completing racing in pairs to gain an Olympic seat. It is quite a hard situation to be in. The reason it has come about, is because we have achieved two great results in the first two World Cups, and all members of the squad have been apart of at least one of these medal races. Although, I am confident that who ever ends up in the boat, would have fought hard for their position and is capable of adding something special to the crew.
This camp has been designed so it is very similar to our schedule in Canberra. Therefore, we have been afforded the luxury of having a day off today. I went into the town of Varese and enjoyed being a 'normal' person for a day. To classify being 'normal', it involves putting on jeans, jewellery, straightening my hair, buying one or two items of clothing and eating out for a meal. I got to do all activities, and the weather was the first blue sky day in Varese. Having said that, we are now experiencing a storm very similar to a Brisbane summer storm.
Well, the count down is on, silently anyway. We all try to keep quiet about how many days there are to go, otherwise it seems like the last few go forever! Until then, Ciao!

Lucerne Wrap Up

Racing the in the women’s eight event over the past two years has allowed me to experience some of the best racing of my career thus far. The Lucerne World Cup was no exception. It was a race where you remember taking the first stroke and that is about it. It is not until after the race when fellow team mates congratulate you and compare your race to that of a lightweight men’s four final, when you realise how close the race actually was. The women’s eight event is evolving into one of the hottest contested events, and while it is great to be apart of such a contest, it is also great to be one of the leading crews.
Although we finished a close 0.4 behind the USA, the two time world champions, we are happy with our result. Our international campaign has been worthwhile and all crew members have now experienced the battle of the women’s eight race. We have all assessed the race and look forward to going back to Varese, Italy and start our six week training block leading into the preparation camp.
Other than rowing, Lucerne is one of the most spectacular cities I have ever travelled to. It is an oasis within the peaceful surroundings of the Swiss Alps. I am glad that I finally was able to visit this beautiful venue and I hope it is not the last.