I am proud to be an Athlete Ambassador for Team for Tomorrow.  Team for Tomorrow is an ongoing humanitarian relief effort of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams that consists of donations, volunteerism, disaster services, advocacy and other relief contributions.

In May, Team for Tomorrow saw its first action in the donation of 1,000 disaster relief tents to victims of the devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province that left approximately 5 million people homeless. Now, Team for Tomorrow is organizing Olympic and Paralympic athletes in a nationwide effort to assist families in need in the United States by donating service hours to Habiitat for Humanity.

Tomorrow is my first day to serve my local community by helping build a home.  I am fortunate to build on a project for two full days with my husband, Bob Cummins.  The following day, my father, Dave Mickelson, will take the hammer.  We are working with a group called, Together We Build.  This interfaith coalition, consisting of Christian, Jewish and Muslim congregations works together once a year for the last six years on a habitat jobsite.

It is my hope that in my first Habitat build, I will make friendships and learn the ropes to help on many a build in the future.  In those future builds, I hope my fellow Olympians and local rowers in the area will join the efforts of Habitat for Humanity to give back to the communities that have given us all so much. 

If there is anyone who would like to get involved, please visit www.habitat.org/teamfortomorrow .  Join us as we give of ourselves to better out communities and ourselves.

Habitat for Humanity in the United States:
An estimated 5.4 million American households face worst-case housing needs, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Receiving little or no government housing assistance, these families are unable to find a decent place to live at a price they can afford to pay. 
    More than 1,500 Habitat for Humanity affiliates are at work in the United States, building houses in partnership with people in need of decent, affordable housing.  Habitat houses are purchased by families at prices affordable to low-income Americans, thanks to the donated labor of Habitat volunteers, the support of partner organizations and the no-profit, no-interest terms of every Habitat for Humanity mortgage. 
    Habitat for Humanity has helped change the lives of more than 30,000 American families since its first U.S. affiliate was founded.  Habitat affiliates build in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Each affiliate is an independent, locally managed organization which corrdinates local construction and selects partner families without regard to race, religion, or ethnic group.

Team for Tomorrow Athlete Ambassadors:

Cheri Blauwet    Paralympic Track & Field
Eli Bremer    Modern Pentathlon
Crystl Bustos    Softball
Corey Cogdell    Shooting
Anna Cummins    Rowing
Dave Denniston    Paralympic Swimming
Jennie Finch    Softball
Nancilea Foster    Diving
Matt Reed    Triathlon
Donny Robinson    BMX Cycling

We did it!  We have won the gold medal! Many thanks to all of you for your support.  It was an incredible experience and I feel truly blessed.  

Life here has alternated between an agonizing period of waiting, and now bouts of Olympic frenzy.  I only have time to write this quick note and hope to post more later.  We were on the Today Show last night (8:30 in the morning in NYC) and I am finally able to see the Olympic Village, events, the Forbidden City, and spend time with my husband, Bob. 

I have been unable to access my website here in China, so if you get a chance, check out www.natrowing.org. I put in a few diary entries and posted some pictures.  The NRF is instrumental in funding our team and a great organization to check out!

Also, these two recent photos are from www.row2k.com, check there for the real photos and awesome Olympic coverage.  Ed Hewitt from Princeton runs the site and has been covering our team rain and shine.

Thank you to all who have written in the guest book.  I'll get back to you soon!  I was inspired by all of your comments and support.  We'll be back in the great USA after the closing ceremonies and I look forward to catching up and seeing everyone soon! 

Lots of love to you all from China!

Anna

We are now one week into our stay here in Beijing.  It was a relatively easy 12-hour plane flight and I was only detained for an hour and a half.  I’m such a rebel.  Technically, my passport number on my Visa didn’t match up and I should have been there for ten days.  Good thing that didn’t happen.  I did have to swing by the Athlete Village to become “eligible”.  That only meant I needed to sign some paperwork again and was a quick fix. 

Finally, the dysfunctional athletes and coaches joined up with the team and checked into a fancy hotel. A woman in a long red traditional Chinese gown led us from the main lobby under a large chandelier, up the sweeping marble staircase to our banquet room for dinner where there was an arrangement of Gerber daisies on each table. 

Not knowing what cuisine to expect, I brought a lot of food with me from home.  I am happy to report that much of this wasn’t necessary, but I am glad that Portia and I both brought a French press for our coffee!  The daily spread always leaves me full and happy.  At breakfast, there is a chef to personally fry up your eggs any way you like (I get a little omelet and an egg over easy to put on toast).  For lunch and dinner, there is always an arrangement of salad and a full Chinese buffet.  For those who can’t eat anymore Chinese food, the usual pasta with marinara, bread and butter, and apples and watermelon are always on hand.

The rowing venue is only about a five-minute bus ride away and this is the closest I have ever been to a course.  I love how quick and easy it is to get to practice and really appreciate the National Rowing Foundation for providing our team with this great location.  Many other teams and athletes have to take an almost hour long bus ride from the Athlete Village.  In our hotel is also Canada and Italy.  We are focused here and ready to race.

July 25th, 2008

One of the most looked forward to events for many Olympians is processing. The team meetings and travel are tough, but filling a shopping cart full of Olympic garb is thrilling.  From shoes to hats, outfits for opening to closing ceremonies, loungewear for the village to the racecourse, and the simple fun of a cart full of “free” gear reminds one of the Supermarket Sweep. 

After leaving the Princeton boathouse at 4am, we flew from Newark to San Jose.  San Jose State University was home to our processing and even though we were exhausted from travel and packing, we all found a bit more energy when a VIP was scheduled to attend.  What a rush when California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, entered the building. 

I was the first in line in the hallway and reached out eagerly to shake his hand.  With a firm grip and a smile, the Governor met each athlete. He gave a short inspiring speech and humored us with many more photos.  My favorite part was when Paul Teti captivated him with details of their training regimen.

We filled our shopping carts full with gear, tried on leather jackets, golden rings, took a head shot and some lucky rowers even had an interview with the media frenzy.  At our team meeting, Donna de Verona, an Olympic swimmer and the first female television sportscaster, inspired us with her words of experience.  The grand finale was a stunning video by one of the great voices of contemporary literature, Maya Angelou, reciting a poem inspired by the team USA phrase, “amazing awaits.”  We were outfitted inside and out and ready for our Olympic experience.  

Our women’s Olympic eight has just been named.  After an incredibly hard year of tough training and tight racing amongst the squad, this is a bittersweet day.  For those of us who made the boat, we are thrilled to have achieved the first part of our goal.

At the same time, our training group is just like a family.  It is heart wrenching when the family is split up.  I really feel for our sisters who came so close to their dream.  We are all stronger because of the depth of our group.  In a way, even though only nine make the eight, it is all 15 who made it as fast as it is.  We pushed so hard against each other, it made us all tougher. 

We will no longer be competing against one another, but joining together to take on the world!  We have 43 more days until we get our chance to show how far we’ve come. 

The 2008 US Women’s Olympic Eight is… (pending USOC approval)…

Mary Whipple- the best coxswain ever!  She has coxed the US since 2001 and was my coxswain at the UW when I first started rowing in the Fall of 1998.  Rowing the eight isn’t rowing the eight without Whipple.  This is Mary’s eighth year in the eight.

Caryn Davies- our sweet and graceful, yet ferocious racing 6’4” stroke.  Caryn is a graduate of Harvard and from Ithaca, NY.  She sat 7-seat in Athens and has continued to build her sweet rhythm ever since.  This is Caryn’s fifth year in the eight. 

Caroline Lind- a super strong graduate of Princeton, she has been knocking on the Olympic rowing door since she first started training with the team (when she was still in high-school!).  Just barely missing out on Athens, Beijing will welcome Caroline.  She is a force in the small boats as well as she and teammate Elle placed 2nd and 3rd in the pair at the World Cups this year.  This is Caroline’s fourth year in the eight.

Susan Francia- our team joker who brings so much fun to the boat.  She graduated from Penn where she walked on the rowing team and joined the US group full time in 2005 and has given me a nice fist pound before every race (I usually get to sit behind her).  I now watch the USA on the back of her unisuit and think… United Susan and Anna! This is Susan’s fourth year in the eight.

Elle Logan- our new junior.  At only 20 years old and heading into her sophomore year at Stanford next year, Elle is making her first senior national team as an Olympian!  She is also a great pair rower and won two World Cup medals this year in the pair with Caroline.  Last year, she was a spare at the senior worlds and won bronze in the U-23 women’s eight.  This summer, she is part of the engine room and making her first appearance in the eight.

Anna Goodale- is good.  Really good.  She walked on the rowing team at Syracuse and joined the US group full time in 2005.  She is a trustworthy, strong, country loving teammate and a great artist.  This is Anna’s fourth year in the eight. 

Lindsay Shoop- brings a little southern flare to the team.  From Charlotesville, Va and graduating from Virginia, Shoop joined the US group full time in 2005.  She loves to smile and tell stories.  This is Lindsay’s fourth year in the eight. 

Erin Cafaro- has fully recovered from breaking her rib in April and is still on her way up, up, up.  From Modesto, California, she rowed at Cal and joined the team full time in 2007.  After winning gold last year in the senior four, she will bring her strength and determination to the eight for the first time. 

And…. Anna Cummins.  I made it too!  I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.  It is an honor to row with these incredible women.  Now, on to Beijing!

Portia and I won our Olympic pair trial and are on the 2008 US Olympic Team.  It was an amazing set of races against one of the best pairs.  Many thanks to all of you who were watching on-line (4:40am Seattle time...), and cheering from shore.  We heard all the cheers and really appreciate all of your support.  Thank you all for helping us take the next step towards our Olympic dream!!!

 

US Olympic Trials for qualified small boats, that includes the women’s pair, are finally here.  When Elle and Caroline declined to accept the pair bid after Lucerne, that gracious team first decision sent the boat to Trials.  There are now only four boats entered and whoever wins the best two out of three full 2,000-meter races will represent the US at the Olympics!  It is an exciting time with such great competition.  Please watch the races (if you are in the Princeton area)!  The first women’s pair race is Wednesday, June 11 at 7:40 am EST.  Racing starts at 7:30.  You can follow online by going to either <www.usrowing.org > or <www.row2k.com> .

6/8/08

Two months exactly until the opening ceremonies in Beijing.  Wow.  I can hardly believe it! 

Last week, I had my first 2k race of the season, or should I say, first three races.  Our team was in Lucerne, Switzerland for the second World Cup Regatta.  It was the best showing the US has ever had at a World Cup.  Lucky for me, my racing was the first final of the day so I was able to watch the medal haul and take it all in. 

Here is a quick recap:

-The women’s double came fourth and then accepted the first two positions on this year’s Olympic squad.  Congrats to Ellen Tomek and Megan Kalmoe. 
-The men’s straight four that had never even raced a 2k practice piece together was holding first position across the thousand, but couldn’t quite hold on against one of the toughest fields in the regatta.  They still managed to hold on to the bronze and pushed the usual favorites from Great Britain off the medals dock. 
-The women’s quad holding an all-new crew that had only been practicing together for about two weeks sprinted through the World Champions and earned the bronze.? Silver?
-The men’s quad, the race of the day, won the GOLD!!!  They beat the three time World Champions from Poland.  This crew also had only been together for about two weeks. 
-The women’s eight held off two charging crews, Canada and Australia, and earned the gold! 
-The women’s pair… well that I can go into more detail because I was there. 

Portia and I rowed the pair.  We had two great races to make the A Final.  First we raced the Australian pair that finished fourth at last year’s Worlds.  Then, in our semi-final, we raced New Zealand (2005 World Champions), Belarus (2007 World Champions), and China (6th in 2007, but winning this year’s first World Cup by a hefty margin).  Just as we warmed up for this race, a huge front came in to mix up our conditions.  When we launched for our warm-up, we had a nice tail wind.  Then, as the starting system went off, a massive rainstorm added to the now fierce head wind.  Through the race, I kept thinking, “Portia and I are from Seattle.  This is no problem.”  Top three to the final, and Portia and I came second to China and the World Champions headed to the B-Final. 

We were happy to then have a chance to race against all the top crews, including our amazing teammates, Caroline Lind and Elle Logan.  USA 1 and USA 2 (that was Portia and I) flanked China and the race was off.  We pushed early and held a solid second place through the 1500-meter mark.  Just as we were at the end of our tank, USA 1 put on the moves and had a smoking last 500.  A well fought race by all, the final result was China, USA 1, and USA 2.  I was thrilled to be on the medals dock just .9 seconds shy of the silver. 

Our training trip in Breisach, Germany and week of training in Lucerne, Switzerland were great steps forward to Beijing.  The whole team is now back in Princeton where we will finish up small boat selection this week and have the big boat team selection complete by June 25th.  I wonder what all of the US crews will do with two more months of rhythm?  The World will be watching come Beijing and I know we’ll be ready to perform.

Greetings from Breisach, Germany!  The team and I are having a training camp here in preparation for the second world cup regatta.  Two of our pairs and a double raced the first world cup and now we’re all training in this great little German town set atop a hill. 

I was injured before we left and I am proud to report that I have been rowing for a week and a half already, and feeling great!  We row on the Rhine.  When we launch, we go up stream on the French side and row back down the German side.  I have never been to France and am looking forward to our weekend trip to Strasbourg, France!  We leave the hotel in a half hour, so I have to go prepare my bag of tourist garb.  More to come later!

 

The month of April seemed to go on forever.  It was a long month for me because I was injured and missed a great racing opportunity at the Second National Selection Regatta. 

On April 12, I started to have pain in my right ribs.  I was really worried about this because I have never had rib pain before.  Whenever I hurt, it is always my low back that gives me struggles. I have become really good at navigating my symptoms and treating my back pain and considered myself very healthy!  However, back and ribs are connected and my ribs took the brunt this go around. 

After many days on the bike, physical therapy sessions, and thank goodness, a bone scan that showed no fracture, I am just about ready to row again.  For training, I have been on the stationary bike and doing some really hard weight circuits.  I’m feeling strong and ready to go.  I have trained on the erg for short easy rows and feeling really good.  Once I get up to sixty minutes on the erg pain free, I can hop back in a boat!

This time away from the water and away from training with the majority of the amazing women on the team has truly reignited my love of rowing and training for the Games.  Not that I wasn’t motivated before, by no means!  I was so excited for the NSR and really wanted to race the pair in Munich.   But like any relationship, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  That could not be more true to me right now. 

My teammates, Elle Logan and Caroline Lind, had a great race last weekend and won the women’s pair at the NSR.  Susan Francia and Anna Goodale came second and will join Elle and Caorline in Munich to race in the first World Cup.  The rest of our sweep group will join them afterwards and train in Germany in preparation for the Lucerne World Cup. 

As my physical therapist said, April showers brings May flowers.  Bring on May!

 

April 3, 2008

Back in Princeton, our schedule has not changed much since our training in San Diego.  The only big difference is that it is still cold here!  Spring is on the way as the leaves here have just started to pop and I am sure the warm weather will be here soon.

As for the daily grind, we are rowing at 9am and 2pm.  We lift a couple times a week and that is about it!  I’m doing the usual eat, row, eat, sleep, eat, row, eat, sleep, eat, sleep a long time, repeat! 

Next big thing on my rowing mind is NSR II where our women’s pairs will be racing.  Lots of work to do between now and then.  I better get to it.  

In one of our longer rows we do in the pairs, four times 25 minutes, I often go through phases of greatness and then, well, not so great.  This repetitive sport will lead me at times to either zone out or simply not hold on to my best strokes.  

The coming and goings of focus through the long mornings out on the lake are something I have been thinking about a lot lately.  Working with a sports psychologist, I learned that every stroke won't be perfect.  I learned that every practice will have moments of wandering away from true focus.  These things shouldn't have surprised me, but the reality of it did.  Of course I don't have to have perfect focus every day!  No one is perfect!  

Since that day, I have learned to realize when my focus drifts away.  I am working on this skill for race day and when I am distracted by say, a messy stroke I just took, I can bring myself back to being relaxed and cool, circling up and over the waves. 

In my daily rows, I tend to think about very random and unimportant distractions.  For example, I can get mentally focused on say, thinking about the tasty fish taco I am going to have for lunch.  I have learned to gently bring myself back to the task at hand and even incorporate it into the row. 

"Anna, that fish taco will be fabulous, but you can't have it right now.  Let's think about making this a great row.  Yeah, lets get the legs down a little faster here.   Fish Taco ten.  Ha ha, if only Portia knew I was thinking about a fish taco for ten strokes.  I should tell her.  She'll think I'm funny.  I think I'm funny.  Ha ha.  Maybe I should make a call for fish tacos.  Maybe I'll just keep this one to myself because I don't want to bring Portia into my weird little world.  I'll just make a call for legs.  Yeah, I'm going to keep it to myself.  Fish taco, fish taco...." 

Today, my pair partner for the week, Portia McGee, had a great call at about an hour into the row just as we were both starting to bonk.  She said to "force the focus."  Her call really got us to push through the hard middle strokes.  We also started to visualize some other boats and pretend we were racing, but the combination of forcing our focus and remembering why we were out there really did the trick to pull a great row back from the brink. 

We have nine more days here in San Diego before heading back to Princeton.  I sure am going to miss going to Rubios for a fish taco.  But first, I sure am ready for race pieces tomorrow! 

Our team was featured in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated! S.I. did a special on "Olympic Training Towns" across the country that support their hometown hopefuls and Princeton was featured! Here is the link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/02/27/oly.princeton/index.html?section=si_latest

I will repeat my quote because it is so true: "Thank goodness for the people of Princeton!" I want to especially thank the Honstein family that provides a roof over my head and welcomed me into their family, Marc Nowak my Physical Therapist, Skip Sorriero my Chiropractor, massage therapists Lois Harrison and Rich Carlson, Father Tom who did Bob and my pre-marital counseling, and Princeton Presbyterian Church!

Thanks Everyone!

As for a rowing update, I'm back to rowing again at full force after a week and change of battling a nagging back injury. I usually enjoy writing in this web diary when things are going well. It is much harder to report when the going gets tough. However, any time there is a lag between posts, don't assume I am injured! Sometimes, I am simply too tired!

It is always physically and mentally tough to train at this level. For my part, I can only stretch, rest, eat well, and do my back exercises. With the amount of work our team does each week, it eventually becomes more than I can handle on my own. Then, it is time to call in the professionals! I try to see a chiropractor, physical therapist, and massage therapist on a regular basis. And, if my back is still unhappy, I have to miss a day or two of practice on the water to let my body regroup.

Last evening, we did a steady 20k erg, broken up into 5k segments. We started at 4:30 pm just before sunset and finished in the dark under the stars. It felt like I was stuck in time and everything kept moving around me. The mountains turned from shades of yellow and green, to purple and blue, to black and more black. I simply stayed steady, pushing back and forth on the silly machine and the world kept turning, leaving our team in the dark. As Portia said at the end, “I’ve never erged under the Big Dipper before.” Even after rowing for as long as we have, it is neat to think there are still new things to experience.

Our team eventually made it to San Francisco. The weather has been so strange lately and the day we need to make our little flight from San Diego to San Francisco, the Bay Area was getting pounded with rain, so we had to hang out in the airport for about five hours. We eventually made it to the Olympic Ambassador Conference and met up with an incredible group of athletes all hoping to make the US team for Beijing.

We had all sorts of talented speakers, accomplished Olympians, and an improve group lead us in activities to help prepare us for representing the US abroad. I took away two really important things from the conference. First is that it’s all about the amazing people on this journey with us, hence the slogan “amazing awaits.” Meeting the other athletes and coming together with a common dream is invaluable. I met the coolest track athletes, soccer players, wrestlers, synchronized swimmers, and softball players!

A second thing I took from the conference is that going to the Olympics is an opportunity to put myself out there and it doesn’t hurt to think about what I would say if on the Today Show for 20 seconds. Would I focus on getting more people to understand the sport of rowing and have them give it a try? Will it be a focus on healthy living? Maybe a sponsor at Nike will read this and pay me a million dollars to wear their gear and say, “just do it”? Well, that won’t happen, but what I say will have an impact. I just want to make sure I impact the world for the better.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the reality of real life rowing is going full speed ahead. Until now, I haven’t had a chance to reflect on the conference at all. I’m on the erg, the water, and in the weight room trying to make it to Beijing! I do have great news to report in that our team did a 6k erg test on Monday and I had a massive personal record. I have made a lot of changes in the past year to my technique and diet and it is awesome to see that those were changes in the right direction. Now, to keep transferring that speed to the oar! There is still much work to be done.

What does a typical evening look like at the training center for me? Usually after evening practice, I head to the dining hall for about an hour, call my husband to talk for about thirty minutes, turn on the tele to watch American Gladiator or something just in from Blockbuster online and peel a grapefruit. And, I will always read for a short bit before turning out the lights. It isn’t glorious, but it entertains me and makes me happy!

Tomorrow our teams are headed to San Francisco for an Olympic Ambassador Program, hosted by the USOC. We will only be there for just over 28 hours, but in that time, I am sure we’ll have a great time. I don’t know much about what we will be up to, but I know we will meet many other athletes with their hopes set on Beijing, athletes from past Games, and of course, I am sure there will be some bits about China and what it will be like to represent the USA. This will be a needed break from our hard training. It won’t be too much of a rest as we will be so busy for the weekend, but it will be a nice change.

I must say, though, that I am most looking forward to seeing my husband for an hour and a half during one of the breaks! He’ll be in town for a work conference. What are the chances of that?

I am now a happily married woman! With rowing picking up intensity and duration it seems just about daily, I could not be more thankful for my second half. Bob is truly great at understanding and supporting my efforts on the team and he really makes me stronger. It is times like these – three practices a day, selection right around the corner, emotions tipping the gunnels – that a loving and patient husband helps keep me on keel, even from 3,000 miles away. Tight friends and family help too.

I am with the US women training in sunny San Diego at the Olympic Training Center. We are lifting, rowing, and running toward Beijing. In preparation for our early selection races in the small boats, we are switching up our small boat partners weekly to find a fast combination and strengthen our big boat dynamics. I truly don’t know what else to say other than that we’re working hard and we’re real tired. Come August, there will be no regrets!

I just wanted to say a quick hello and update you on the latest. We are so happy with our win in the eight from this summer and also qualifying the pair for the Olympics. However, happy doesn't mean we have stopped training. Here in Princeton, NJ our squad is doing two to three workouts a day. We are getting very fit for the big races coming up this summer. More to come- Anna

The USA has qualified the women’s pair for the Olympic Games next summer. Phew. Glad we checked that task off. And, with a spot to spare.

Portia and I needed to be in the top two in our B final yesterday in order to be in the top eight qualifying spots for the Olympics. So, that was our race plan. First step, get in qualifying position. This was all business.

Off the start, I was very frantic. I took the rate way too high and struggled to settle. We both were trying to get into our rhythm, but it sure took a while. Portia was right on in calling us to be cool. Over and over, she called ‘cool’. By about the 600 meter mark, we were finally in our rhythm. We were in the race, but the Russians and Canadians were up, but not by much! So, we took a push to get into a secure second position. The push worked and we moved.

Next step, go for the win. Canada often has lightning fast starts in a tail wind so it was no surprise that they were up at the 1000 meter mark by about a length. Portia called out our race plan and we pushed for the new race to begin there. It was in this second half of the race that we regained even more control of our own boat speed and started walking on the leaders. With 500 meters to go, we pushed longer and harder. Not higher like we had in our semi final. Learning from our last race, we found a confident push in sending our legs and started to walk toward the line with more speed.

With 250 meters to go, again we were still patient, but put our final push on to hold off Canada at this point. We made it to the line first and were so happy for one another.

Wow. We were only together for one week and we beat last year’s world champions and qualified the boat along for next year. That was a great achievement and a really good race for us. Portia went on to do her final in the four only two hours later. She won that too!

I on the other hand, have my next race today at 3:15. We are just about to leave the hotel and do a row during the lunch break to loosen up. This is it, the eight final. Our eight is ready to fight to the line every stroke. Go USA

Hi all. Just a quick one here as I find myself so busy, I haven't even written about my races in my journal yet! My nap is calling me...

Today, Portia and I had an awesome pair race for our semifinal. We did exactly our race plan and executed really well. I think it was one of my best pair races ever. Portia said it was for her as well. I am really proud of what we were able to do after only practicing together for six days.

We held our own with a really tight field and were oh so close to making the A final. Our start was clean, there were five boats across for a good way. With a good bit of head wind, we really had a chance to use our legs and fire away (hence, the really slow times for the day). Then, for the second half of the race, there were four boats across going for the three qualifying positions. With each move, we took seats. I could hear my coach yelling from his bike, "You're moving, you're moving," and it gave me good bursts of confidence that we could pull it off. Coming into the last 250, I snuck a peak and swear we had China by a seat. There was no more room to look, only time to go, so we drove it hard to the line. I eventually saw the board read USA next to the 4 and was so sad that we were so close. We raced a great field including the Olympic silver medalists (BLR) and two world cup gold medalists (NZL and CHI).

We get a second shot to qualify the US pair for the Olympics as we strive to take top two in the B final. This is the major goal for Saturday. Joining us in the B final will be last years world champions from Canada. It really was a tough, tight year to race the pair with many fast crews. It's not over yet though and Portia and I will be gunning for it on Saturday.

I'm sad to report that it looks like my original pair partner, Megan Cooke, will be unable to recover in time for Saturday's final. She has torn something around the disk in her back and it just isn't getting better in time. So, please keep her in your prayers as she continues to recover. She is one of the most amazing rowers I have had the chance to row with and is deeply missed.

As for yesterday, the eight rep went really well. We have picked up speed and learned some things from our heat. We won a well fought race against Great Briton and China. We will continue to pick up speed as we head to the A final on Sunday. The final will be a really tight race that should come down to the final meters to determine the World champs. Top five get the automatic to the Olympics so everyone will be putting out their best shot.

Ahhh, the nap is really calling me now. Thanks for cheering and I'll try to keep you all posted! Remember, www.row2k.com/worlds and www.worldrowing.com for up to date info!

Today, we had a solid race in our eight. We had a good start and push through the 1250. Australia steadily took back our four seat lead and pushed through the sprint. We are eager to have another go and get faster with each practice and race. Time to get ready for our next practice already! My next race will be the rep for the eight on Wednesday. Until then...