One Down, Three To Go

Well...as many of you know (or at least the two of you who are actually checking my blog since I've gotten too busy to post) I am in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Youth National Rowing Championships.

One of my kids...and she really is my kid, not biologically but her parents are good with sharing her...one of my kids qualified to race by finishing second at our District Championship in May. An accomplishment in and of itself.

We left KC early yesterday morning, driving in cross winds gusting up to at least 40 miles an hour, with a 30 foot single strapped to the roof of my Isuzu. Fun, really fun. Ten hours later we arrived at Harsha Lake. Very tired.

Paula raced this morning in the heats. Now this kid has trained for the last four weeks...preparing for this experience. She's rowing beautifully...confident, long, powerful, relaxed. We have been preparing for the competition. Talking a lot about speed, realistic expectations, attitude. She knew what to expect...we thought.

Everyone is fast. I mean, REALLY FAST. Everyone. All three heats were similar, top two really quick, next 3 closely bunched. She finished 5th with the 11th fastest time. 11 out of 15. 11 of the fastest kids in the country.

When she came off the water she looked a bit stunned. Like she was not quite sure what happened. I believe she might have been thinking "Oh...so you meant 'really' fast." That's what I read in her face.

She handled it very well. Processed well, didn't get emotional or freaked out. she sees the big picture and is ready for the reps.

She will race again this evening in the reps. (A repachage is a 'second chance' to advance. They took the top two from 3 heats and then will take top 3 from 2 reps to get the 12 girls who will race in the semi)

She needs to be top 3 to advance to the semi final. It will be a bit of a stretch but if there is a kid capable of racing out of her mind and advancing, it's this kid. She can turn the brain off and the motor on and just flat go.

That's what she'll need to do.

You can check results today and tomorrow at www.racetrak.com. She's in the Women's Youth Single.