Fabulous article on Backsplash .... TEAM SA IN KOREA Team SA are currently in Korea for the World Championships and we were lucky to catch up with James Thompson of the Mens Lightweight Four to see how the tour is going for them thus far; ” What are racing conditions like at the moment- warm? humid? cold? windy etc” Extremely hot and humid. Probably the most uncomfortable place I have had to train and race. The Greek Olympic course comes a close second but that is hot and dry. On the positive side the water is generally flat and other than bits of weed at some stages, it seems pretty fair which is all we really want. ” Would u rate the course compared to Dorney, Lucerne , Poznan etc? The course is flat and fair ,so that is great. Static umpiring has allowed the course to be very flat in racing, but training has been difficult as the boats wash bounces off the floating road, making it very uneven to row on. The organisers have put on a great venue with the racing being presented really well with big screens and commentary for all the rounds. The 1600m floating road they have made is quite remarkable. The Korean people have really been into the event and have come in their numbers to watch. ” When on a world cup or world champs tour how much paddling gets done in between racing( in kilometers)- warm ups, warm downs” What types of sessions get done? World cups are very different as it is a 3day regatta vs World Champs a week long regatta so we do a fair amount more paddling as you have days off between racing. In the build up to international regattas we do a little more speed work just to get the feeling. ” What types of meals would one would be having around racing time like now- is it specifically set per meal or more general? We don’t worry to much about food, just do the basics well. There are no secrets or short cuts. Before racing after the weigh in the lighties generally smash some future life. Post race we generally get some coke in as soon possible and then some USN for recovery. ”What is the local Korean food like? have you been able to sample a bit at all? Whats the weirdest thing on offer you have noticed so far? Food has been really good, we where a bit concerned of what we would find but it has been very civil. They serve steamed rice breakfast, lunch and dinner, but still have western style alternatives. Also the hotel has served french toast at every meal so far, like they are teasing the lightweights. After the racing we will probably be a bit more adventurous, but I’m pretty sure we ate cat the other day. Not sure but in the translation we where pretty sure it was not chicken, but tasted pretty good either way. ” What is the vibe like at international regattas? Social? Relaxed? Tense?” It can be all three I guess, we like to keep relaxed before through the regatta, not take things too serious. We know many of the athletes from around the world but guys generally keep to their own teams till after the racing, then it becomes pretty social! With in our team the vibe is generally very good, we train together more than most countries and this gives us a very close team. When you are over hear it really helps having good mates with you, humour is a big part of our team but most of the time we just laugh at john. ” Does the team have any other international teams that they prefer to hang out with or does everyone keep to themselves”? Before racing its always not exactly ox braai but we chat among countries. Most of the countries try fly guys out straight after racing, apparently its to do with costs. Sometimes we hang around and generally the kiwis are good for a few beers, but its pretty civil. ” What does the team do on your down time? Can guys go out and sight see or is it pretty restricted until racing is over?” Ya sight seeing is not ideal in race week, we do try get out of the hotel a little every day, but generally just a walk down to the coffee shop or something. There is a pretty cool Korean market down the road we have been to check out. There is not actually a lot of time with training twice a day and needing to recover between training is the main priority. Post the final regatta of the season a couple of guys always hang around a week or so and check out the area we have been in, sadly Boat Race is generally right after World Champs and the students of the team want to get back to be firing again for that. ” Who is the most childish/prankster on tour? Any good/funny stories? John has a great sense of humour, he laughs with us a lot and we laugh at him a lot. Don’t think it would be right to let the good stories out, thats half the reason to make the team. Thanks to James for giving us a bit of insight and all the best to Team SA!
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 10:17:09 +0000