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Splash Quotes

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Julie Nichols, lightweight women’s double sculls – “I’m proud of all the effort we put in, all the hard work we’ve done, working on this. It’s definitely not the outcome we were hoping for or looking for.”

Gevvie Stone, women’s single sculls – “It was a great race. I wanted to come out here and put all the pieces together, row well. I was fortunate to be in lane six and I just put my race together. I was right with everyone at the 500 (meter mark), which is something I have never done internationally and I just said, ‘Go with it, long and strong. It’s a head wind and this is what you like to do.’ I kept pushing myself. I was rowing pretty efficiently, I think. I’ll have to ask my dad, who is my coach, what he thinks. But it felt great. You never know how many chances you’re going to get to row on an Olympic course and I wanted to make this one a good one.”

Henrik Rummel, men’s four – “It feels good, but I thought we were catching them and they did a great job holding us off. You have to make a lot of sacrifices to get here, but it’s definitely worth it.”

Charlie Cole, men’s four – “We thought if we had our best race we would have a chance at a silver or gold, but we had a pretty darn good race and we came away with bronze, which isn’t a disappointment. We’re on the podium now. Which was goal number one. Henrik is right, we thought we were there. We’ll have to watch the tape and see what happened. I don’t know.

“Certainly I think people have to be excited about the work we’ve put in. We put in a lot of hard work since last year. We’re young guys and we have a lot to look forward to and we’ll have to think about and reflect on our performance and let the dust settle. But we have a lot to be confident about and hopefully a lot to look forward to in our rowing careers.”

Scott Gault, men’s four – “The guys behind me laid down a powerful rhythm and I just went with it. We pounded down the course, didn’t give a stroke up, and stayed focused. There was a chance there where we wanted to sprint to the line there to get a silver; we gave it everything we had. We’re going home with smiles on our faces.

“I just know the last two hundred and fifty meters, I laid everything on that oar, just everything I possibly could. And right before the end, I had absolutely nothing left.

“This is a tribute to (Tim McLaren, men’s head coach). He brought a couple of athletes who have never been in an Olympics, never won a medal, even at a world championship. We prepared for these games, were more professional in the way we prepared than in anything else I have ever done in my life and I give that all to Tim.”

“He’s been around for so many Olympics and he’s seen it all and we trusted him and that trust got us to this.”

On last year: “It was tough. There is such a big difference between fourth and third; it’s the difference between standing on the podium and going home with your head down. And it just fueled the fire for the rest of the year, every single practice, every single day.

“These last four years have been good. We were fortunate to have Tim McLaren. He’s an incredible coach. We started the quadrennial with not a great performance. We really had to work from what we were given. These three guys to my left are incredible athletes and Tim really coached them well and we really built the program together. We all worked hard.

“None of us have ever won a world championship medal, three had never been in an Olympics before. To my right, is a group with plenty of medals, plenty of gold medals. But with Tim McLaren we were better prepared than a lot of people and we just really focused with professionalism and that really got us to the medal table here and I’m really happy about that.”

Glenn Ochal, men’s four – “This feels great. We wanted to come here and have a good race and that was a damn good one. We wanted to run with those guys and we were overlapped the whole time, we tried to push it and they just kept inching out and they got us.

“They’re good crews, but we’re happy to be right where we are right now. It’s great for Tim (McLaren), he’s a really good coach, a really good coach, as evidenced by this. It’s been since 1992 since we had a medal in the four. We have some real speed out there. It wasn’t a two boat race. Maybe everyone thought it was, but it wasn’t a two boat race.

“This means a lot. It’s an honor to race for your country, it’s an honor to race in the Olympics. These days, everything is televised, so everyone is home watching, which is pretty cool. I represent my country, my family, my high school, my college and it’s an honor.”

“I’m coming back. This performance was great, but there are two boats in front of us.”
 
Tim McLaren, head men’s coach – “I think it was a good effort from the guys. I think they did a great job. There’s a lot of medals in those two boats. And we fought through, we had the fastest third five hundred, and we had some overlap there in the fourth, so there was a bit of a scramble in the end and the guys laid it out there.

“Once you get to know all the guys, it’s a personal thing. You know what it means. When you get older, you know these things a bit more. I feel for Mike (Teti) and the guys (in the fourth-place U.S. men’s eight). I thought they were a bit stiff in their race and it was awfully, awfully close in their race between those five eights. After an average start, they really dug in. I think coaches really admire all those things, but unfortunately without the medals, it’s hard.

“I think there’s been a better job, all things considered. We had a few experienced guys, fourth in the eight, third in the four, this is a deeper field in this Olympics. Our sculling still needs work, but it developed some guys for the sweep program. The guys in the four, this is the first time together racing as a group and that will give them some confidence. Three of them are going on and some guys in the eight are going on and some of the scullers are going on and we have some good kids in the u23 group this year and last year. I think we’re in a reasonable place. If we can tighten it up, we can continue to press on.

“We’ve come with a rush this year. Our results the last few years haven’t been anything at all to get excited about and here we are. We’re competitive again, we look a little more respectable than we have, and I’m grateful.”

Glenn Merry, USRowing CEO - “This group has performed as they were supposed to. They came in and they developed over four years. The women’s eight continues to excel and continues to make that a huge opportunity for us. But that men’s four. I’ve watched the progression of that for USRowing.
 
“I asked Tim when I hired him to focus on a boat outside of the eight and I wanted to know that when we get through this, that we can make progress towards a medal and he said yes, I think we can do that.
 
“We both thought the eight would also medal, but this four, watching the progression, there were a lot of naysayers after last year. I heard the U.S can’t do this, the U.S. is doing things wrong, and we’ve made wrong decisions. We’re not making wrong decisions. It’s hard to win medals. It’s a marvelous success and the women’s success, an unprecedented success. All three of these boats, plus the women’s pair, is the result of a system we didn’t start until 1992 and wasn’t fully engaged until 2004. Three of those camp boats made it through to the medals.

 

Friday, August 3, 2012

Margot Shumway, women’s double – “We raced it from start to finish. It definitely wasn’t pretty in the end. I thought we were going to get fourth. And then New Zealand and China both countered our moves. But we raced it. We held nothing back.”

“I think it speaks a lot to who Sarah and I are as athletes. We came from outside the system, had a pretty lucky break after trials and we took it and made the most out of it. We really proved that we are a fast crew, that we have a lot of talent between us. And bottom line is we have a lot of trust in what we are doing between us. I thought we had fourth. It got a little ugly in the end. We were in lane one. It’s not a favored lane. But it also speaks to the rest of the crews in that race that no mater what, no matter what place you’re fighting for, people are fighting. It’s been quite a journey.”

Sarah Trowbridge, women’s double sculls – “I think we had nothing to lose in the race and I just wanted to walk away from this Olympic regatta knowing I had nothing left in the tank, nothing else to give. Margot and I went out there looking for a fight, looking to push us way past any limit that we’ve ever had and so although that’s not the finish that we wanted I’m very proud of our race.

“I think that if you go so hard that you can’t cleanly execute the last few strokes that’s better than having a pretty finish. There was a pretty good wind out there. It just wears you down. Honestly we didn’t let it get to us. We just went really hard and from my understanding we were in the pack crossing the finish line and I think that’s really cool and that’s a step up and that’s a great thing for us.”

“Next year I’m coaching at Yale. I’m excited to join that group and I’m excited to continue along this journey, see if I can help the next group of girls. I definitely won’t close the door on rowing or racing again but at least for this next year I’m gonna try sitting in the launch a little bit and drink my coffee throughout practice."

Silas Stafford, men’s pair – “It was the last race. Who knows if we are going to get to race in the Olympics again? We kind of laid it all out there and I think we did good. I’m still disappointed we’re not in the final but we have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s just awesome to be here and to race against such extremely talented crews and just to be in the environment. There is nothing like it in the world.

“We get here every morning and the crowd is already going nuts. I don’t think there is a crowd anywhere in the world, the NFL, the NBA, probably the premier league that is yelling that loud at eight o’clock in the morning.

Tom Peszek, men’s pair – “It’s just awesome to race with the USA on your back like that. I wish we could have done better than eighth, but we gave a lot and I’m really proud of what we did and what we accomplished.

“I thought it was a pretty solid piece. We came out of the blocks pretty sharp, like we always have, and we just hung on to it from there. There was a lot of give and take, a lot of fighting, especially from the Poles, the Germans and the Greeks in the end there.  The Greeks were ahead of us and I just suggested to Silas that we should go get them and we did. I just told him and he did it.

“We don’t see crowds like this at all. Maybe just parents, but this is pretty awesome. And they’re cheering for everyone, OK maybe a little harder for the GB, but they cheer for everyone.”

 

Thursday, August 2, 2012

 
Mary Whipple, coxswain, women eight – “It was plan A all the way and it was beautiful. Right from the start we knew we were just tapping into the power we had developed. And when that boot went down and we went to work, it was game over.”

“Coming off the line, I felt so much power. And then when we took our stride that was beautiful. We were a little high and I just told them to breath and enjoy this moment. Feel each stroke. Be present. And we were present that whole time. It was magical.”

Susan Francia, women’s eight – “That is an American dynasty baby.  That’s right. It was a great race. A little bit tough conditions, but it was awesome. We were confident. We knew we could do it.

“During the race there is never such a thing as you know you’ve got it at this level. Stuff happens out there. It was good. We just kept motoring forward. We caught almost a little crab there at 300 hundred to go but we got it right back.

“It’s just so special, it’s pretty cool. There are a lot of outside pressures but the biggest pressure is the one we put on ourselves and those are the most important.”

Esther Lofgren, women’s eight – “This is the best feeling in the world. We were having the race of our lives and I was thinking just keep it going, keep it going. The conditions were a little bumpy out there, but we just kept pushing though everything. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

Erin Cafaro, women’s eight – “It’s just awesome. It’s just as sweet as before. It’s been a long journey with a lot of ups and down and it was all worth it. You know there is a lot of noise that goes on in your in your head, especially when you take the volume down from 200 plus kilometers of training a week down to, I don’t know, about 50 kilometers, and so your brain is very active and it comes down to being silent and simple.”

Tom Terhaar, head women’s coach – “I try not to think more than a month ahead. So it’s not like we’re thinking about how do we keep it going. We just think, can we get a little bit faster?”

“It’s getting the right heads and the right bodies in the right boats. Getting the best athletes the best opportunity to win a medal and, fortunately, people stuck around and some young kids came up and it just created this incredible depth.

“What did we have, 13 female athletes from the States have a medal?  That’s huge because I watched a couple of Olympics where it was four and the best athletes, who were very good athletes, came home with nothing. So that’s what’s exciting to me.”

Caroline Lind, women’s eight - “I think it’s a testament to the sheer determination and the heart of the women in the boat. I think that’s what it comes down to because I know that there are other women who are physically gifted and are amazing rowers, but the difference between everyone else and the American team is that we want it bad. We want it more, and I think that heart and togetherness, we do it as a unit, we’re stronger as a unit, is what makes us different.”

Caryn Davies, women’s eight – “So I was sitting on the start line and I thought about something Mary said to me about three years ago, maybe a little bit more. I was thinking about whether or not I wanted to come back and go for another Olympics and she said ‘I want to feel what it feels like to sit on the start line and have that excitement running though me, and I want to look you in the eye and know that we can have a great race and I thought about that on the start line.

“There is just no feeling like that. Having all that adrenaline running through you and knowing you can have a great performance if you do what you know how to do and thankfully that’s something I’ve been able to do for three Olympics now and there’s nothing I would rather share with my teammates.”

Julie Nichols, lightweight women’s double sculls – “I think we put it all out there. Tough field, really competitive field. We’re obviously pretty disappointed but we have a statement to make in our next race. We’re going to give it everything and make a statement there.”

Kristin Hedstrom – “I’m very proud of what we’ve done and the way we’ve competed as a crew this year and last year. We went out to make the Olympic A final and that would have been great, but I think we put up a really good fight in doing so. But it’s a great field. Credit to our competitors.”

Gevvie Stone, women’s single sculls – “I wanted to go out there and have the race of my life and make the top three. It’s a really fast field and I hoped to go out and catch (Emma Twigg from New Zealand.) She’s fast and I didn’t handle the conditions as well as I could have and I went out there and I did fight and I did think I could have rowed possibly more effectively.”

“But I put my heart out there and I want to go out there in the B final and have the race of my life.”

Scott Gault, men’s four – “Yeah, the race was pretty good. Pretty tricky conditions with the cross tailwind, so we had to focus on the rhythm and the rowing to get through and it was a little scratchy, but we got the job done. I think more importantly it was the low profile we've had all year - not going to the world cups and focusing on training. I think we're seeing that pan out.

“Germany took off in the lead, but we knew it was going to be a long race, so getting that early lead was probably going to make them hurt down the race. Once we stopped their advances, we went to work and just started chipping away at them. Then once we saw we got the lead, we knew it wasn't going to be easy, we had to keep pushing.”

“Saturday is going to be the big dance. Obviously, there’s a couple of crews from the other semi that are going to be really fast. Our focus is still going to be staying ahead of the Greeks, staying ahead of the Germans. I think if we can get that done, we can look at the medals from there.”

Glen Ochal, men’s four – “We kept it inside our boat. We were ahead by halfway, right where we wanted to be. We weathered the storm in the first half because people were doing a lot of crazy things. We stuck to our rhythm and that carried us. Greece gave us a little trouble there in the end, but we stayed ahead of them.

“We have to row pretty well on Saturday. It’s good to get another race under our belt, but we have to be ready for Saturday.”

Charlie Cole, men’s four – “We didn’t really know what to expect because GB and Australia were in the other semi and everyone in this one was going to think that they really had a chance. We just thought that everyone would throw something at us and we were trying to focus on us, on our rowing and weather the storm and see if we could come out on top. We’ll go in and talk about it and see what we can improve for next time. I think we’re going to have to make some improvements if we want to come home with a medal. So we’re going to try and see what we can improve over the next couple of days.”

“We’ll see Greece again and we know they’re good. They beat us last year. They’ve beaten us many times, more than once last year. We know they’re good. We know that they’re going to really do everything they can in the finals so we’ll see.

“We’re pretty pleased with our crew. We know we have a chance.”

Henrik Rummel, men’s four – “It feels good to be in the final. I think we could have done a little better to handle the conditions, but all that said I am happy with the way that that turned out. There was a very strong cross wind that makes you go down to port and it makes it feel heavy. It makes the race tougher. You can definitely feel it at the start. But everyone is dealing with it. We just have to make sure we handle it well.”     

Will Newell, lightweight men’s four – “The start wasn't terrible. We were in sixth, but we were sort of in the pack. We weren't too worried about the margins. There was less looking out of the boat. We just tried to get into a good long rhythm. I think we executed that well, and it left us a little more juice in the last quarter.”

I think we handled the conditions well. It was really swirly wind, and it would be cross-tail but then you'd feel a gust of head(wind). We had a better-executed piece than in the semifinal. We were happy to improve on our last performance. It was mixed results, but overall it's been pretty positive. We're definitely in a better position than we were last year. I think when you can identify sort of definitive improvement over a twelve-month time span, it's an encouraging thing.”

 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Natalie Dell, women’s quadruple sculls – “We’re really happy. It was a great race. We just kind on went of trust every stroke because this is our first regatta together. I don’t know what Adrienne was doing (at stroke), but it was great. We kind of died in the last five hundred meters. I feel like we had nothing left. I said 10 strokes and I didn’t believe myself because I had had two left in me, and then I said five strokes, and then I don’t remember what happened after that.”

“But we crossed the line and I was paranoid that I had lost track of the boats,” she said. “I couldn’t tell where Great Britain was and I thought we had third but I didn’t know if Great Britain was behind us or in front of us.”

"It's a different dynamic when the Olympics is the very first time you've raced together as a group. This is our debut. And there's really not any room for error. The best way I can describe how to bring a crew together very quickly is trusting each other right away. 

While we don't have international racing experience together as a boat, the selection process that we went through to represent the United States was brutal. We raced together enough during selection that we can trust each other and we can race together. So we came into this regatta new to racing, but not new to each other."

Megan Kalmoe, women’s quadruple sculls –  “This feels good. We went out for gold, we went hard, we went aggressive and we came away with bronze, but we’re happy to bring home a medal and it’s the first one in a really long time in this event for the women and we did the best we could.”

“The conditions were awesome today. The girls emptied the tank. We had our best performance, I think. I am happy but we come here for gold. That’s what all the athletes come for and it’s a great achievement and we’re happy with that. But there is always room to go up a few steps and hopefully next time it will be gold.”

"We were really lucky this year to have three women back from the world championship women's quad from last year. Our new member to come in this year is Kara Kohler. She's a very talented young athlete who just jumped right in and match up with us really well. We owe a lot of this to her."

Kara Kohler, women’s quadruple sculls – “Our goal at the end of the day is to push ourselves as hard as we can. I really didn’t know where I was. I was just trying to pull my butt off. I was just listening to Natalie, she was calling seats and it sounded like we were going to get a medal and I just kept pushing to get ahead. I was just waiting for USA to come up on the board and it did. I was a little tired. It was a long race. But I’m so happy.”

Adrienne Martelli, women's quadruple sculls - "I don't think that I could be any happier than I am right now. I am so proud of my boat and my team and what we have accomplished. It's such an honor to represent my team, my country, my friends and my family."
 
Sarah Zelenka, women’s pair – “You say to yourself you want that medal so bad and you do everything you can to get it. We were fighting back and we were right in it at the end and we just missed by point-two. It’s disappointing. Fourth place is not the best place that you want to be in, but I can say that I am proud of how far we’ve come throughout the year.

“Right now it hurts because it is such a fresh wound, but I think in a few days we’re going to be proud of how we did.

Sara Hendershot, women’s pair – “It’s a tough emotion and I’m bummed out. Fourth place is the hardest most painful place to finish. But man was that a cool race. It was so awesome. We did everything we possibly could and I trusted Sarah the whole way down the course and we gave it everything we had.

“In the last 500 meters I was yelling, ‘silver, silver’ and I think they had just a little bit more. But we did everything we possibly could.”

Ken Jurkowski, men’s single sculls – “I've been trying to work through some injuries and it hasn't been going so well, it's very difficult.  It's a huge privilege to race here. It's what you spend all your time training for. It's just disappointing when the best you can do, is the best you can do.”

Silas Stafford, men’s pair – “It was rough. We’ve been building through the regatta; it’s gotten a little bit better every piece. We would obviously like to be in the final and it’s disappointing, but we rowed well and we don’t have anything to be ashamed of.

“The B finals are never that much fun. But we’re going to regroup and try and build on this one and beat those crews again and the other crews from the semifinals that didn’t make it out.”

Tom Peszek, men’s pair – “I wouldn’t be surprised to see those guys go one, two, three in the final. They are some really strong crews. But we’re happy and pleased to have gotten the experience to race them today. We’re not ashamed of that.

“Every place matters. If it’s fighting for tenth, it’s tenth. If we’re fighting for seventh, we want it. We want every single place and every single second we can get.”

Jake Cornelius, men’s eight – “It was a really tough race, it’s disappointing. There is not much we can say. We didn’t get out fast enough and we spent most of the race trying to get back on terms and I thought we did a decent job of that but it wasn’t enough in the end. It’s disappointing. We’re really fortunate to be here. I just wish we could have put on a better show for the people who supported us.”

Mike Teti, men’s eight coach – “I’m disappointed. But you can’t fault the effort by these guys. They fought the whole way. It was not a great start but the way they fought back in the end in the second part of the race was really a testament of who they are and I’m really proud of them.”

“I wanted them to win a medal for them. They have come a long way and they were in a really good position. A couple of tenths here, a couple of tenths there, and they’re on the right side of it. You can’t argue with that effort. They were out of the race they got back in it and they fought really, really hard to get a medal. These crews are pretty evenly matched.”

“This is probably the closest eight final in my memory. I’ve never seen one where there were six boats within a length of each other and I’ve been in a few of them.”

Brett Newlin, men’s eight –  “I’m done. I kind of would have liked to have gown point three one faster. I’m just kind of reflecting right now,” he said. “I’m pretty bummed, but what are you going to do. I’m just proud of the way the guys fought back in that race and hats off to the top three.”

 

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Margot Shumway, women’s double sculls – “We had a great start and then the starting system failed and we didn’t know if it was a false start, we didn’t know what was going on. I was joking with Sarah that on some of the bus rides here, there is a constant beeping noise. So that prepared us, because there was a beep that would stop and I was like, okay, we’re going to go through the whole 2k and then they called us back and they did a flag start without the boot and we had a great start and then got into our rhythm.

“We got to the 1,250 and I called a move and when we got to the five hundred, I know we were right there. I just said, ‘More, up, more.’ Sarah just went and I went with her. It definitely wasn’t pretty at the end, but we were going like hell and it paid off. The Czechs rowed an awesome race and it definitely made us a faster crew today and we came out on top.”

On her mother’s diagnosis: “It was definitely harder when she was first diagnosed. It was just such an unknown. But it’s been two years now, she was off chemo for a full year, but she’s back on to see if she can keep everything at bay for a little longer. I mean, look at her. She’s in London in the middle of chemo and just fighting through it, so I’m proud of her and it’s tough, but my whole family is here and nothing could be better than that.

“Instead of focusing on worrying, I focus on celebrating the moment and what we have and that’s something I definitely take from my mom, because she is just so thankful that she is here and healthy and with all of her children and her husband and celebrating this awesome experience. “

Sarah Trowbridge, women’s double sculls – “I think first we focused on internal. It was about our race plan, just me and Margot working as one, but then we could just feel that slight die from them (Czech Republic), that slight speed loss from them. It just put us into instinct mode. I’m just proud of us and just excited now to see what we can do and keep this momentum going.”

Julie Nichols, lightweight women’s double sculls – “I’m excited to be onto the next step. We’re still on track, and I’m looking forward to the next round of racing. We were definitely on a mission to make sure we advanced and to do it as well as possible. We definitely made some improvements from last time, but there is still a little room to go.

“We’re trying to just race like we always race and approach it the same way we do any other race and try not to get overwhelmed, not try to make it feel any different than anything we normally did.”

Kristin Hedstrom, lightweight women’s double sculls – “I felt like that was a good performance and we’re just looking to build every race. We are looking forward to the semifinal to come and we’re feeling good. We just take it step by step. It feels great; this is a wonderful course to race on and the stands are really like no other place I’ve raced. I’m excited to be out there.”
 
Thoughts when leading big at the thousand-meter mark: “I feel like there is never enough room ahead, so we just try and keep pushing. We’re racers. We just want to go for it.”

Gevvie Stone, women’s single sculls – “It wasn’t the best start, as you know, it tends to be my race pattern, not the race plan. And I was definitely in a bad position, I’d say, coming across the first 500 meters. I glanced across them, and I could just see people up on me on the right side of the course and I thought, I’ve got to make the most of this next 500 (meters). And at the thousand, I took another glance and I misjudged who was who, thinking that (Sanita Puspure of Ireland) was the El Salvadorian and that Frida (Svensson of Sweden) was Sanita.

“I thought, ‘Oh crap, I need to beat that girl,’ so over the next 500, I was thinking I need to finish third, I need to beat that girl. It wasn’t until it was 500 to go when I looked across and thought, ‘wait, that’s Freda, Sanita is behind me. I might as well go for it now that I’m here.’

“So then it ended up being a great last 500 to the (finish). I was trying to focus on moving the boat effectively, getting the most out of each stroke and being more aggressive than I was.

“I still have stuff to work on in the first 500, but it was definitely a good race. I went up two beats about 250 to go, and another two beats in the last fifteen strokes to I think a 38 (strokes per minute).

“It’s great. Everyone out there was racing their guts out and you could see it coming across the 500. I think Cuba was up on me at the 500, I’m pretty sure, and I’ve raced Sanita a few times this season and I know she is a tough competitor. I knew she wasn’t going to let up the whole race and she really went out hard and hopefully I can improve on it on Thursday and Saturday and keep going fast.”

Nick LaCava, lightweight men’s four – “We weren’t fast enough, I guess. We will just get ready for the B final and race the best we can then.”

Anthony Fahden, lightweight men’s four – “I’m just disappointed that we didn’t have our race and didn’t make it through. It’s a really fast field. We haven’t had a chance to talk about it and pinpoint where we can improve and go from there. It wasn’t an entirely terrible race, there were some bright spots, but we weren’t able to put everything together perfectly.”

 

Monday, July 30, 2012

Matt Madigan, women’s double sculls coach – “I think they rowed a great race. They rowed really well. It was tight racing there with (Poland). They went early and they made that move earlier than we did. Tomorrow we’ll come back with some good speed and get through (the repechage).

“We’ve trained all season for it. We’re prepared for it. The girls have a (recovery) routine that they are going to do, and they’re in the process of that right now. We’ve done a lot of back-to-back work this year, so I’m expecting them to be ready to go tomorrow.”

Margot Shumway, women’s double sculls – “I’m a little tired. It was a great race. We knew we were racing really fast boats and we put ourselves out there and we had a solid piece. A little bit of strategy is involved in every race at this level, but it was a good, solid effort on our part and I’m happy with what we did.

“We’ve been doing a lot of pieces two days in a row, twice a week. We’re ready. We’ll be good.

Sarah Trowbridge, women’s double sculls – “I’m feeling strong. I think there are some alterations to the race that we would like to make, but it was a step in the right direction. So we’re going to keep this momentum going and execute our plan; we’ve got more.”

“I think we were focusing on what we needed to do. I think we would have liked to catch (Poland), but we are prepared and ready for a three-race regatta and I think that’s going to work to our benefit.”

On racing at the Olympic Games: “It’s just really exciting. It’s different than the world championships because it’s only a select few, so that once you’ve gotten here, you know you’re one of the best. It’s really cool to be around people who have not only had similar paths to get here, but definitely similar experiences and you can relate to everyone here. You get to go to the line and put down your best race and that is something that is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“It was really cool to hear all of those fans it was just fuel to the fire and it’s really cool.”

Peter Graves, men’s quadruple sculls – “We had a pretty good start, actually, and made all the adjustments we talked about making from the last race to this race and unfortunately we got a crab about 400 meters into the race and the advantage that we had was erased, so we’re looking three or four seconds slower in the first five hundred (meters) than we actually could have gone, and that was the difference right there.

“We almost pulled off a miracle, but the Swiss held us off and that was it. It was absolutely tragic what happened out there.”

Wes Piermarini, men’s quadruple sculls – “In our first race, we decided we would make some changes. We came out there today and we certainly made some changes. We had a great start; we were right with the field, right where we wanted to be, and then I got a massive boat-stopping crab, put us down about a length and a half. From there on, we had the race of our lives for the next 1,500 (meters), came down the track at a 40 (strokes per minute). I’m not positive about the splits, but I’m pretty sure we had the fastest second, fastest third five hundred and then the second fastest last five hundred (meter splits). Honestly, minus that crab, it was the race of my life. So I can’t be too disappointed, even through I’m pretty darn disappointed.

“We went out there and just gave it everything. I just had one terrible stroke. The conditions were a little bit rough, but we’ve certainly practiced in rougher. It’s not like it was the worst conditions ever. It’s just one bad stroke that cost us our entire race. It’s tough, because you have a race like that and you realize that we actually do have some speed and it doesn’t really show when you come in last in the regatta. I don’t feel like I’m the worst person here.

Overall feelings on the race: “Just, you know, severe disappointment for that one stroke, and on the other side, the rest of that race, other than that one stroke, was pretty amazing. It’s just disappointing that the results don’t show that. It is a little bad luck. It happened to the Germans last year. They were in the lead and got a stroke at the last second. It can happen to anybody; it just sucks when it’s you.

“It’s not something you get over quickly, especially since going into this, I was sort of considering this my last race. I wasn’t sure about that, but I was thinking about it. I really don’t want to go out on a race like that, so I’ve got some thinking to do.”

Elliot Hovey, men’s quadruple sculls – “We had a great start; we did everything we expected to do, but we ran into a crab at 350 meters in, a boat-stopping crab, and right there, we had the opportunity to roll over and die and we said absolutely not, not today. You guys are not getting off easy, and we’re going to come and get it.

“And that’s exactly what we did. We did a start again. We went right to a 41 (strokes per minute), and it came naturally. Everyone was on the same page. We moved right through; we were catching it. We could taste it. It got a little ragged at the end, but we went for it and we just fell short.

“I couldn’t be any more pleased with the crew and the performance that was done by the guys around me and I would not have chosen to row with another group of guys, and I mean that sincerely. People can say we failed, but there are five guys that know it wasn’t a failure – the four of us, and Cam (Kiosoglous). The result has a number on it and the number is not good, but I know we did the best we could. We left it out there. Everyone did.”

Alex Osborne, men’s quadruple sculls – “We decided that we wanted to change our approach after the heat and we did exactly that. Our start was right with the pack; we were right where we wanted to be, and we had a couple bad strokes that probably cost us about three or four seconds and the last fifteen hundred meters we tried to reel the field back in and just came up a little bit short. That’s tough, but overall we made good adjustments, smart adjustments. It was unfortunate the way it worked out in the end, but I’m very proud of us as a group the way we were able to adjust from the heat and adjust from the boat-stopping crab after the first minute there. Tha,t in my opinion is an excuse for the race to be over right then, and as a group, we kept going and came very close.

“Right away, it kind of hit me. The regatta is over for us and it’s a terrible feeling. You cross the line and aside from the pain in my legs and forearms, I was overcome with just a pit in my stomach that we were done racing. It’s tough, it’s really tough because the three other guys in this boat, we worked so hard for each other. We wanted to keep going, we wanted two more races. But like I said, I am proud of the way we competed in the end.”

Henrik Rummel, men’s four – “It was good. We haven’t had any races so far this year, internationally, so it was good to get one under our belt. It was a solid race and a race that we can definitely improve upon in a lot of aspects. We got hit by a pretty good cross wind in the first two hundred and fifty and we moved into the buoys a little bit in our steering but once we got into our rhythm we were fine.

“There is always pre-race jitters, but it’s no different from any high school race or anything. It doesn’t get any worse or any better. So you don’t worry about all this hype. You’ve got to treat it like any other race, college race or high school race or anything else, and that’s what we did today.

“It was like rowing into the Rose Bowl here, it was crazy. But we were fine, once you get started. You don’t even think about it. That wasn’t a full race. We kind of just coasted in the last five hundred and scrambled a little in the first five hundred, so we’ve got some improvement to make. That’s not our best showing yet, so that’s good.”

Scott Gault, men’s four – “It was a good race, a good way to kick off the regatta. It’s a good way to get our feet wet. We haven’t raced for a year internationally, so there is a little bit of uncertainty, but ironically I think we’re prepared. It was nice to go out there and get the job done and have some things to focus on and get some good racing in.
 
“We knew the Greeks were going to be slippery off the start. We just focused on what we needed to do and we started to reel them in. From the start, it was right to the game plan. It was great we were all fresh and still ready for the semifinal. We didn’t have to sprint, which was nice. The noise wasn’t that bad. We didn’t have GB in our race. We could still hear all the calls.”
 
Glenn Ochal, men’s four – “It was a good solid start to the regatta. It was a solid race and we’ve got another one in three days. It was fine. It was a little breezy, but I thought it was fine.”
 
Tim McLaren, men’s head coach – “It was a good result. The Greeks have been a winning crew the last couple of years. I don’t know if that’s all they’ve got, but the guys did what they had to do and I think for their first race international race of the year I think they acquitted themselves pretty well.

“I think the most nervous part of the experience is just the start.”

Silas Stafford, men’s pair – “It wasn’t pretty, but we got through. I still think there is more speed for us to find. I think we’re going to hopefully improve every race. Hopefully we’re going to do something special Wednesday and sneak into the final. We’re doing what we can. It was not an ideal situation, but we got the job done.
 
“We were pretty comfortable and I thought we were going to get Serbia and then that (crab) happened and I thought, ‘Oh, crap, we just need to qualify at this point.’ So it was just survival, try and get the boat straight, try and keep in the lane and hang on. We were going pretty crazy trying to get the job done.”

Tom Peszek, men’s pair – “We didn’t actually jack the rate (up), I’m just really glad we put up a good first one thousand because I think I almost blew it for us in that back half. It was good we had a really strong one thousand to give us that cushion.

“It was a digger on his side, but I’m his body guard back there, so that’s my job to keep us set when he just cranks on it. So I’m just glad we got it back together enough to sort of limp across the finish line to get through.

“It’s just, get it level and get it together. It’s not something you anticipate, but it happens in racing and it happens in practice, so we know what to do when that happens. Obviously, we’re glad to advance, this isn’t how we planned on it happening, but we’ll do what we’ve got to do. It’s a new regatta.

“In the heat, we weren’t so happy with our first half and in this one we had the lead going through the one thousand. We have to keep building thought the regatta and building on the success we have had.”

Natalie Dell, women’s quadruple sculls – “I feel pretty honored to be in the finals in the Olympics. Obviously, we would have like to have had a better finish but we’ve got one more race to figure it out and fortunately that’s the one that matters.
 
“Everybody comes here to win. But it is an honor to make the final and that’s the first goal and that was the goal for today and we’re very proud of that. I think there is more speed over the entire piece we can get and we’ll make that our business to do over the next two days.”
 
Adrienne Martelli, women’s quadruple sculls – “I’m just pretty excited that we made the final and I’m looking forward to our race on Wednesday. We didn’t win, and you’re always going to be disappointed when you don’t win. It was maybe not our best race but it was a good race and hopefully we learn from it and we build from it and we get ready for Wednesday.”

 

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Robin Prendes, lightweight men's four stroke seat – “You never want to row an extra race, but we weren't in the game yesterday, so it is a big learning process for us. We had a slow start yesterday, so working on that was our main focus for today.”

Nick LaCava, lightweight men’s four three seat – “We were just trying to improve on our race from yesterday. Yesterday we had a really slow start and so that was one of our main focuses today and it went a lot better. Then we just really focused on the process. We knew it was going to be a close race. Everyone here is really good, so we were just focusing on a good race and making it through.”

Will Newell, lightweight men’s four two seat – “Today was better than yesterday. It’s tough. In practice, you have a bad practice. In a racing situation, you have a bad race. We got lucky that it happened in the heat, not in the semifinal or something. Today we were more dialed in. We had a better concept of who we were as a crew, what we needed to accomplish and how we were going to go about do it, which maybe was lacking yesterday. That’s what we want, and that’s what we’re going to try to do again on Tuesday.”

On family in the stands: “It’s pretty different. They come to Eastern Sprints and stuff, but then to come to London – with the plane ticket and hotel – it’s fun to have them here. In some ways, it feels like any other race.”

Anthony Fahden, lightweight men’s four bow seat – “Will was making some good calls. We talked about some changes we could make after our race yesterday, which was sub par, and I just sort of felt like we implemented everything we talked about, so that was sort of a congratulations for our little post race pow wow yesterday.

“I think we were just lucky our bad day was just early in the regatta and hopefully we don’t have any more. We basically just chalked it up to a sub-par piece; it happens occasionally. It’s just unfortunate that it happened at the Olympics.

“We just tried to be a little lighter on the catch. I think yesterday we did some things that were a little clumsy. And you know everybody is so skilled here and the race is so tight that you can’t afford to be clumsy and I think we were a little bit yesterday.

“Basically from beginning to end, we just took a little more. In the last five hundred (meters), crews started to walk back on us a little. But we had a stronger start and just got into a good body and a good rhythm and held it for the piece and the last five hundred.”

Julie Nichols, lightweight women’s double sculls – “There was a lot of good competition out there. It wasn’t quite the outcome we had hoped for, but overall, a good opening piece and we’re looking to improve from here.”

Kristin Hedstrom, lightweight women’s double sculls – “We’re looking to build from here. We’ve got the reps and we’re looking to have a good piece there and we start to put together pieces that are better than today. Not that today was bad, but we’re looking to build.”

Mary Whipple, women’s eight coxswain – “It was a good first race for us. We were excited to hear the crowd, it was loud; we had a GB boat in it, so there was a little taste for Thursday so we’re excited. In the heat we got some cobwebs out and we’re going to get a little faster everyday.

“It’s so exciting. It’s the Olympics. There is no other event like it. My girls are so good, they allow me and enable me to lead. But above all, though, we all are so good at our own roles and we have to execute our own roles. So, yeah, I’m in the leadership role. They give it to me and give back to them what they need to hear. We keep it simple, especially when it gets really loud, but basically, I’m the little voice inside their heads that we want more, go now.”

On the 2012 World Rowing Cup result: “We were still in the middle of selection and this is a different boat from Lucerne. It was a great race and the race in the women’s eight is going to come down to the last stroke and that’s what we’re prepping for.

“It’s always good to race each other at world cups. It’s good to see where each other is at different points in training. But anything can happen on race day. So we’re going to go back and we’re going to focus on ourselves and our boat and what we can do. And we’re going to get one more chance to race in front of this great, great crowd and we’re going to live it up.
 
“On Thursday there are going to be six boats. It’s the Olympics and anything can move someone within that Olympic final and it’s legitimate that everybody has a shot on that podium. I think to kind of not let any distraction in, we’re going to just focus on what we can do in our lane and execute what we’ve envisioned, what we’ve practiced, what we believe and the results are going to take care of themselves.”

Caryn Davies, women’s eight stroke seat – “Every Olympics is different, so I take nothing for granted. I try to approach each new challenge with respect and humility. There is always a certain amount of pressure competing at the Games, but I draw strength from my teammates because I know that they believe in me and vice versa.”

Eleanor Logan, women's eight six seat - "We took a great first step today in terms of advancing into the final on Thursday. Now all our focus is on the final and I'm really excited to race again. No matter what any other crew brings at us on Thursday, it's about the nine of us in our boat rowing to our potential and our race and that's very exciting."

Meghan Musnicki, women’s eight five seat – “I'm thrilled to be racing at my first Olympics. The whole experience is amazing and I'm trying to appreciate every moment. Racing is always a lot of fun; I love seeing how far I can push my limits. The British have done a wonderful job as host nation; the venue is beautiful and all the staff are super accommodating and friendly.”

Taylor Ritzel, women’s eight four seat – “I think it was a strong first race. It’s always nice to finally be able to race. I feel like we wait so long during the week and get prepped and then everyone else arrives, so for me, it was just nice to get a race under our belts. I can’t wait till the final. For me, it was really awesome and the fans are just incredible. It was fun to be in a race with Great Britain, because you could hear the grand stands from about 750 (meters) out, so it’s really an honor to represent the United States and also be in a country where rowing is such a big deal. I’m looking forward to the final.”

Esther Lofgren, women’s eight three seat – “I think it was a good first step in the right direction. Just a solid race and we’re excited to go to the final and put it out there. It’s my first Olympics, and it’s a great experience. There was a thunderstorm going on, but it was a good step for us.”

Susan Francia, women’s eight two seat – “The race was fine. We did what we had to do to advance to the final on Thursday. The final will be a whole new demon. We're going to make it hurt and have fun.”

Erin Cafaro, women’s eight bow seat – “I haven’t faced off against Canada this year. It’s not going to be just Canada. We have Australia; we have Great Britain; we have the reps coming up. It’s going to be a good race. I think it was a good start and it’s going to be a fun race.

“We can go hard, but, we can go harder. It’s fun to have this big of a following and this much of a group here. Sometimes in the U.S., you think rowing is not as big of a sport, so when you come over here and it’s one of the premier sports, it’s fun to get in the spotlight a little bit.”  
 
Tom Terhaar, U.S. head women’s coach – “It was good. Making the final is always a big deal, getting it out of the way. They raced really hard and well and it was a good first step.

“This is an Olympic final and people turn it up. Who knows, we hope to race whoever shows. It could be someone that neither of us are expecting to win.”

On the United States’ winning time: “It mean’s a little bit, but not really. Times are just times. If you look at the times, they vary throughout. That being said, we have absolute respect for Canada. There is no doubt about that. But it’s great to go straight through to the final and not have to deal with the rep and that’s huge.”

On Canada: “I respect the hell out of them. I like the coach; I like the athletes. They’re just good people. We want to win, of course, but rivalry, no. Romania is the one I’m always watching out for. What do they have, three Olympic gold medals in a row? They’ve medaled pretty much every Olympics since it was created. They’re the ones I keep an eye out for.”

 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sara Hendershot, women’s pair – “It was so fun. We sat at the line and we were really so excited to have our first Olympic race and our first international race in the pair. We were kind of just cool and collected, and decided we were going to have as much fun with it as we could. And then we did.

“It’s great. It means we get a little bit more time to prepare and rest before we get to have our next big step on Wednesday. The crowd was amazing. You could actually hear people right off the start cheering, ‘Go Sara,’ which was really cool. And then at 500 (meters) to go, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m a little bit tired,’ and then the crowd was just so loud it gave this whole new boost of energy. It was great.

Sarah Zelenka, women’s pair – “It was an amazing, relaxing feeling just knowing we were here and we were at the Olympics. We were just going to take this race as it was, and kind of go with it and know we really had nothing to lose. We had a great time.

I had a little bit of disbelief when Sara was talking about GB being next to us and we were kind of off from the other (boat). It was really cool.

Natalie Dell, women’s quadruple sculls – “I feel good. It was an exciting race. It was our first time racing internationally as a quad, and it was Adrienne Martelli’s first time stroking a quad internationally, and she did fabulous. It was an exciting race and we’re ready to learn some more about ourselves in the rep.”

On the crowd – “I don’t remember, yeah, somebody was asking me about the noise in the last 500 (meters) and I do not remember. It didn’t register at all. If you do it right, it really doesn’t register; you’re in the cave at that point.

“I had to take pictures of the crowd after I got off the water and actually look at it. That is amazing, but to me, it is racing on the water, as we always do.”  

Adrienne Martelli, women’s quadruple sculls – “It’s definitely a new experience just to be stroking, let alone being in the Olympics. We just tried to use our nerves to our advantage and go out strong. We had a great first 500 (meters) and a really great base. We just have to find a little bit more speed in the last 500 and sharpen things up a little bit.

“The last 500 is a little bit of a blur to me, I was just trying to make sure we were going straight. I remember hearing things, but my perception of what was going on around me was not totally on.

“I just try to keep reminding myself that this is what all the work was for and just go out and use that work – all the erging, all the rowing, all the mileage and just put it to good use.”

Megan Kalmoe, women’s quadruple sculls – “We learn as much as we can over the next couple of days and go from this race to the next race and be able to put ourselves in a really good position to be in the final. We came here to race for a medal, and that’s what we intend to do.

“I feeling just fine, tired but happy, ready to put my feet up and rest for the rest of the afternoon and get ready to race again and do what we have to do.

“Just do my job. This is what we train for. This is what we’ve been getting ready for over the past six years, or however long we’ve been doing this. Part of my routine is just accepting that I’m going to be nervous, and that there is going to be a lot of noise and distractions and people and excitement and things to do. But I just accept it, get out there and do my job. I’ve done it a hundred times. I know how to do this. Just tune it out, focus, just keep everybody’s head in the boat and just do what we need to do.”

On the crowd – “This is something that we talked about, that the last 500 meters was going to be very loud. And it didn’t disappoint us. It was definitely very loud.”

Robin Prendes, lightweight men’s four – “It was difficult, not what we expected, but I guess now there is only one way to get out of this spot, and that’s to race hard tomorrow. It’s difficult to say what happened. We’ll talk about it, approach the race a little differently and we’ll see. Be more aggressive.”

Anthony Fahden, lightweight men’s four – “Our race today was a bit of a disappointment, but we have another chance to qualify for the semifinal tomorrow morning. Given the conditions, our 500 (meter) splits were uncharacteristically slow for us. We're making some technical and pacing changes in the hopes of putting together a better piece tomorrow.”

Nick LaCava, lightweight men’s four – “The race today didn't go well, but we're looking forward to the repechage tomorrow and just focusing on trying to make it to the semifinals.”

Alex Osborne, men’s quadruple sculls – “It’s the first race. We learned some things out there. We’re going to get back to the drawing board and prepare as best we can for Monday. We know what we need to work on, and we’re going to stick to it and we’re going to work on it.”

Wes Piermarini, men’s quadruple sculls – “We had a plan, we stuck to it and clearly, we need a new plan. We’re going to work on that tonight and over the next two days. We’re going to come back and – the regatta certainly isn’t over for us – and we’re going to do our best to get right back in there.”

Peter Graves, men’s quadruple sculls – “I think we need to recalibrate our race plan a little bit and get out of the blocks a little quicker. I think one thing led to another and we’re just looking to adjust and come out hot on Monday. Nothing really happened, we stuck to our game plan we need to be a couple of clicks faster and I think we can do it.”

Mike Teti, men’s eight coach – “I think it’s important just to give the guys confidence. I think it’s a decent boat. I think they’re pretty good, but they’re all engineers and they’re a pretty quiet group. I think it was good for their own confidence to at least win a race here and they controlled it and I’m really happy with their performance.

“The Germans looked severely impressive, severely impressive. And you know, the other thing is, all those crews have raced each other and beaten each other. On another day, you might get a different result and I understand that, even with our group.
 
Brett Newlin, men’s eight – “We knew this was a chance to go straight through to the final. Everything was executed as planned. There was a nice tailwind, and we were controlled. It’s incredibly exciting. It’s the premier event, and I’m glad to make it to the final – finally.

“You have to establish yourself. Don’t let yourself trail in the field in the beginning. The crew from 2004 is a huge inspiration. I mean, (the stroke seat of that crew) Bryan Volpenhein, is here; he’s the coach of the lightweight men’s four. It would be great if we could follow in their footsteps.”

David Banks, men’s eight – “We knew it was going to be a tough race, everybody here is good. Everybody’s just trying to press, and press it to the line. I’m pretty sure we were in the lead from the 500 (meter) mark. We are trying to band together as a group.”

Giuseppe Lanzone, men’s eight – “ We did exactly what Mike Teti told us to do – get out and go fast. It felt powerful at the start and we took it one stroke at a time. Whenever we had to move, we moved.”

Jake Cornelius, men’s eight – “It was really good. We all feel very fortunate to be where we are, and appreciative of the people that helped us along the way. We’ve had a long road together, and it was really great to get out, and get racing. Now I’m pretty beat, pretty tired. It’s time to rest up and get ready for Wednesday.

“We’re going to try to stay focused and make the most of it. We have a few days to sharpen up and get faster. (The Germans) haven’t lost a race in a long time, but all the focus right now is on our boat; that’s what we can control.

“I think, as athletes, we go to the world championships every year and everyone is kind of accustomed to that. But it’s not like that here. It’s much more, in terms of organization. And the level of organization here has been incredible. I’m really impressed.

Gevvie Stone, women’s single sculls – “The race was good, not great. I had a clean, decent race with a strong middle 1,000 (meters). The women I lost to (Karsten and Levin) are both experienced, respected women in the sport. Now, I'm starting to think about the Tuesday quarterfinal and how to go even faster. I have four races down the Olympic course, and I want the next three to be great.

"Outside my performance, it was a fabulous day to race at Eton Dorney. Beautiful weather, a nice tailwind, and an incredible crowd. I could hear cheering from the 100-meter mark as people stood along the banks, and the roar into the grandstands was awesome."

 

Friday, July 27, 2012

Silas Stafford, men’s pair – “It’s pretty exciting. The last month or six weeks we’ve been thinking we’re going to be racing some people in the future but now we know we’re racing Canada and The Netherlands and Australia tomorrow at noon. It makes it much more real. We’re definitely just focusing on ourselves. With the exception of the Canadians, all of us are new to this year and I think anything can happen and we’ll do what we can.”

Nick LaCava, lightweight men’s four – “We’re really excited to get going. We have a tough heat, but I think every heat is tough. But we’re just excited to race. We’ve raced over the past couple of years some of these crews before, but none of them were at the Olympic Qualification Regatta so this is the first time racing a lot of them. We feel ready to race and we’re just excited to go.”

 

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Julie Nichols, lightweight women’s double - “Everything is ramping up, we’re good and getting into our groove, staying in our prep routines. We’re looking forward to racing.”

Kristin Hedstrom, lightweight women’s double – “We’re excited to get the racing started. We’ve been here over a week now and everyday something changes on the course. They set more things up, get the bubble line going, or ay out the carpets on the dock so you just see the regatta preparing to begin. It’s exciting.”

Tom Terhaar, women’s head coach – “It’s going fine. We’re just doing what we normally do.” 

 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Zach Vlahos, U.S. men’s eight coxswain on being in his first Olympics – “I don’t think it has sunk in the entire way yet that this is the Olympics. I try to keep myself pretty focused on the day to day, let’s make this practice good, let’s make this practice good, but as you get there, the intensity builds.

“Now we’re here and we’re in the Olympic Village and you see all the other teams from around the world. You go through team processing, and when I went through, the men’s gymnasts where there too and that’s pretty cool.

“You see them on TV and then you’re right there next to them getting sized up and you’re standing next to someone famous and then you realize you’re at the same competition together. But I watched him on TV four years ago. It’s pretty special.”

Sara Hendershot, women’s pair – “It’s going well. Today was our first really busy day out on the racecourse. We got to do some hard strokes and practice having a lot of distractions around us and staying in the boat and that was real good. It’s been really exciting. I’m just sort of trying to take in everything because it’s flying by. I’m staying as focused as I can while taking it all in.”

Taylor Ritzel, Aurora, Colorado native of the U.S. women’s eight on the tragic shooting there – "I am devastated by the recent tragedy in Colorado and have the victims and their families in my thoughts. I grew up in Aurora and am proud to call it home. Now more than ever, as I prepare to compete here in London, I will do everything in my power to make Colorado proud.

"I was actually sitting in the dining hall here at the Rowing Olympic Village when I saw that Colorado had made international news. The tagline was, “Colorado Shooting" and immediately I thought, 'Hasn't Colorado been through enough with all the forest fires?' I get chills when reading the several stories of individual heroism during the shooting. It's amazing how people stand up for themselves and protect those they love while in mortal danger."

Brett Newlin, U.S. men’s eight – “I’m ready to go. We’ve been here all week and had some good rows, so we’re ready to row down and do some damage. It’s feeling good. We’re working pretty well. The impulse in the boat is good and the guys seem calm and confident.”

 

Tuesday, July 24

Tom Peszek, men’s pair – “The conditions are nice today. There is a little bit of traffic but it’s good out there. We’re getting used to the course. A (2000 meter course) is not too much to get used to. Just the people everything else is par for the course. It feels just like another regatta just another race. Hopefully we’ll keep that feeling.”

Bryan Volpenhein, coach, men’s pair, lightweight men’s four and three-time Olympic athlete –  “It’s good. The guys seem to be in good spirits, having fun, enjoying the moment.”

On being a coach after rowing in three Olympics and winning a gold medal in the eight in Athens in 2004. “It’s a little bit more stressful. You kind of what to just keep them calm and keep them relaxed. But at the same time you can’t do much to help them at this point, so it’s more stressful for me. All the work is done and now it’s just stress out but not show them.”

David Banks, men’s eight – “It feels great to be here. We’re just trying to get ready to go on Saturday. We’re just trying to focus, stay in our boat and get ready for racing. Get ready to go.” 

Monday, July 23

 

Dave O’Neill coach, lightweight women’s double – “The venue is great but a little windy, although the sun has finally come out. We started training on Tuesday. I would like to thank the volunteers, who have been fantastic. The double has been doing really well. Just outside the medals last year, but looking good now.”

Sarah Trowbridge, women’s double sculls  – "It’s been great. The weather has been great and the team is all here. Everyone has flown in and we’re pumped.”

Will Miller, men’s eight - “Everybody, all the volunteers, have been super nice. It’s a lot of excitement, just getting ready to race. We’re working hard just trying to make sure we have a good race Saturday. It’s been great. We’re just focusing on the race because we know what’s coming.”

Gevvie Stone, women’s single sculls – “A master rower I train with lives in Henley and he bicycled over to look at the stands and he told me it’s going to be like rowing into Gillette Stadium (home to the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass.) “Well maybe not quiet as big as Gillette Stadium. But if those stands are full, it’s going to be the biggest crowed I’ve rowed in front of.”