Drexel University Athletics
Dragon Dispatches: Reaching the Halfway Point
6/19/2014 10:25:00 AM | Women's Rowing
By: Stephanie Thomas, senior double
Today marked the fourth day of our English adventure, and also included a bit of adventuring this morning. Per usual, we headed to the Upper Thames Rowing Club early in the morning for practice. Today, instead of our usual loops around the island and down the course, we rowed up the River Thames through a lock! At first, we were a little nervous about it, especially in the double. My partner Bobbie (Barbara McKenna) and I have no coxswain telling us what to do, so we have to call the shots ourselves.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
We encountered some rocks but managed to avoid them and shimmy into the lock as it closed behind us. Unknowing of what exactly was going to happen, we were pleasantly surprised when the water didn't rush in completely, but instead rose steadily. In line with a recurring theme of this trip, many pictures were taken. Above the locks was something out of a fairy tale. Giant Tudor mansions mixed with massive Victorian mansions lined the banks of the River Thames, providing a stunning backdrop to a nice long steady state row through the English countryside.
Drexel Crew in the lock
Of course, after the long practice, we were hungry -- what else is new? Many of us, including our coaches, went out for brunch in the town of Henley, and did our first bits of sightseeing around the town. A small group of us -- Amanda O'Malley, Kendall Wenzke, Elizabeth Campanella, Tori King, Elizabeth Daugherty and I -- went to a small French bakery called Maison Blanc. We all got traditional English breakfasts for our meal, and decided to follow it up with giant crêpes filled with strawberries. It tasted delicious, and provided us with just enough energy for our next row, which took place mid-afternoon.
Drexel Crew eating an English-style breakfast
While for the most part uneventful, our second practice today started our taper, something that we were all excited about, as it meant we would have more energy throughout the remainder of the trip, but more importantly, more energy to do well in our races starting Friday.
While in England, we've attended many receptions with various groups of people who have helped make our Henley experience so worthwhile. Following our lunch with Aberdeen, dinner with alumni and yesterday's lunch with Oxford, Cambridge University hosted us at the Leander Club. Many of us were excited to find Leander gear in the Pink Hippo Shop. At the Leander Club, they shared with us exciting news about their program and allowed us to meet some of the athletes who were training with them.
Upon meeting with the Cambridge athletes tonight and the Oxford athletes yesterday, we were excited to learn about the differences between rowing in the UK and rowing in the US. The girls training at either university have eligibility for a total of eight Oxford-Cambridge boat races, an astounding amount of time to compete compared to our four years of eligibility. Another interesting fact is that many of the athletes are completing post-graduate degrees, which allows them to remain at the University and also train with either boat club. And of course, no reception would be complete without tiny sandwiches and tea; a meal that has made it's way into each day of our trip.
Today signified the halfway point of our trip, but the real reason we came here has yet to begin. We're all gearing up to race, and we're eager to line up at the start come Friday!
Check out the next "Dragon Dispatches" post
Check out the previous "Dragon Dispatches" post
Today marked the fourth day of our English adventure, and also included a bit of adventuring this morning. Per usual, we headed to the Upper Thames Rowing Club early in the morning for practice. Today, instead of our usual loops around the island and down the course, we rowed up the River Thames through a lock! At first, we were a little nervous about it, especially in the double. My partner Bobbie (Barbara McKenna) and I have no coxswain telling us what to do, so we have to call the shots ourselves.
Upper Thames Rowing Club
We encountered some rocks but managed to avoid them and shimmy into the lock as it closed behind us. Unknowing of what exactly was going to happen, we were pleasantly surprised when the water didn't rush in completely, but instead rose steadily. In line with a recurring theme of this trip, many pictures were taken. Above the locks was something out of a fairy tale. Giant Tudor mansions mixed with massive Victorian mansions lined the banks of the River Thames, providing a stunning backdrop to a nice long steady state row through the English countryside.
Drexel Crew in the lock
Of course, after the long practice, we were hungry -- what else is new? Many of us, including our coaches, went out for brunch in the town of Henley, and did our first bits of sightseeing around the town. A small group of us -- Amanda O'Malley, Kendall Wenzke, Elizabeth Campanella, Tori King, Elizabeth Daugherty and I -- went to a small French bakery called Maison Blanc. We all got traditional English breakfasts for our meal, and decided to follow it up with giant crêpes filled with strawberries. It tasted delicious, and provided us with just enough energy for our next row, which took place mid-afternoon.
Drexel Crew eating an English-style breakfast
While for the most part uneventful, our second practice today started our taper, something that we were all excited about, as it meant we would have more energy throughout the remainder of the trip, but more importantly, more energy to do well in our races starting Friday.
While in England, we've attended many receptions with various groups of people who have helped make our Henley experience so worthwhile. Following our lunch with Aberdeen, dinner with alumni and yesterday's lunch with Oxford, Cambridge University hosted us at the Leander Club. Many of us were excited to find Leander gear in the Pink Hippo Shop. At the Leander Club, they shared with us exciting news about their program and allowed us to meet some of the athletes who were training with them.
Upon meeting with the Cambridge athletes tonight and the Oxford athletes yesterday, we were excited to learn about the differences between rowing in the UK and rowing in the US. The girls training at either university have eligibility for a total of eight Oxford-Cambridge boat races, an astounding amount of time to compete compared to our four years of eligibility. Another interesting fact is that many of the athletes are completing post-graduate degrees, which allows them to remain at the University and also train with either boat club. And of course, no reception would be complete without tiny sandwiches and tea; a meal that has made it's way into each day of our trip.
Today signified the halfway point of our trip, but the real reason we came here has yet to begin. We're all gearing up to race, and we're eager to line up at the start come Friday!
Check out the next "Dragon Dispatches" post
Check out the previous "Dragon Dispatches" post
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