Ole “Über” Tietz has long been an icon at ICBC with the phrase “I just want to be Ole” often heard around the gym; and not just because he has a “z” is his name. Tietz has been in Germany since selection for the senior German national squad earlier this year and is training in the lightweight 8+. Even more impressive is the fact that Tietz is still eligible for the U23 squad and has now officially out-ranked David Hasselhoff as Germany’s Most-Idolized-Man. POD recently caught up with the wunderkind while he was on training camp in Hamburg in preparation for the World Rowing Championships in Poznan next week (August 23rd-30th).
Last December a young and innocent Ole Tietz was proudly collecting his novice pennant at Vesta RC for the Sculler’s Head of the River Race. Nine months later a hero was born. Tietz was invited to the German lightweight U23 long distance trials in April. He finished 11th overall (including seniors) and 6th in his class. He was reassigned a senior’s pair partner and finished 5th in a regatta style trial beating members of the German lightweight coxless four. This result gained him his first position on the senior German squad and he raced at Essen International Regatta in the second senior lightweight 4-. The crew just missed out on a bronze medal.
This solid result gained him a place in the top ranked lightweight pair entered to race at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland last July 10-12th. He finished 9th overall while IC's Adam Freeman-Pask claimed his second senior bronze medal in the 1x. IC student Oli Mahony was also competing in the ML2- race and was involved in an exciting finish to his B-final. Mahony found the boat speed to overtake the second-ranked German combination. With studies finished for the term at Imperial, Tietz flew back to Germany for the summer to train with the senior squad, where he still remains.
Intense training initially took place in Mainz, Germany, near the west bank of the river Rhine. The GER squad is sponsored by the Hilton chain of hotels and have been supplied with accommodation and breakfast on the cusp of Tietz’s high standards. After a grueling 5 day pair’s matrix seat race, Tietz was selected for the top lightweight 8+ and is happy with the designation to seat 2: “It’s a nice seat.” The lightweight squad trains as an 8+ and a spare pair with the 8+ the top priority boat after the Olympic four. The heavyweight squad trains separately and is offered five meals a day at the rowing centre, as well as access to more food if required. Retaining lightweight status all year has taken its toll on the German who has had to weigh-in every 2-3 weeks for various races. It’s come to the point where his body has stopped recovering.
Tietz is not the only English speaking crew member; two of his crew mates have just finished studying at Harvard and came to Germany in late May when the school year was complete. They haven’t forgotten their native tongue understanding intense “encouragement calls” of “F—k the pain!” during training pieces where the crew had to complete 1km pieces at rate 34; with bungees. The coach to the German lightweight squad is Robert Sens who competed at the Sydney and Athens Olympics in the Trapmore era as a heavyweight sculler in the 2x and 4x.
The toil and strife has not been in vain. The squad has become “something of a big deal” in Germany. Most recently the crew attended a press event at the Hilton Hotel. Their boat was placed in the entrance hall to the hotel dwarfing what initially seemed like a spacious lobby. Newspaper articles and TV spots have kept the crew busy in their downtime. At one point the crew were interviewed in front of a live audience for Sunday morning TV with other guests sporting their finest lederhosen. The program had requested the boat to be taken along and put in their 38 metre swimming pool near the outdoor stages. The crew stood around while the coach was interviewed. When the boat was placed in the pool the presenters seemed disappointed at the size of the shell: “We thought you could row around the pool for us.”
With the World Championships just days away training is beginning to taper. According to Tietz the training base was just outside Hamburg in a secluded location far from any distractions: “Seriously; it’s rubbish here.” They train three times a day, with endurance days consisting of three 20km outings on a river that makes the Thames seem like a stream. “It’s one big-ass river.”
When asked about the competition Tietz managed to mention every entered country as potential medal contenders. The Dutch lightweight 8+ won in Lucerne and are the favourites coming into the World Championships. The German squad at Lucerne was not set with an 8+ that finished third (six seconds behind the winners), and Tietz’s 2- which came 9th. The crew is now re-jigged putting Tietz in the power-boat adding more speed to the combination. Strong crews are also being sent from France, Italy, Hungary, Turkey and Japan.
Tietz intends on returning to England after the World Championships and will row for ICBC while he finishes his degree in December. It is thought IC coach Steve Trapmore has placed several squad members on calorie-watch over the summer with plans for a top lightweight 8+ in the coming season.
IC’s Adam Freeman-Pask is also competing in Poznan in the 1x and is on GB squad training camp with escort Steve Trapmore on the build-up to race-day. Imperial student Oli Mahony will be racing at the World Championships as well as past IC rower Ro Bradbury in the senior GB women’s 4x. IC coach Stuart Whitelaw is also in Poland coaching the GB adaptive 4+. The IC boathouse has been quiet over the summer and POD was recently caught talking to the wattbike in the absence of human contact.
Tietz was emotional in signing off and is looking forward to coming home: “My best wishes to everybody who is hanging about ICBC. Tell Todd I miss him...”
Good luck to Team GB and Team GER (and Team IRL)!
Christina Duffy
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