Women's Captain Mathilde Pauls (MP) reports on a weekend of racing at Ghent in Belgium...

MOTIVATION: About 7 days before BUCS, the tideway. On the water - Emma Young, Mathilde Pauls, CD Riches (replacing the non-working rate meters, and assisting with some general steering advice ;-). On the training programme: step rates- roughly from 24-32...1h of sweat and (almost) blood and tears later, maximum rate achieved 28.5, going about the same speed as at 22. Thus: practice needed if this boat is to be raced this summer.

LOCATION: Ghent. Free entry, memories of chocolate and waffles, as well as general chaos on the water and too many events entered to actually race them all...obvious choice?

NOTABLE INCIDENCES
1) Getting lost: on the way to the hotel, trying to cross the town square (MP ended up in a dead end outside the McDonalds - could have been worse?), on to the station to pick up Tom (detour to nice roundabout in south Ghent), on the way to the course (again, detour to nice roundabout in south Ghent, via a different route this time. Rescued by friendly Belgian whilst parked trying to map read on the tram tracks...). Luckily NOT on the water (that’s why I,MP does rowing?)

2) Maiming of I,MP’s belief that she was actually not that short after standing next to the Belgian Single Sculler (I,MP can see why they’d talent spot the crazy long-legs, not her...I,MP is planning a career in hairspray advertising instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnAr-gnxkBU.

3) Killing: final, Saturday. I,MP has just found that perfect rhythm and is planning to attack, when at the moment of entry of the right blade a duck, tactically placed by the Irish sculler’s coach impedes aforementioned entry. Crab caught (but capsize averted) and duck floating. I,MP 1 : Irish duck 0 [POD is pretty sure the duck was of English heritage.]

4) Destroying: I,MP was pleased to see some opposition from the preceding weekend’s BUCS Regatta- both Reading scullers were destroyed in the heat stage and not seen for finals on Saturday. A different event was entered on Sunday. Out of fear.

OUTCOME
2nd on Saturday (beaten by the duck positioning Irish contingent).
3rd on Sunday (I,MP still can’t rate 32, made it to 30 or even 31 though, so getting there)

Mathilde Pauls

[pod is impressed stop well done mathilde stop]

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