We apologize for the timing of the blog posts...with the whirlwind schedule and not-so-stellar wifi access in Florence, Italy these posts come to you post event.
Thursday, July 6th - practice afternoon
The team arrived at beautiful Cascine Park, along the banks of the Arno River in Florence ready for their one practice before racing on Saturday and Sunday. Coach Sarah helped us acclimatize to the conditions on the river with some starts and a couple of 500 m races along the course.
We got used to the pink paddles on loan from the Festival and the life jackets. Thank goodness they had a variety of sizes available so we could figure out what worked best for each paddler.
Sarah kept practice on the "lighter side" due to a couple of factors - high temperatures AND the fact that half of the team had just arrived in the city a few hours earlier. I think we performed admirably given jet lag/lack of sleep and the hot weather.
We were dispatched back to our lodgings with instructions to stay awake until at least 9pm and to otherwise restore our energy. On this note, we were asked to keep our activity moderate (no extreme sightseeing) on Friday to help us regenerate for racing. Friday evening would also be the parade of nations across the Ponte Vecchio and opening ceremonies at the Palazzo Vecchio.
More to come!
You can see pictures of the Parade of Nations and racing on our Facebook page!
Thursday, July 6th - practice afternoon
The team arrived at beautiful Cascine Park, along the banks of the Arno River in Florence ready for their one practice before racing on Saturday and Sunday. Coach Sarah helped us acclimatize to the conditions on the river with some starts and a couple of 500 m races along the course.
We got used to the pink paddles on loan from the Festival and the life jackets. Thank goodness they had a variety of sizes available so we could figure out what worked best for each paddler.
Sarah kept practice on the "lighter side" due to a couple of factors - high temperatures AND the fact that half of the team had just arrived in the city a few hours earlier. I think we performed admirably given jet lag/lack of sleep and the hot weather.
We were dispatched back to our lodgings with instructions to stay awake until at least 9pm and to otherwise restore our energy. On this note, we were asked to keep our activity moderate (no extreme sightseeing) on Friday to help us regenerate for racing. Friday evening would also be the parade of nations across the Ponte Vecchio and opening ceremonies at the Palazzo Vecchio.
More to come!
You can see pictures of the Parade of Nations and racing on our Facebook page!
Susan Oster
Rowbust member since 2014, current Board member and proud member of the 2018 IBCPC Italy crew