Julia Darnton's Excellent Rowing Adventures
6/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Rowing
August 10, 2010
Sophomore rower Julia Darnton is spending her summer training in an Under-23 lightweight rowing program held in Philadelphia, Pa., this summer. Darnton will be eating, sleeping and breathing lightweight rowing for the next two months and will be sharing all of her summer rowing adventures with MGoBlue.com
Heading Home
As the official aligned the six boats in the senior women's lightweight quad final, I was more than ready to win my last race of the summer at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta. Right from the start, our boat was in the front of the pack. We executed our race plan through the fierce tail wind and giant waves, and we outsprinted the rest of the boats in the second half of the race. We crossed the finish line in first place, and a wave of pride and joy echoed through me as I realized what we had just accomplished. We got a gold medal at the regatta that some describe as the North American Championship. We rowed our boat over to the medals dock, where gold medals were delicately place around our necks. After being presented with a plaque in honor of our achievement, we got our pictures taken to document this accomplishment. Our picture, along with the plaque, will be put up in the Vesper boat house back in Philadelphia for decades to come.
After my race, I saw coaches Mark Rothstein and Brett Sickler. Mark was at the regatta for recruiting purposes and Brett was there to race her single. After racing in tough conditions, Brett came out on top with a gold medal in the women's champ single. I am so proud of her! My teammates Nicole Dressler and Lindsey Healey finished up their racing at this regatta with smiles on their faces and an even greater desire to get back to training with our Michigan team. Michigan was definitely properly represented up in Canada this past weekend!
Coming away from my last race of the summer with a gold medal is awesome, but even if I hadn't won that race I would be really happy with how my summer went. I learned to race hard and stay tough. Being in a single sharpened my thirst for victory and taught me how to stay composed and aggressive simultaneously. Though it was a lonely and uncomfortable summer at times, I am proud to say that I gained a level of confidence and independence that I would not have otherwise acquired. I grew more as an athlete, rower, and person this summer than I have at any other point in my life.
And now I'm ready to come home and once again be a Wolverine.
Hail, hail, to Michigan,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 930 km
Oh Canada!
After packing up my belongings and driving through the Pennsylvania and New York countryside, I crossed the Canadian-American border. My destination was St. Catharines, Ontario, the site of the 128th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.
I have raced at this site several times in my life, all of which were in high school. But never before have I seen so many amazing athletes in one place. There are hundreds of rowers at this regatta from all over the world. What an honor it is to race at such a prestigious regatta!
My coaches entered me in three events here in Canada: the Under-23 lightweight Single, the senior lightweight single, and the senior lightweight quad. To clarify, a quad is a sculling boat with four rowers and no coxswain. My races started on Tuesday, and after a heat and a semi I made the final in the U-23 lightweight single. On the course, there was a raging tail-wind and strong tail current, so the conditions were far from ideal. Because I have a mere two months worth of experience sculling, I had a very hard time dealing with the conditions. But even with the difficult weather, I still managed to get 5th in the final of the U-23 lightweight single. Though it's always hard for an athlete to admit defeat, I am still very proud of my race in that final. It just made me hungrier for that gold medal next year!
I'm rowing in the senior lightweight quad with two year-round Elite rowers from my club in Philadelphia, and the other rower is a rising freshman who will be rowing with the Georgetown lightweight team this coming fall. In our heat yesterday, we were boat lengths in front of the other crews, and we easily won. The final is Sunday, and this will be my last race of the summer season. I'm really excited to see what we can do in that boat!
So far I've seen three Wolverines here in Canada: my teammates and friends Nicole Dressler and Lindsey Healy, and my coach Brett Sickler. All three of them are also racing here at Canadian Henley! It's so nice to have some Michigan representation so far from home!
Go Blue!
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 925 km
The Beginning of the End
I just finished my last practice here in Philadelphia. On Monday I'm heading up to Canada to race at the Royal Canadian Henley regatta, a huge international meet loaded with great competition and glory. I'll be rowing in three races in this final regatta: the Under-23 Lightweight Single, the Senior Lightweight Single, and the Senior Lightweight Quad. I'm more than excited for all three of these events!
Yesterday after practice, I overheard some of the Elite year-round rowers talking about their upcoming Canadian races.
"Brett is in my heat. Brett...oh I can't remember her last name."
"Brett Sickler?"
"Yea."
"Wow good luck. She's super fast!"
And of course, I piped up: "Are you girls talking about Brett Sickler?" I asked.
"Yea, we are," one girl said questioningly.
"Oh, cool. She's my coach," I replied proudly.
"Lucky!" said the other girl.
"I know," I thought to myself.
This is yet another example why I am so proud to be a Wolverine. Even our coaches are talked about in fear!
Ready to show those Canadians what Michigan rowers can do,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 825 km
The Olympian
Now that I'm back in Philadelphia, I am training with the year-round Elite rowers. So I am being coached by the head Vesper coach, Michiel Bartman. Bartman, a Dutch athlete, is a legend in the rowing world. This three-time Olympic medalist is an extremely talented rower and coach. He recently had an extensive article written about him in Rowing News. It was so inspiring for me to open up the recent issue of this popular rowing magazine and see my coach's smiling face on the page.
His coaching style is different from anything I have experienced. He describes aspects of the rowing stroke in very simple and manageable ways. He alludes to each stroke as if it is an art form, not just a sport. He teaches agility and fitness along with the brute strength that this sport requires. I totally feel like I'm thriving under his direction.
The other day at practice, one of the Elite rowers was discussing how he was "dying during that workout." Michiel overheard his athlete say this, and he immediately responded with this nugget of wisdom: "You're only 'dying' during the race. Everything else is superficial." This quote completely describes Bartman's emphasis on mental toughness and relentlessness, two things that I've been working towards every day.
As always, hailing to the victors,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 715 km
The Leader and Best
I have competed in three National Championships since I have started rowing. My first was the USRowing Junior National Championship my senior year of high school. The other two were the NCAA Championships in 2009 and 2010, but this was my first National Championship regatta at which I was rowing in a single. No one else was there to row with me. No one else was there to tell me what to do or to inspire me. It was just me, my boat, the oars, and the water. It was terrifying, exhilarating, and liberating.
My heats and semis at the USRowing Club Nationals went smoothly: I had the fastest time going into the Intermediate Lightweight Single final and the second fastest time going into the Senior Lightweight Single final. I had really high hopes of coming out on top.
On Saturday, while I was sitting at the starting line of the Senior Lightweight Single's race, my mind was calm and my body was ready. The announcer did the countdown, the buzzer went off, and my body responded instinctively. I focused on executing my race plan and remaining calm. My mental toughness was tested when two rowers surprisingly stuck with me through the first 1500 meters of the race. But I stuck with my race plan and had a great sprint, putting me in second place in this race. I was the youngest person in this event by several years, and I am extremely proud of my silver medal.
The next day I prepared myself for the Intermediate Lightweight Single final. I was confident in my ability to row a good race, and it was just a matter of doing it. When the race started I exploded off the blocks, and then I settled into a rhythm that allowed my strong base speed to shine through. I had a close race with a rower from Riverside Boat Club, but again, I stuck to my guns and stayed calm. I pulled out in front of the pack with 500 meters left, and I crossed the finish line first. I had just won my first National Championship. As that gold medal was put around my neck I knew that all the hard work I have put in this summer has paid off. Being a National Champion is a great feeling.
It wasn't the training or the potential medals that got me through those races. When it came down to it, the thing that inspired through those races was hearing "Go Blue!" being shouted by my ever-loyal family from the shore.
So proud to be a Wolverine,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 635 km
Down South
Surprisingly, the heat wave in Philly last week really prepared me for the unrelenting heat and humidity here in Tennessee. While most people who travel from the northern regions of the U.S. to this area have a very hard time dealing with the weather, I am basking in the heat. It's just one more thing that gives me a leg up in this competition.
Today I had my first race at the USRowing Club Nationals. It was the heat for the Women's Intermediate Lightweight Single. I went into it with an open mind, but also with lots of confidence. Five strokes into the race, I knew that I was going to have a great piece. I executed my race plan perfectly, and I had my first solid 2K in a single. At the 1000 meter mark, I had open water on everyone. I finished the race calmly and without sprinting. I ended up with the fastest time of the event, although heat times don't really mean that much in the sport of rowing. All in all, I'm very excited about this regatta. I think I can do really well here in Tennessee.
Thinkin' about Michigan,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 565
The Birth of Our Nation and the Death of My Boat
After my catastrophic experience at the Independence Day Regatta, I definitely needed some time to decompress. My friend and teammate Nicole Dressler came to Philadelphia to visit me, and we spent the weekend enjoying the Fourth of July festivities: fireworks, a free Goo Goo Dolls concert, and shopping in Center City. We also saw our Michigan coaches Mark, Kate, and Brett. It was so nice to see the coaches--I really miss all three of them.
I've had a lot of anxiety about rowing after my crash, and the bruises that litter my body are daily reminders of that terrible incident. I completely destroyed the boat that Vesper was gracious enough to let me use, and my mental and emotional state are both pretty shaky right now. Luckily, my coach decided that a change of scenery would benefit my training; so instead of practicing in Philadelphia, I am now commuting out to Camden, NJ to train on the Cooper River. This is the spot where the 2009 NCAA championships took place. The Cooper River looks very different from how I remember it in June 2009. Where there were once boats, tents, and spectators, there is now brittle grass, goose droppings, and trash, but it is really nice to get away from the distractions of Philadelphia.
The biggest obstacle of this week for me has been the unrelenting heat wave. I nearly passed out on Tuesday at practice in the 110 degree heat. My Michigan body is not used to such temperatures but this heat is just preparing me for what it's going to be like in Oak Ridge, Tennessee next week at Club Nationals. I'm really getting myself hyped up to make a splash at this next big regatta.
Missing Michigan,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 485 km
Weight lost: Ideal weight achieved
Disaster
Today was my heat for the Women's Intermediate Lightweight Single at the Independence Day Regatta right here in Philadelphia. This regatta is a pretty big deal in this city; there are hundreds of racers and dozens of teams. The rowing community really makes itself known along the river this weekend.
This afternoon I had the most dramatic race of my entire life. 400 meters into the race, I was in first place by about a boat-length. Then, even though I was in my lane, I hit the column of a bridge which goes across the course. While racing, it's almost completely impossible to turn around and check to see if there is anything in your way. Though I take full responsibility for hitting the bridge, it would have been nice for the race officials, who were 30 feet away from me, to warn me of the coming disaster.
After smashing into the bridge, I pulled myself together and got back on the race course. Miraculously, I began to catch up to the pack, almost getting even with the rest of the racers. That was the single most intense adrenaline rush I have ever had. Then, out of nowhere, the rower in the lane next to me flipped her boat. She spun into my lane. I had to stop, but I ended up hitting her with my oar. At this point, there were two boats who were ahead of me. I had 1000 meters left in the race. And I just went for it. I walked approximately 15 boat-lengths on the girls in front of me. But unfortunately, it wasn't enough. I ended up getting third place by only a few seconds. The top two finishers moved on to the final.
I immediately raised my hand at the finish line and declared to the race officials that I was protesting the race. My reasoning was based on the other rower flipping into my lane. The race officials did nothing to warn me, so I was not given the opportunity to go around her. I had to write a formal protest and give it to the head race official. My coach met with the officials while I rowed back to the dock.
I got a call about a half hour later from my coach, who told me that my protest did not go through. Though I'm very disappointed that I am done racing for the weekend, this story is so outlandish that I'm sure it will be a part of dinner-table conversation for years to come.
Next race: Club Nationals. I'm out to get some revenge.
Still bleeding blue,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 365 km
Weight lost: 8.1 lbs
Trials
Friday morning, I woke up thinking: "This is it. In a few short hours I will know if I will be representing the United States in the World Rowing Championship." My morning was full of excitement. Two hours before my race, I had my first weigh-in. I passed with flying colors, as I knew I would. I launched my boat, and my coach sent me off the dock.
With the sun beating down on my bandana-clad head, I began my warm-up. I got up to the starting line and watched the start of the Women's Open Weight pair race. Two of the four boats in that race were comprised of Michigan rowers: Ashley Kroll and Felice Mueller in one, and Sarah Gribler and Natalie Eisermann in the other. All four Michigan girls raced their hearts out, and I am so proud of all of them.
My race got called, and I rowed up to the starting line. The three other women in my race were eyeing me suspiciously, and I, in turn, was sizing them up. I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing: "Which one of us is going to win this race?" The referee began the countdown, and I averted my attention to taking deep, slow breaths. The split second before the green light flashed, it seemed like time stopped. Then, I saw a flash of green, my mind went blank, and every muscle in my body exploded with power.
Within the first 250 meters, I knew this would be a two-boat race. I was even with the rower in the lane next to me, and we already had open water on the next two boats. We were neck-and-neck for the first half of the race. I would push up a few strokes and then she would push up a few strokes. It felt like we were doing a dance, never letting the other rower pull too far ahead.
And then it happened. The cross-wind that had seemed so tame a mere hundred meters earlier all of a sudden shot a puff of hot air across my bow. My blade hit one of the buoys that marked the different lanes within the course. My rhythm was disrupted. The other rower pulled ahead of me, and we stayed that way for the rest of the race. I kept pushing my legs down harder and harder, swinging my back and arms quicker and quicker. But no matter what I did I couldn't walk back on her.
The next thing I remember, the buzzer sounded. The race was over. I came in second. At that moment I felt my dream of representing my country slip away. I immediately congratulated the winner of the race, because even though she beat me, I completely admire and respect her speed and talent. I executed my cool-down, disappointed and discouraged.
After that race, I headed up to New York City to visit my friend and teammate, Olivia Klipa. Spending time in the city with a good friend helped my pain of losing subside. I'm still very upset with the outcome of my race, but I know that I have a lot to be proud of. I got second place at the U.S. Trials after sculling for 13 days. The winner of my event had been sculling for years and I certainly gave her a good race. I'm excited to see what five more weeks of training can do for my speed and ability. Though I didn't reach my goal of going to Worlds, I can definitely still accomplish some great things this summer.
Taking each stroke with the M in mind,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 245 km
Weight lost: 7.6 lbs
Getting Ready
As with most things in life, regattas usually have some unforeseen occurrences that disrupt the natural flow of the event. At Trials, the surprise was the number of boats that scratched from their events. In my event, three out of the seven boats that were entered scratched before the heat. So instead of having a heat and a final, my event went straight to a final. So my first race in a single will be the final at the U.S. trials. I'm nervous, excited, and pumped up. But most of all I feel ready.
On Tuesday, as I was walking over to the athlete meeting, I heard a familiar voice call my name. Felice Mueller and Ashley Kroll, two friends and teammates from Michigan, were sitting at a nearby picnic table. What an amazing reunion! As soon as I embraced them I began to cry. I have really missed my friends and teammates since I've been in Philadelphia. A few minutes later, two more friends and teammates, Sarah Gribler and Natalie Eisermann, arrived at the regatta site in their usual swagger. It was so good to see my Michigan girls. It was like a piece of home was brought to the East Coast.
In six hours, I will be done with my race. In six hours I will know if I will be representing the United States at the 2010 U23 World Rowing Championships. Regardless of the outcome, I know that I will represent Michigan to the best of my ability.
Go big or go home, right?
Though I'm wearing a different unisuit, I'm still racing for the M,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 215 km
Weight lost: 7.6 lbs
Reflecting
When we crossed the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border early this morning, my stomach churned with anticipation. Tomorrow I will be racing at the United States U-23 trials. I kept thinking to myself. "What a mind blowing concept." During the hour long car ride to the race course, I reminisced about my beginnings in rowing.
I went to Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, a place where rowing is kind of an undercover sport. During the school day, we spoke in rowing lingo, talking about "feathering," "starboard vs.port," "coxswains," and other rowing terms that the rest of the student body did not understand. At the end of every afternoon, we went down to the simple and rustic boathouse to take thousands of strokes at each practice. Those early evening practices on the Huron River are where I realized that I really loved rowing. Though my high school team didn't have a huge boathouse, and we didn't buy a brand new boat every year, I am so proud of the program that nurtured my passion for this sport.
I attribute the strength and fitness that I've gained to my training at Michigan, and I race for the M every day. But the passion and the fire with which I row was instilled in me by my high school coach, Michael Dove. As I sat in the car this morning, I thought about Coach Dove, a man of few words and much wisdom. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have become a Michigan athlete. During my race on Friday, I'll be racing for Michigan, but I'll also be racing for Coach Dove. With that double dose of passion, I'm definitely excited to see what I can do.
Ready to unleash my Wolverine power,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 201 kms
Weight lost: 4.6 lbs
Ready To Row
On Saturday we did 1500 meter race pace pieces with some of the year-round rowers at Vesper. The ability that these rowers posses is astounding. All of them are so fast and so talented. So to race against them was a really great experience! In the single, I raced some of the open weight women. I was swerving all over the river, but I managed to hold my own!
The pieces on Saturday gave me a little bit of a glimpse of what racing in a single is going to be like, but I'm still going to trials on Wednesday with no expectations. Luckily, I feed off of the feeling that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Let's hope that my vast improvements in the last two weeks are enough to put me on top.
The countdown to the U.S. trials is now in the hours. My first race is this Wednesday, and I have absolutely no idea what to expect. I have made vast improvements in the last two weeks, and I hope that those strides are enough to put me on top. My base fitness is high thanks to my training at Michigan, and my sprint fitness and agility have improved immensely, thanks to my coaching here at Vesper. I feel like the underdog in this race. But then again, that's exactly where I want to be. Nothing to lose and everything to gain!
To my teammates at Michigan who know what this means: CTARB. Always.
Racing for the M,
Julia
Kilometers Rowed: 195 km
Weight lost: 4.6 lbs
The Single: A One Woman Journey
The coaching that I have received in the past week has essentially been the only instruction I have gotten in sculling. That being said, my coach has enough confidence in my week's worth of ability to enter me in the Lightweight Single at the U.S. Trials next week.
In his words: "You are decently fast considering your bad technique."
I take this as a huge compliment. Though I am new to this stroke, I'm really looking forward to rowing a single. For those of you who are new to rowing a single is a boat with one rower. This boat may be one of the hardest to row. You have to simultaneously be the coxswain, the stroke, the engine room, and the bow. It's going to be a difficult race, but I'm always up for a challenge!
Still rowing for Maize and Blue,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 154 km
Weight lost: 4.1 lbs
Exploring
When faced with a day off, I had no idea what to do with myself. When my only time off is consumed by sleep, I was dumbstruck when I had an entire day to rest. My roommates and I decided to explore the vibrant Center City of Philadelphia. We headed to the Redding Terminal Farmer's Market, a bright and lively place packed with every kind of food and trinket imaginable. A whole city block dedicated specifically to selling scrumptious food was probably not the best place for a lightweight to frolic, but it was fun just to look at the delicious treats that were being made right before my eyes. After spending some time at the market, we headed home loaded with fresh produce.
My home for the next two months is an old monastery off of St. Bridget's parish in East Falls, Philadelphia. Like the church, the monastery is built of thick gray stones and is littered with stained glass windows. The windows exhibit beautiful and colorful religious scenes. One of my roommates commented:
"Jesus and Mary were totally judging me while I was watching trashy T.V."
 |  |
| Roomates Sarah Keller and Lizzy Bates |
Having religious icons stare down at you while you go about your daily activities is definitely an experience in itself! As my precious day of rest ended, I faced the reality of the upcoming week: Triple practices in order to prepare for U.S. Trials next Wednesday. I hope I survive!
Still hailing to the Victors,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 107 km
Weight lost: 1.6 lbs
Light Makes Right
"So a hotdog has what, 160 calories?"
"I think so. I probably just ate 250 calories of hamburger. Oh well."
"But you ate carrots too, so that cancels out the hamburger."
If you walked in on this conversation, you might do a double take. A group of thin, muscular men were sitting in a circle discussing dieting tips and caloric intake. My male teammates, all lightweight rowers, don't look like they have an ounce of extra body fat to spare. Yet, like us female lightweights, they find a way to get their weights down to amazingly small numbers. They are seasoned veterans in watching their weight. I, on the other hand, have much to learn.
Today, we took a 2K erg test. "A fitness benchmark," said my coach.
Having consumed an average of 4,000 calories a day for the past nine months, I have been able to maintain my strength and energy. But now that I'm trying to drop weight, I quickly learned that erging on fewer calories is a completely different experience. Five-hundred meters into my test, the phrase "Uh oh" ran through my mind. But like every rower does, I pushed through to the end. Like I said, I have a lot to learn about maintaining strength while dieting. Luckily, I have amazing teammates who are always willing to help.
After the 2K, while completing my row out for the day, I heard a faint "Go Blue!" from a nearby launch. I smiled to myself, realizing for the hundredth time that I'm here in Philadelphia, rowing not only for myself and my new teammates but for Michigan.
It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine,
Julia
Kilometers rowed: 75 km
Weight Lost: 0.8 lbs
Born Again Novice
Here in Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly love, I have once again become a full-fledged novice. Raging blisters, aching muscles, awkward conversations with new teammates, and complete confusion and frustration are all present in my first full day of summer rowing.
Another reason I might as well write "novice" on my forehead: I am in awe of the beauty of Boathouse Row. One cannot describe these buildings as "boathouses." They are castles. The Vesper boathouse, of which I am a member through my U23 program, is composed of majestic gray stones that peak into a tower at the top. Inside, the shiny wood floors and stained glass windows are unlike anything I've ever seen in a boathouse.
Not only is the location new, but the rowing stroke itself is foreign to me. To those who are not familiar with the different rowing strokes I will explain. Rowers have one oar while sweeping, and rowers have two oars when sculling. Going from sweeping to sculling is more difficult than I anticipated. So many more aspects of rowing come into play in sculling. Not only do we have two oars, but we have to steer as well! This has turned out to be a difficult task for me, to say the least. I have a new found respect for coxswains.
Rowing lightweight is probably the biggest change I'm going to have to make over the course of this summer. I am by far the biggest girl in the program, which is opposite of the situation that I'm in while rowing for Michigan. Counting calories is something new to me as well. Caroline, our nutritionist at Michigan, would be so proud!
Long story short, I'm in for two months of intense change.
Always respecting the M,
Julia
Kilometers Rowed: 34 km
Weight lost: 0 lbs
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