It has been nearly a year since I last wrote and this ‘update blog’ has been mocking me from my to-do list for the past 6 months so I am finally sitting down to write. Forgive me if I’m a bit rusty or if I ramble. It has been a great year – a year [...]
I am an olympic gold medalist in rowing and I trained under Spracklen during two olympics. Unfortunately his recent departure from Rowing Canada is getting a lot more attention than it deserves but I will voice my opinion regardless. It is painful enough reading comments from those who know nothing about the sport of rowing. [...]
The announcement has just come out that Rowing Canada is parting ways with controversial coach – Mike Spracklen – and I applaud the organization for finally making the decision to move forward. I’m sure some supporters will question the decision, but there are many athletes that see this as something that has been a long [...]
Since the London Olympics came to a close, I’ve had a lingering feeling of an opportunity lost. I find myself going through waves of overwhelming disappointment mixed with an appreciation for the uniqueness of the overall experience. We didn’t get the result that we knew we were capable of (we finished sixth in the men’s pair [...]
It’s almost here. These last few months have flown by and we’re now less than 10 days away from the opening ceremony for the London Olympics. Wow. I can feel the excitement and apprehension building, and every once in a while I have to tell myself to calm down and take it all in stride. [...]
Lately, I’ve been asked a lot about how my previous experience will affect our performance in London. With this being my third Olympics, will anything be different? Will I be better prepared to race? The truth is that each Olympics is completely different, but knowing what challenges to expect can only help. Canadian rower Jake [...]
At this point in the season, the majority of the work is done. The months of training through the winter have built the foundation for our speed on the water, and now we’re just looking for those little edges that can make a difference at the Olympics. Every athlete wants to line up on that [...]
Just wrote this blog for CBC and thought I would post it here with some photos. We had a great camp in Switzerland/Italy and then had an encouraging weekend of racing in Lucerne. Only two months left to build on this momentum and get faster! ………. With our competition season finally getting underway last week, [...]
Bullfight critics, ranked in rows, Crowd the enormous plaza full. But only one is there who knows, And he’s the man that fights the bull. John F. Kennedy used to carry this poem with him in his wallet. I came across it in the winter of 2010 and love the message. Those four succinct lines [...]
What defines an “Olympic Performance?” First, I should define what the term “Olympic Performance” means to me. It’s not simply competing at the Olympics. For me, it’s an athlete being able to embrace the pressure and expectations, cast aside the doubts and fear of failure, and produce a performance that is capable of inspiring a [...]