Now, I know I said I would try to give you a history lesson, but I have to admit that on our trip to the ruins I got a bit distracted….with shopping. I do hope to go back to see the ruins and fairly learn about the history, but I have to tell you that I got some pretty wicked deals on shoes! Shoes are SUPER cheap here and so I purchased many pairs (high heels of course)! I don’t know why the prices are so good, but I’m not going to complain. Shopping is great for releasing any stress. My teammates and I have gone to the mall across the street from our hotel quite a bit, and even paid frequent (daily) visits to the grocery store just to plan what exciting snacks and meals we can eat.
The mall is a bit different than what you would find back home in Canada. There are flat escalators (like the ones you find at the airport when you don’t feel like walking from terminal to terminal with your luggage), and there’s a café on every single floor. Cafes are pretty big here in Plovdiv and you can find one on almost every block. Each have great outdoor seating and probably really good parties at night…soon we’ll get our chance to enjoy the partying after racing!
However, back at the course there is no partying…there’s focus. It’s interesting to note that although sports can be very different, the environments in which you compete can be very similar.
No matter what, you will most likely find yourself assessing your competition: how strong they look, what equipment they’re using, etc. For lightweight rowing there’s the added dimensions of also assessing how much you think your competition weighs and how much they may have to sweat down. But that’s all external and not what the focus will be on race day. It’s all internal from here on in and tomorrow I’ll have my eyes glued to the back of my teammate sitting in front of me. Focus.
The race venue is no joke. The course is just over 2km (the distance of the race) and 7 lanes wide with a beautiful backdrop of mountains and greenery. Along the course there’s a path that coaches bike down as their athletes are racing. I’m prepared to hear voices yelling in all different languages during our race tomorrow, but the only one I will be focused on is Liz’s (our bow seat).
Since spectators can’t follow the race from beginning to end, there is a jumbotron (big tv) placed in front of the grand stands for spectators to watch until the crews racing down the course get closer. The best seats in the house might be those of spectators watching from the eating area under umbrellas from the 1800-2000m mark. Cheers will be loud at this point as families, friends and rowing fans will be encouraging their crews to cross the finish line first. Across the grand stands is a long row of flags lining the side of the course – seeing so many countries represented here is exciting and reminds me just how big this event is! With 991 athletes competing I know that there is bound to be many memorable races:).
Below is the link to the race website for those who want to follow and see our results. We are racing on Wednesday August 15th at 6:04pm Bulgarian time (11:04am EST, 8:04am PST).
You can see the schedule and maybe the races here:
Results will be posted here:
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT AND LOVE!!!
Until tomorrow
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