My training for Nat Champs started on a bit of a bad note after injuring my back throwing javelin on sports day. Now I can see why Mr B always says don't ever do any other sports apart from rowing!
We arrived at Nottingham the day before the event to get all the boats ready - I was racing in trusty Norbert.
After rigging my boat and getting soaked from a very long downpour, my Dad and I attempted to get back to the hotel to get rested up for the race the next day. Of course we set off in the opposite direction to the hotel, but that was all part of the 'master plan' of navigation.
Walking on to the launching area I saw some men who must have been racing in under 23, or so I thought. I was shortly informed that they were some of my opposition for J16.
Filled with the confidence of never competing in a regatta in a single before and having people who looked like men racing against me, I set off on my journey up to the start.
As we were getting on to the start I did one of Monkton's famous tap turns and didn't wobble either (added bonus), hoping that this would make my opposition think that I could row well in a single.
The light went green; trying to get my start right was a task in itself; after about 6 strokes I hit the buoys. Blades were attracted to them like a fat person to cake! This was definitely not from my steering as every one knows that I can steer (what a joke); after getting the hang of going in a straight line everything seemed to be going well. I was cruising along in 4th place. As I approached the 500m mark I took up my pressure a bit starting to gain on the guy in third; before I knew it I had caught up with him and gone past landing myself in 3rd at the end of the race.
Even though I had just got 3rd, I then remembered that I would have to go in the repechage because of the large number of competitors. "Great, I'm knackered and I've got to do that again!"
The Rep went much the same as the Heat, the buoys still seemed to have an attraction to my boat. As I entered the last 50m of the course I saw the red buoys come beside me, I was level with the guy in the red boat (don't know his club): we both knew we were in the semi, but now it was down to who's going to win and look better. The horn went, and I was about a canvas up on him. Happy days! I WON the rep. No-one was really sure what to do now as the plan was that I would be out by now.
Saturday was there before I knew it, and that meant the semi final. Learning my lesson from the day before I didn't eat as much for breakfast. All I was planning on doing was just rowing a good race. Visualising on the way to the course I pictured what I would be doing, which was just not to lose!
Yet again I found myself sitting on the start, this time next to people who were even bigger! The boats also seemed to get better, Stampfli's, Sims etc, and then me in my Janousek.
The light turned green, and would you know the buoys hit me again! By this point I thought that they must just have a grudge against me, so I'll just hit them harder when I do. After the buoys I then caught a crab, so the race wasn't off to a good start. I sat level 4th for most of the race. I thought it was definite that I was going to be out now. 1250m down, breathing started to get very hard, not because of asthma - no, it was my tiny breakfast trying to re-appear. After not being able to breathe for about 5 seconds I got it back down, not realising that I was slipping into 5th. That was soon sorted out. I saw the 250m mark and was still fourth! I was out for sure, even the guy in the red boat was beating me. I looked behind me and saw the red buoys.
This was it, time to go nuts, nothing left in the tank but still going to try. My stroke rate sky rocketed, and the tank seemed full again. I was like a hamster on speed. I was level third and then pushed past, crossing the line just in third by about a boat's length.
I came into the dock to be greeted by a very happy Austin (my coach). He said to me "You came second ,Ben!". "No I didn't, I came third", I argued. He then told me that not only did I overtake the guy in third I also got past second. I was in the final!
On Sunday for the last time I lined up on the start, trying not to think of getting a medal and also trying to show up the buoys and row past them. I didn't - it seemed like a routine now. Three strokes into my start the middle pair had already gone out of view. That was the first bit of my race plan out of the window (trying to keep up with group for the first 500m).
Trying to keep a higher stroke rate, I managed 30. This was a bit of an improvement on my usual 27.
At the 1000m mark I had nothing left. I still put in my build try to keep in fourth. At this point it became apparent that I wasn't going to get third. I was just fighting for fourth, and my rival for this position was the guy in the red boat! Yet again we sat neck and neck until we got to the red buoys. No way was I going to lose fourth to this guy.
Resurrecting my finish from the semi, I started to pull away from him. It seemed to take forever to hear the horn. But soon enough it came.
I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get a medal as I rowed in to the landing stage. I was greeted by many friends and coaches. I was reminded that to come 4th at Nat Champs when it was my first regatta wasn't too bad.
I was pleased with the final result, considering I only went for the experience, and I had an injured back.