National selection trials start tomorrow

Hi all,
Tomorrow is an important day, every result this year counts for nothing and it's game on. We begin the selection trials for the world champs team.
We start the racing with a first and final in the single scull. This will begin the ranking for the 8 of us contesting for seats in the sculling team.
I am looking forward to the racing, although I would much prefer not having to wait around until 2pm for the race. Occupying the time waiting over the morning can be a challenging time and it is important not to waste any energy on unnecessary nerves. I am looking forward to finding out where I sit within the group and see what has changed since the national championships last month.

In sport you must make the most of your opportunities, however it can be frustrating when things in preparation do not go to plan. Unfortunately for me a week after nationals I managed to pull up sore from a 25km training row. I presented with a rib issue and medical staff gave me 5 days out of the boat to let it settle. But, 7 days later still no better and I was sent for a bone scan to assess if it was structural damage. Fortunately it was all clear, however I did miss 10 days out of the boat during an important training block leading in to trials. In the overall scheme of things though I cannot complain as I have not even made it to trials since 2011 and a few days out of the boat is fine if it means I can race now, and compared to the extended periods of time I have sat on the sidelines over the last few years, this is a small blip in the preparation.

Time to rest up and get the mind and the body prepped for tomorrow.

Cheers, John

Unsinkable: Episode Eleven (World Rowing Cup 1)

After a scratchy performance in my first two races at the National Championships, it was good to be a part of a successful result in the quad with sasha, cam and nick. The race was my first ever quad scull race, so i was rather pleased it all went according to plan. Unfortunately the footage of the race is copyrighted, so we couldn't include the race footage in this episode- but you can view the link to the race by following this link.



This particular race was a long time coming, it was an emotional day for me. I appreciate that adversity is very much an individual thing and what may seem frustrating to one is not to another. However I do know that my parents have lived every moment of it with me (barring the operation I underwent prior to informing them) and have witnessed first hand the frustration, so to have them watching me once again competing at a high level and sharing my enjoyment was a memorable moment for me.



Cheers, John

Unsinkable: Episode Ten (Nationals)

This episode focuses on the first two races at the Sydney International Rowing Regatta, the open mens single scull and the interstate kings cup. In both of the events I missed my goals, however I now have 2 weeks to get things back on track before the national team selection trials.

Thanks to Fergus Pragnell and Drew Ginn for the input to this episode.

Hope you enjoy.

Cheers, John

The Kings Cup and World Cup One (911 days since my last International Race)

Hello to you all,

Just a short post with a wrap of the Interstate VIII (Kings Cup) and World Cup 1 in the M4x.

The Interstate VIII for 2014 did not turn out to be the year for Victoria to take it back from NSW. They beat us by a solid margin, and full credit to SA who got across the line in second place leaving us in 3rd. We had full intentions of blasting from the blocks to go with the speed we knew the NSW men would set, however it wasn't enough on the day and they were too good leaving us for dead and sending us back to the drawing board for another year even hungrier again.

The World Cup on Sunday was something I had been looking forward to for a very long time. Not specifically this world cup, but simply having the opportunity to wear an Aussie zootie. It had been 911 days since the final at worlds in 2011 in the 8 where we placed 4th. In that period I have had 4 major operations: a hip arthroscopy post worlds in 2011, major leg surgery april 2012, major leg surgery february/march 2103 and the final op on my legs in June 2013. To have overcome the challenges associated with these physical and emotional rehabilitation periods is something that I am proud to have achieved, and also happy that the effort was all for something.

World Champs 2011. M8+

The race in the quad at the sydney world cup ended as well as it could have for me as we crossed the line in first place beating the Chinese and the second Australian crew. As a crew prior to the race we spoke about doing the best job we possibly could have and seeing how fast we could go, while hopeful that would win us the race. I was fortunate to have been placed in a crew with three talented scullers making my job in the bow seat very simple. The win keeps my perfect record of quad scull racing alive (1 from 1). 

World Cup 1, 2014. M4x

Out in front in the race and praying I don't stuff up. 

Feeling Good

 It was a good way to end the week of racing after a disappointing effort in the 1x final and the kings cup result.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow and the following monday to catch the next two episodes of Unsinkable: The race to Recovery featuring all the insights to the racing at the National Championships, Interstate Racing and the World Cup.

Lastly, I just wanted to thank all of you who have supported me since I began documenting my recovery in June of last year. It hasn't been easy to always share things, but I hope that you have enjoyed it so far and that it may have helped you to not give up on your dreams and to take on the big challenges.

Cheers, John