ROWING: AMSTERDAM TRAINING CAMP WILL THOMAS, CAPTAIN OF BOATS (YEAR 13)
T he 5.00am departure for the annual DCBC Spring training camp in Amsterdam turned out to be just one of several early starts to come. Nevertheless, all 83 of the boys involved relished the rare opportunity to get in a weeklong block of hard training, approaching each session with characteristic focus and enthusiasm despite the repeated early starts and exhaustion. The still, flat waters of the 2km Bosbaan Rowing Lake provided the ideal location for a week of intense water time, whilst also supplying a welcome change from the rough, tidal waters of our usual home, the Thames. On average, each athlete completed a monumental 230km of rowing during the week, averaging around 10km per session, three sessions per day. As expected, the camp pushed everyone to the limits of their physical capacity, particularly following the double-whammy of 4.30am starts to evade the weekend’s ‘Skøll Cup’ lake closure. Despite the tiredness, everybody showed characteristic grit and determination
by continuing to push for more speed in every single session. It was fantastic to see every one of the boys improve dramatically throughout the week, both technically and physiologically. As always, the climax of the week was the ‘time trial’ on the final day of camp. All the boys had a chance to put into practice the skills they had learnt throughout the week in a 2km timed race that replicated the style of racing they had to face in the National Schools competition in May. The extremely fast times set across the board boded extremely well for the summer racing season and everyone was excited to see what they could achieve in a proper race situation. Aside from the rowing, highlights of the camp included the passionately contested mid-week go- karting session, the mammoth buffet breakfasts, and the orange laces the hotel supplied to every single member of our entourage so that we could represent the Netherlands wherever we went.
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