rebeccmeister | Ahh, Australia! Lo, the urbanity

Quick update, because I'm in the Penrith Visitor's Information Centre typing on a clickety-clack keyboard. Heh, okay maybe not so quick, because there's lots to talk about.

Our flight in to Sydney was not without adventure. At some point, while we were in the middle of the Pacific, fast asleep with all of the cabin lights dimmed, one of the flight attendants came on over the PA to ask if there were any medical professionals on board who could help a passenger in need. A few hours after that, the pilot announced that we would be making an unplanned stop on the island of Noumea to drop off the passenger and his companion for immediate medical treatment. No word on the ailment, but clearly it couldn't wait the remaining 3 hours until we reached Sydney. So we got to Sydney a few hours later than planned (though I will stil say that Quantas is one of the best airlines I've ever been on). From there, IB and I took the train out to Penrith, and headed straight over to the race course.

On the train ride, I got to relish a few things I appreciate about Australia (and really, it's all in the small touches). At least half of the back yards we could see had clotheslines in them, mostly those square ones with a center post (like the one my parents had when I was a kid). Even our hotel room has one. Secondly, it was almost a relief to drop into a city that has actual population density. I find it kind of comforting to see people all snugged away into small living spaces. A walkable city! The public transit is also spectacular, a well-run train and bus system of the sort that's only possible in a REAL city. Ahh. Thirdly, there was an abundance of interesting architecture, with lots of wrought-iron. Splendid.

The race course is the course that was built for the Australian Olymics in 2000 (2004? My memory is failing me today). That means that it's gorgeous and well laid-out. I think it will get a photo-post of its own later on. Apparently, by virtue of arriving late, IB and I missed a chance to stand in a few lines to figure out the boat hire situation. Instead, after some fussing around with a partially broken boat in need of some epoxy, I had a chance to get out for a spin to check out the course. It felt really good to move around after over 17 hours on an airplane.

After all that was said and done, we headed over to the main Sydney Olympic venue to complete our registration. Again, we got lucky and only had to wait 2.5 hours to finish registration, instead of the 5 hours that many people spent in the enormous line. The only downside is that our World Masters Games ID cards don't have our personal information on them.

There are thousands of people participating in the Masters Games, across all kinds of sports. It looks to me like the age requirements for different sports vary considerably, with rowing on the lower end of the scale. Yep, that's right, I'm hanging out with an older crowd. But, yeah. With that many people, keeping things organized and running smoothly is a huge challenge. This is the biggest rowing event I've ever participated in.

Anyway, on the train ride back from registration, I could barely keep my eyes open, so I climbed into bed shortly thereafter and slept deeply until 5 this morning.

This morning, racing got underway. I competed in the Women's A single (that's a one-person boat, with all competitors between the ages of 27-32). The basic organization for this regatta is heats, then semi-finals, then finals. The Olympic course is 9 lanes across, and for some of the events, the organizers are using all 9 lanes, with races starting off every 3 minutes [at one point today, there were 3 sets of races on the course at the same time...crazy!]. K and P, for instance, are racing in an event with 121 competitors, so only 2 boats from each heat will advance to the semis. For my race this morning, the top 4 boats from each heat could advance to the semis. There were originally 8 boats signed up for my heat, but by the time we reached the start line, it was clear that there were only going to be 5 of us racing. Great, only one boat to beat. I managed to stay ahead of just that one boat, coming in fourth in my heat and finishing respectably close to everyone else. Whew, avoided complete embarrassment. I know I'm not the fastest singles rower, so my goal is generally to avoid making a fool of myself.

I hadn't had much time to test out and adjust the boat I used to my specifications, so it wasn't quite right for that first race. Prior to the second race, I took a few more minutes to tweak a couple of things (oar spread and footstretchers, to be specific). Some of the hipster bikers like to talk about bikes that look/feel "dialed," and although I like to make fun of that ("what, like a 1-800 number?"), it's an apt description for how the boat felt going into the second race. Ready to go. It's a slightly heavy boat, and the oars were a bit heavier than what I'm accustomed to using, but it set up nicely and I felt good and awake by then.

So my race in the semifinals was probably the best 1x race I've ever had. I felt like I could apply power well, and was able to put in a solid effort for the sprint. I can tell that some extra work/time in the 1x would make me even faster in the long run, but overall I'm pleased. Oh, it was only top 3 to the finals, and I came in 5th out of 9, so that was it for me (first place finished in 4 minutes, whereas I finished in 4:28 - she creamed us!). But still, it was a respectable finish, well within the pack (I edged out two other boats in the sprint!), and I feel like I'm still getting more confident in the single. I enjoy the bigger boats better because of the social element (and the synergystic feeling that comes from rowing well with other people), but I feel somehow like it's important for my personal development to keep at it in the single. Maybe because that's where my real mental limits are.

Other than all of that, it has been fantastic to have time to catch up with T and

dichroic, who are living in Taiwan these days (Taipei) and jetting back and forth between there and the Netherlands. They were an integral part in helping me transition over to sculling from sweep-rowing, which has had such a great positive impact on my life, so it's wonderful to see them again.

Lastly, I keep thinking of mister

scrottie, mostly because I miss him, but also because of his most recent travel misadventures. In great contrast with his trip, I am within easy walking distance of a grocery store, which will supply a reasonable abundance of staples for breakfasts and lunches. I am also traveling about via all sorts of alternative transportation and am getting plenty of fresh air and exercise (though I suppose a lot of this just highlights distinctions between traveling for work and traveling for pleasure). Australians looove espresso (they don't really serve drip coffee, and call their espresso cute things like "short black"s and "long black"s and "flat white"s), so there are coffee shops absolutely everywhere (did I mention that I like this country?). So I've got some bread and cheese(us), some coffee (and a new, cheap wee french press) and some fruit, and am set to go for eating delicious things for the next while.

Okay, that's it for now. It's nice to feel like I will have more time/space for updates on this Australia trip relative to the last one (hooray for vacations!). Once I find a spot with wireless, I might even get to upload a few photos as well.

...come to think of it, I don't think I've ever gone on a vacation of this sort before. How indulgent (and yet, how much fun).