This week's interview is a multi-part feature with Canada's Kevin Light. Light was a member of the Canadian men's eight from 2002 to 2008. In Part II of the feature, row2k chats with Kevin about the eight's approach for Beijing and his most vivid memories of the 2008 Olympics.
Read about Athens in Part I and Part III here!
row2k: What were the critical things you and the eight learned from Athens and how did it affect your training for the Olympic cycle?
Kevin Light: I don't think there is a better position to enter the Olympics than as World Champions, you just have to know how to handle it because it is also the most difficult position. The Athens eight was as good as any crew technically that I have ever been in, but we did not have the complete understanding of how to execute the lead up to an Olympics and how to deal with the crews that attack you every chance they get.
The 2008 eight made an effort to win, but also to win by as much as possible to scare everyone out of that event. We did that in Munich in 2007 (2nd place Germany), and at the 2008 Lucerne World Cup (2nd place China). After Lucerne, Mike was upset that we didn't win by over three seconds. What the other crews thought of us was one thing we were aware of, but what we thought of ourselves was something we focused on. We were not afraid of anyone.
The Beijing team had an eight and a pair. The pair was on its own because they had to qualify, so the eight spent a lot of our time on our own as well. The Athens group was much larger as we had a pair, four, and eight; all with a chance to win. Looking back, with a few changes all boats could have medaled rather than just the four. I don't think we raced too much before Athens or were burnt out. Before Beijing we did less racing and less training camps. The thought was that during a training camp, athletes would be more focused which was true with the Athens crew, but the crew for Beijing did not want to leave home. We didn't need any extra reason to be focused on our training. If we could not be focused in Victoria then we were not going to be any more focused anyplace else in the world.
Training at the level we had to win meant that injuries were always happening. In Victoria we had the medical support staff with us 24/7 to make sure that our injuries did not escalate to the point of any of us missing time on the water. We put all our nervous energy and focus into training, so that when we finished our last training session, we all sat outside for a team photo, confident and happy we had done everything we could and gotten everything out of the environment we were in. We understood the situation we were going in to and we understood the pressure and possible distractions associated with the Olympics. We were able to keep the distractions to a minimum in Beijing by not staying in the village, instead staying in a hotel five minutes from the course.
Personally, I was just so much better in Beijing than in Athens. I was 15 pounds heavier and was a lot stronger. I was also significantly more advanced with my technical skills than I was in Athens. I was calm when I was supposed to be calm and nervous when I was supposed to be nervous. I did not have as much fun in Beijing as I did in Athens leading up to the racing but I was more relaxed and felt comfortable with the situation. It was all very focused and calculated. I understood that the Olympics were a show and I was not overwhelmed by the size of the event. When I looked at the rings along the Beijing course when I first arrived I felt like I belonged in that environment. In Athens I don't know what I felt.
row2k: The eight found redemption in Beijing and won gold, what are your most vivid memories from that experience?
Kevin Light:
The fog. I could only see about 500m but I didn't have trouble breathing.
Looking at the course, seeing the Olympic ring flags and feeling like I belonged there.
The company names on the urinals being taped over. Shows what a big spectacle the Olympics are and how much money is being made.
The cicada insects at the start line during the first few days. They were making so much noise and then one morning they were all gone and it smelt bad.
Not racing the heat - It was called due to weather. We waited for all the other crews to row back to the dock and then we had enough space to get in a 45 stroke piece in. We would have had a great chance to set a world record had raced in those conditions.
The Australians coming right in behind us during the heat and Brian sticking his arm out like I running back in football does and calling that we had to move away fast. I can remember being very calm thinking that type of steering happened every time we trained with two eights at Shawnigan Lake.
The bow ball breaking off in the heat. It was the first time we used an empacher with a boot. We usually used a Hudson. It was my job to get the bow ball in and I liked to jam it all the way into the boot rather than have it just floating inside. The empacher nose is not as straight as the Hudson and the whole bow ball and some of the boat went right over top of the boot, but when the guys rolled forward to the catch for the start, it pulled the boat back and the edge of the bow ball got caught on the boot and it broke off. We were lucky to be able to race, but had to go right to the dock when we were done.
Nobody panicking - The heat was called off and no one panicked. The bow ball fell off and no one panicked. The Australians came into our lane and no one panicked. We focused on what we had to do as nine guys and everything else around us didn't seem to matter.
Walking in front of the boat bays after a huge rain storm and locking eyes with the big guy from the British crew. We stared at each other right in the eyes and then his foot hit a slanted piece of wet concrete in the entrance to the boat bay and his foot slipped almost falling right over.
The British coaches timing us as we did our most important pieces on Thursday before the final. A 500m and a 1250m. There were British coaches at every 500m marker. It kind of worried us that they were there, but Mike said he never times other crews because either they get fast times and then what do you, train more? Or they get slow times and then do you train less? Mike kept us all calm and focused on what we had to do.
Totally believing that we were going to win. There was no way the U.S. or Britain was going to beat me because I did not believe they had they guys to beat the guys I was rowing with. I had tremendous confidence in the guys I was with that they were the best in the world. The difference from Athens was that I now understood that there was still a possibility that they could beat us. I think that is one of the reasons we won the race, because everyone in the crew understood that we were a great crew but not invincible. I respected my competition much more than I did in Athens and I think that allowed me to keep the pressure on even when we had a boat length, because I knew if I let it off for a second it would come back to bite me. We almost had a boat length lead during the heat in Athens, but then to have another crew close a gap that you thought was insurmountable was a pretty humbling experience.
During the races in Beijing, Brian kept saying "Never enough, never enough," even when we were up by a boat length. Knowing that he was not lying and knowing that a boat length lead is actually not enough was very important. The effort we put in the middle 100 strokes, especially the third 500m, maintaining our lead won us the race and it was a good thing we did because the race for silver between the US and Britain drove them on quite hard.
Warming up on the bike in our bay and looking over at Brian Richardson who was the coach of the Australian men's eight. Brian was the Head Coach of Canada during the Athens years. I was looking at him right in the eye and he was looking at me in the eye and then he looked away. I remember staring at him and thinking, "I'm going to win this time and I'm going to beat your crew." Brian Richardson was always very nice to me and was a respected member of the Canadian team. I felt like I had let him down in Athens and wanted to make sure he knew I was going to make up for that mistake, but I had to beat his crew to do it.
Watching a youtube video in the village following the final that someone in the stands took of my parents watching me cross the finish line. That is the most emotional I got about the race. Watching my Dad put his hands on his head almost like he could not believe what he was watching when I was crossing the line. I remember how much closer the race looked from the stands compared to the bow seat of the eight. I knew we were going to win one minute into the race. Once we had the lead I knew we were not going to let anyone pass us. I can't explain how much Athens hurt and affected me and still affects me today. The Athens race will affect me and the guys from that crew for the rest of our lives. Everyone from that crew has helped each other get through that and no one blamed anyone for the loss which I'm pretty proud off, because it showed the belief we had in one another. I'm sure the US guys from 2004 will tell you exactly the same thing after what they experienced in 2000. The most vivid aspect of Beijing was everyone's silent belief in themselves and the crew that we were going to win that race or die trying. Looking back, it was a very special group; a group that I didn't realize was that special until the group was no longer together.
I remember being at the Beijing closing ceremonies with my wife Zoe who rowed the womens pair. We laid on the floor watching everything that was going on and I thought how special and unique for us to be experiencing something like that together. I will never forget that, even though our results were different, I was very very proud of her and the determination she showed to reach it to the Olympics.
Going to the Great Wall with everyone and posing for a photo with our medals. That was a very cool thing to do with all my friends.
Not being able to feel any pain in the warm up - Having to trust that if I did the same routine I did in the practice warm ups my body would be ready to race. I raced very hard and just getting to the finish line I felt more relieved than tired. I was not tired at all, but it was a really weird feeling as I was not overly joyous or excited. Looking back at the photos I was barely smiling at all. I felt like I was in a moment and I can't remember enjoying it as much as winning the World Championships. I was not sad or unhappy but I was not jumping or smiling either. I shared a package of gummy bears with the British coxswain who had them for some reason and offered me some as we stood next to each other on the podium. The first time I realized what I had actually done was when I went for a walk around Elk Lake about two weeks after I got home and looked out over the water. I became emotional when I thought of all the time I spent out there going back and forth for the past 11 years of my life and it ended with a gold medal at the Olympics.
