Some athletes admit to feeling nervous before an important competition, particularly a world championships.
Tim Aghai (Skokie, Ill.), who is rowing in the men's pair with Michael DiSanto (Boston, Mass.) for the United States here in France, said he was feeling it a bit.
Others approach the start of a regatta methodically. Kate Bertko (Oakland, Calif.) was one of those crews. Still others think that every race start feels the same—electric and energizing.
"Maybe this is going to sound funny, but it doesn't feel any different than sitting at the start line of a national selection regatta, or sitting at the start line of a Dad Vail when you're in college," said Michelle Sechser (Folsom, Calif.), who is racing the lightweight women's double sculls with Devery Karz (Park City, Utah).
"How badly you want to win, how difficult it is to perform, is always the same. Whether it's on the national team racing a defending Olympic champion, or racing a college rival, it all feels similar to me. I wouldn't 't call it nerves. It's the excitement, love of the game. Sitting at the start line is the most alive I ever feel with anything I ever do with my life."
Whatever approach was taken, of the 10 U.S. crews that began racing in this week-long competition, nine advanced to the next level of their events. The U.S. had successful first races in the men's and women's single sculls, lightweight men's and women's single sculls, men's and women's pair, lightweight men's and women's double sculls and men's four. Only the men's quadruple sculls crew missed qualifying Sunday. View the U.S. results grid, courtesy of the NRF, here.
Starting the day for the U.S. was Newport Aquatic Center's Nicholas Trojan (Los Alamitos, Calif.). Coming off the line, Trojan was in second place, but took the lead in the second quarter. He attempted to hold, but fell back into second when Adam Ling of New Zealand rowed through on the far side. Trojan, rowing in lane one, stayed in second and finished in 7:03.86 to advance to the Wednesday quarterfinal.
Ling won in 7:00.71 and Peru's Renzo Leon Garcia was third in 7:04.31.
In the lightweight women's single sculls, California Rowing Club's Bertko took complete control of her race, moving out early and then building to a comfortable open-water lead. Bertko cruised across the line, rowing about 12 strokes per minute lower than some in the field. She finished in 7:47.15 and advanced directly to the Thursday semifinal. Mexico's Kenia Lechuga Alanis was second in 7:55.04 and Kanako Ueda of Japan was third in 7:57.24.
"I wanted to have a really good opening to the race and really test my speed and my fitness and then be cautious and careful for the rest of the regatta," said Bertko. "I got lucky and was ahead, I was able to take it down a little bit, which was nice. I think it looks like each heat had a pretty fast person in it, so I think the rest of the regatta will be pretty hard. But it feels good to open it up with the first one and get things started."
The next crew to qualify was the women's pair crew of USTC - Princeton's Eleanor Logan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) and Felice Mueller (Cleveland, Ohio). They did not have room for error, as only one crew would advance to the semifinal. Through the first half of the race, the U.S. rowed slightly behind Denmark. That changed in the second half when Logan and Mueller moved into first.
Denmark did not let go, but that only appeared to make the Americans push harder in the sprint. They finished first in 7:03.18. Denmark was second in 7:04.91 and Belarus was third in 7:17.70.
"It was a really good, first, solid race," said Logan. "There are some good boats out there. We knew with only one to go that everyone wants to get that extra day off. We just really wanted to focus on our race, get the top spot and have the best race we could."
In the men's pair, Aghai and DiSanto also advanced. This is Aghai's first time competing at a senior world championship and he said he was feeling the nerves rowing to the start. "It felt as it usually does in the first round of an international race—a little tense, some nerves and a lot of adrenaline," he said.
"Our goal was to put on the blinders, row to the one thousand and then see where we were. We did exactly that. We got to the thousand and we were in a good place, so we didn't just completely shut it down, we just kind of kept where we were and enjoyed the rest of the course."
Aghai and DiSanto crossed second in 6:36.68 and advanced among the top four crews to the quarterfinals. Serbia won in 6:34.44. Canada was third in 6:38.70. Next to advance was the Cambridge Boat Club lightweight men's double sculls crew of Joshua Konieczny (Millbury, Ohio) and Andrew Campbell, Jr. (New Canaan, Conn.). Campbell and Konieczny needed to finish in the top three to advance to the quarterfinals and did that by finishing second behind Italy.
Italy led the entire length of the course, crossing in 6:15.20. The U.S. crossed in 6:16.74, and Poland was third in 6:22.85.
Sechser and Karz went next for the U.S. in the third heat of the lightweight women's double sculls. With four spots available to reach the quarterfinals, the U.S. was never out of qualifying position, but they were in fourth place through the first three quarters of the course. They had to push through both China and Sweden to cross second in 7:01.59. Poland won in 6:59.92, and Sweden was third in 7:02.16.
The men's four followed, and like in the women's pair event, there was only a single spot available in order to avoid the repechages and advance directly to the semifinals. Coming out of a gold-medal performance at the second world cup the USTC - Princeton crew of Seth Weil (Menlo Park, Calif.), Henrik Rummel (Pittsford, N.Y.), Charlie Cole (New Canaan, Conn.) and Glenn Ochal (Philadelphia, Pa.) are hoping to medal in France.
Off the start of its heat, the U.S. fell behind Serbia and into second. It lasted only though the first quarter. In the second 500 meters, the U.S. moved into first. As they approached the finish, the U.S. held off a huge push from South Africa that ended with them rowing from last to second.
The U.S. won in 5:56.63. South Africa was second in 5:57.71, and Spain was third in 6:00.26.
"The name of the game is progress," said Weil. "You've got to get out of the heat to get to the semi. You've got to get through the semi to get to the final. So, mission accomplished on that front. There is always work to be done. We'll sit down and talk about the race to see where we can get stronger in the semi.
"We expected Serbia to push hard and fast," he said. "We saw them do that to us at the world championships last year in the heat. (Charlie) handled it really well, kept everyone calm, long, and we worked through in the middle."
In the men's single sculls, Ken Jurkowski (New Fairfield, Conn.) advanced to the quarterfinals, finishing second in his heat. Jurkowski rowed comfortably in second behind Alan Campbell of Great Britain. Campbell finished in first in 7:00.62 and Jurkowski was second in 7:02.31 to claim the top two spots to advance.
The final U.S. boat to advance was Cambridge Boat Club's women's single sculler Gevvie Stone (Newton, Mass.). With three spots open for the quarterfinals, Stone easily advanced in second place with a time of 7:34.54. Denmark's Fie Udby Erichsen won in 7:29.58. Nigeria's Chierika Ukogo was third in 8:11.08.
The one U.S. crew to miss qualifying on Sunday was California Rowing Club's men's quad of Ian Silveira (West Bloomfield, Mich.), Hans Struzyna (Kirkland, Wash.), John Madura (West Milford, N.J.) and Derek Johnson (Hillsborough, Calif.).
The U.S. needed a top-two finish to advance, but crossed third in 5:48.57. Switzerland won in 5:43.89 and New Zealand was second in 5:44.12. The U.S. will have another opportunity to reach the semifinals when it races in the Tuesday repechages.