See Jennerich's original row2k Starting Five questions here!
1. How have you prepared differently for this quadrennial than previous cycles?
I feel there are a lot of things I did differently than the last cycle. I could sum up the main difference (and from which all other differences stemmed) was understanding that there's actually only two really important races in a rower's career and that's the Olympic final and the one the one that gets you there. I think this quadrennial, I came back understanding that and therefore, I trained that way. Last quad was all about being as fast as possible in each practice of each day and every race I did. This time around, there was a process that I followed by which sometimes I was slower than I wanted to be at practice but it was in an effort to be the fastest when it actually mattered. I think by doing this, I am entering a physical peak over the next 18 days that I have never experienced before.
This quad was also very different in the aspect of taking care of details. Last time around I thought it was all about going hard and being tough all the time. This time, I understand it's about balance in health, psychology, physiology, happiness, life in general, nutrition; you really have to take care of EVERY aspect and assume the "going hard" is the default setting that sometimes must be stifled in order to achieve something else that day.
2. Did anything completely unexpected happen at past Games, or do you have any memorable or unusual stories from your previous Olympiad?
Going into London there were definitely some bumps. The partner I was originally selected to go with quit only 3 weeks before departure for the games and I then found myself switching gears and began pursuing a renewed partnership. I say renewed because Patricia Obee and I had qualified together and trained together most of 2012 but had been out of the boat for a few months after a selection process put Tracy Cameron in the double. So that was unexpected obviously. Later, on training camp only one week before the games, Obee suffered an injury to her rib that caused us to race the whole regatta with a rather serious injury. It was really just not the right kind of preparation at all and I knew that deep in my heart. We did our best, but the Olympics are for the fittest and best and we simply weren't at our best.
3. Any/Most important advice for first time Olympians?
My advice for first time Olympians is to LEARN. Take in all you can before you go from those that have been before and know what it's all about. Not every suggestion is going to work for everyone but that's why you must observe and be aware and take in all you can. I don't mean to just do this in the short lead up to the games and during, I mean to do this the whole quadrennial. Learn how an experienced person behaves, how they train, how they focus, how they take care of themselves in the off hours. Winning an olympic medal is not a one year project. It takes many years of experience and making mistakes, so you may as well try to learn from someone else's before you make your own.
4. What was your state of mind like sitting in the starting block of your first Olympic race?
So, so, so, one thousand times so nervous. I am always a nervous racer and I embrace that because nerves are what make you race to survive, they get more out of a human being, but London nerves were different. My London nerves were rooted in a deep-down knowing that we were not ready and that's the worst kind of nerves because they weren't mixed with excitement to show what we were capable of, they were only nerves that came from knowing we were not ready.
5. What's different this time around/what will you do differently at this Olympics?
Mainly what is different is what I mentioned earlier and that when I came back to rowing in late 2013, it was with one goal in mind....Olympic gold. From that moment of return, I feel I have done all the things I could to make myself the fastest for August 12th and sometimes that meant not doing what was going to make me fastest every single moment of the training year which is hard when sometimes you just want to rip on it and win the piece. Most importantly, we have a coach this year who is dedicated solely to us as a double. It has made all the difference in the world to have a training program written perfectly for us, to have someone we can talk to on a daily basis, someone who is on our page and supportive at all times. I feel I have made many mistakes in my career and this quad has shown me that all those mistakes were for a reason because I have accounted for nearly all of them and am a much better rower for it.
6. Do you feel older/better/wiser/stronger/other?
I turn 34 on the training camp for Rio, so I definitely feel older! Haha. That feels old in number but I feel I am at a physical peak that I have never felt before. I feel confident in who I am and what I am capable of and I feel that confidence and maturity was a major strength in my training this time around. I have truly embraced and accepted all the mistakes that I have made in past years and I am thankful for them for although they cost me medals at times, they are now the things that have taught me to be even better. I do not regret a single bad result, a single mistake or a single moment of my past because I feel every one of them was required to get me to this moment where I feel all the details have been taken care of and I am truly my best self.
7. Does the phrase "the Olympics" ring differently the next time around?
Yes, I feel it's like an old friend this time. Last time it was something flashy and bright and exciting. This time, it's the thing I have been waiting for. It's the stage upon which Patricia and I will show four years of training. It's different because this time around, I understand how it's really the only one that matters, that all the other ones were just a way to learn to be ready for this one.
8. As far as regattas go, comparing the Olympics to different races (Worlds, Lucerne), is it a better or different regatta, or just higher stakes?
Obviously the Olympics are much higher stakes. Everyone you race is more ready for the olympics than any other race they do, so for that reason, they are also harder. It's a spectacle and therefore, you have to be ready for all that comes with that. It's a time when the world actually cares about what you're doing and with that comes a certain kind of pressure. For me, this time, it's actually very different because I used to race all races the same, I was always just trying to win all of them and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. This time, I feel we have used all the other regattas as learning venues for the olympics. So yeah, it feels like we are finally getting to "the one!" and with that comes a certain amount of fear and nerves and a sense of knowing that this is really it. This is the end of the line.
Date Of Birth: July 30, 1982
Coach: Tom Morris
Height: 165 Cm
Weight: 59 Kg
Hometown: Victoria, BC
Current Club: University Of Victoria Rowing Club
Go to pump up song: Never Enough - Eminem
Favorite sports team: Chicago Bulls (when Jordan played)
Biggest fans: My parents
Favorite post workout snack: Doug Vandor's homemade poutine
Year first rowed: 1996
First Rowed at: Victoria City Rowing Club Juniors
First Coach: Teresa Luke
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