The process of derigging a boat after rowing in a second level final can be a time of immense disappointment if the crew is finishing not just a World Championship, but possibly staring the reality of an end of a dream or a career.
Or if the team is young enough and coming together just at the beginning of a four-year building process directed toward an Olympics, it can also be time to think about more races to come.
That was the feeling expressed by Ben Delaney and Michael Colella, two of the younger members of the US men's team who both rowed in the B final of their respective events Saturday at the 2017 World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, Fl.
Delaney rowed in the men's four, and Colella in the men's pair. Both crews had what they considered disappointing finishes - the pair came fifth and the four finished fourth - but each felt they had learned enough, built enough real life knowledge and gotten enough of a taste of what the next three year could bring to leave Nathan Benderson Park with an eye toward the Tokyo.
"It was an eye-opener of what it is to race at this level," Colella said. "It fuels the fire going into the next three years, knowing just how high we need to raise the bar. We get into this bubble in the US system, and then we get here and find out how fast we need to be.
"It was a B final, but we were trying to more than that. So, good growth this week, but I'm looking for more over the next three years," he said.
Delaney said he felt the same way. "It was a whirlwind, coming from the junior team six years ago, to now. It was fun but it was so totally different. The level of racing is nothing like I've ever experienced.
"That's a big jump from the collegiate level no matter what program you’re from," he said. "We're racing fast people, adults who have been here a long time and have won a lot of races at the international level.
"That was a disappointing final race," he said. "I'm excited for the next three years. This is the beginning on my campaign for 2020 and the campaign for the US as a whole and I'm excited to be a part of it from step one."
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