Update from Henley

Greeting from the Craftsbury contingent overseas! Tom and I both raced in the Diamond Challenge Sculls this morning and had tough racing. Tom emerged victorious over a strong Leander entry (the home club) with a nice final sprint after being level for most of the race.

On the other hand, I lost to Great Britain's Jon Walton. He got up to an early length lead at the barrier (630 meters) where I began to move back and cut it to 1/2 length at the Fawley. We were essentially side by side for most of the middle of the race. My plan was to try to get a lead early which is a big advantage in head to head racing, but that plan was foiled.

So I stayed calm and tried to move in the middle of the race. At the 3/4 mile, it was still about 1/2 length and I was steering into Walton's lane. Going into the enclosures (final 500) I attempted to get back into my lane and seemed to lose ground. Unfortunately, that was it. With about 200 meters to go, I rowed to the line low, allowing my competition to cruise to the line. I was not proud of the way I finished the race and while some might say I was saving it for the double tonight...that is not the Craftsbury way! Hopefully we can set things right tonight against the Chinese at 6:20 pm. On a separate note, congratulations to all the SBTC crews - it was inspiring to watch the results! More to come from Henley after our racing tonight!