Su-prize, su-prize, su-prize!

The unexpected always seems to come in threes. This weekend was no different.

First, the phone call I got while in traffic on the turnpike was something no coach really ever wants: "Coach, we got in an accident. An 18-wheeler ran into us." Gulp. Nobody was hurt, only a window was broken to go with a shredded tire, but the lesson was driven home again. A bus would be far safer. No matter the accident was not the fault of the undergraduate driver, there was such a driver anyway. That never looks good. I know he was being careful and not taking any risks, but everyone knows that it's impossible to control the other idiots on the road. As a coach, knowing my team is strung out over the length of the turnpike in multiple vans really gives me the hives. Coaches like control, and that situation has very little control. My inability to respond to that problem in any helpful fashion highlighted how little control I have when the kids drive vans to races. A bus is far more expensive, and getting approval and money from the University isn't as easy as it sounds. Anyone who suggests otherwise doesn't know how long it took to get me hired.

Secondly, a pair of shoes was missing out of the trailer when we unloaded in Philly. Now, I had checked every boat as it was loaded, a coxswain and equipment manager had checked everything when loaded. Those shoes disappeared between loading the night before and me picking up the trailer the next day. The shoes taken were from a boat in the exact middle of the trailer, where it is very hard to check while in transit. Whoever took those shoes was thoughtfull enough to replace the nuts holding them in place. Obviously, whoever took those shoes is involved in rowing and rows out of TRRA. I WILL FIND OUT, and if anything is missing tomorrow when we unload, I'll have shortened the list.

Thirdly, the results from the days racing pleasantly surprised me. It's important to remember not one of Pitts boats had been on the water for the last two weeks. Making as many finals as they did, and doing as well as they did was a very pleasant surprise for me. I'm really positive about the direction of the team, because there is so much more work to do on the water, and I feel the potential is really there. There is room for growth. I had a silly grin on my face most of the day.

Categories: Pitt, Rowing, Regattas, Safety