Third Time's the Charm: Gearing up for NSR-III

Well, it’s that time again—the third and final of the 2007 USRowing National Selection Regattas is quickly approaching. I’ve already missed out on the first two of the NSRs because of injuries, so at this point I’m excited to do some selection and get in the double to race. Set to run from June 1-3, this NSR will bring in men’s and women’s pairs and doubles from all over the country as a sort of last round of camp invitation selection for non-PTC athletes as well as additional inter-squad selection for PTC athletes.

There have been a few other entries posted with this-and-that about the previous NSRs. But for those of us who have only watched from shore, or haven’t even made it that far, what is this NSR business all about, anyway? These events are a very major part of the national team experience, and serve as both culminations to winter training and testing as well as early season indicators of senior team potential.

So, officially, the National Selection Regattas are a series of USRowing-sanctioned 2k sprints done in small boats (1x, 2x or 2-) meant to serve as selection tools and measures of racing capacity for athletes in and out of the PTC group. Meaning: anyone can race in the NSRs as long as they are USRowing Members, they register for the regatta, and pay the entry fee. There are weight restrictions placed on the lightweight events, of course, but beyond that if you do the paperwork, pay the bills and show up, you can race any of the current national team members in singles, doubles or pairs if it suits you to do so.

Each of the three NSRs has its own flavor in terms of its function as a selection event. The first NSR which was [almost] held back in the beginning of April (but was cancelled due to weather) was focused mostly on men’s and women’s heavy and light singles, though there were also women’s pair entires. The second NSR held at the end of April and now the third NSR in June will engage a broader spectrum of athletes, including men’s and women’s pairs as well as heavy and light doubles. By racing athletes in the smallest boats possible, coaches can get a sense before summer selection who is moving boats efficiently, and who will have potential to move boats even faster with the proper coaching and development at PTC camps (4x, 4- and 8+ camps). This part of selection is key because USRowing has already announced its sweep camp invite list for 2007, but with additional information from the third NSR it is sometimes possible for other athletes to get their collective foot in the door at PTC. This is notably the case with potential invitees to the women’s PTC 4x camp which has not yet been set. According to the USRowing website, the top two finishers in the women’s double event at NSR-III will receive automatic invitations to quad camp, and beyond that:

In determining its recommendations for invitation to a Selection Camp, the National Team Head Coaches shall use the following criteria, which are listed in no particular order of importance:
• 2007 NSR I, II and III results;
• 2k and 6k performance;
• 2006 November Speed Order results;
• Athlete’s compatibility with other members of a crew;
• Past performance in international competition;
• In the case of lightweight events, the athlete’s weight.

Aside from being a series of opportunities for athletes to race each other and maybe earn themselves an invitation to train in Princeton, the NSRs are organized so that crews can actually earn national team berths through victories at one of the selection regattas. Should a winning crew meet the USRowing time standard for their event, they are offered the opportunity to row that event for the USA in international competition for the upcoming season. In NSR-II for example, Anna Mickelson and Megan Cooke won the women’s pair and hit the time standard; accordingly, the dynamic duo will be working hard in the pair for the rest of the spring and into the summer, hopefully making some World Cup stops and gearing up for senior team trials at the end of July.

Finally, the results from the first two NSRs can contribute to the coaches’ decisions to send athletes to the first World Cup of the season. This year the first World Cup is being held in Lintz, Austria and is also on the same weekend as NSR-III. However, the winners of the NSR-III events are automatically offered opportunities to race at either the second or third World Cups (in Amsterdam and Lucerne, respectively) in their events. From there, World Cup results can affect inter-squad big- and small-boat selection…but that’s worlds away.

So the NSRs offer a multitude of opportunities for athletes both at home and abroad. Strong performances at the national selection regattas are critical to establishing a solid foundation to individual summer training and selection, not to mention the added bonus of the occasional monetary prize package to top finishers. Keep watching the entry registration at RegattaCentral over the next few days to see who I'll be racing next weekend.

For now it’s time to focus on seat racing over the next week and then preparing to face my first-ever full-out 2k with an oar in each hand. The next few days are going to be really exciting for the women’s development scullers (all four of us) over on Lake Carnegie as we battle it out for “A” and “B” slots in our two doubles.

If I can save Elpi an email, I will: Don’t forget to register for NSR-III by midnight on Wednesday! http://www.regattacentral.com

And good luck to all the Pan-Am trial-ers!

See you out there,

--MK