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Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part XI)

James Chapman — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:20:02 +0000

I’ve just got back from the AOC’s Australian team reception at the Sofitel Wanda Beijing, where my 42-year-old crewmate, James Tomkins, has just been named as Australia’s Olympic flag-bearer for tonight’s Opening Ceremony at the Bird’s Nest.

It was no surprise given Shark’s record: Beijing is his sixth Olympics, he’s bagged three Olympic gold nuggets since Seoul ’88 and he’s highly revered by not only his fellow rowers, but plenty of other Aussie athletes in the team.

The function was good fun; Natalie Bassingthwaite belted out the National Anthem, Princess Mary and Prince “Aussie Freddie” Frederick of Denmark were mingling, and we got to mix some Olympic stories with the rest of the Aussie team, as well as sharing news on what’s been happening back in Oz.

Earlier in the day, I met PM Kevin Rudd and his wife Therese at the official Australian flag-raising ceremony inside the Olympic village. Kevin ’07 chatted to the rowers for quite a while, but unfortunately I had to dash off for some post-training re-fueling before I could ask him about his time as a diplomat at the Australian Embassy in Beijing in the late 1980’s.

Eating and drinking schedules have been really important, though, as the humidity has been overbearing on some days. For some of our training sessions, we’ve been having ice-baths before rowing, and we’ve even shortened some sessions because of the intensity of the Beijing heat. Ice-baths and Powerade slushies have been a saviour!

The rowing course is awesome. It’s huge! 10 lanes wide! One downside, though, is that the heat haze often reduces visibility down to about 500 metres. And there are volunteers everywhere, always ready to help. It seems if you miss throwing some rubbish in the bin, there’s someone there before you’ve got time to pick it up.

We’re all looking forward to the Opening Ceremony tonight – at 8.08pm on 08/08/08. Easy to remember! We’ve learnt that eight is considered a lucky number in China, and many Asian cultures, as it sounds similar to the word “prosper” or “wealth”. In fact, people will pay a premium for a telephone number with many 8s, or an address or car license plate with that number.

Our first heat is on Sunday afternoon at 5.40pm CST, which is 7.40pm AEST. Can’t wait! Hope you can watch!

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Article link: Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part XI). Written by James Chapman, on The Roar - Your Sports Opinion

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part X)

James Chapman — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 23:57:23 +0000

Fine tuning – like a piano tuner, or a V8 mechanic – that’s the focus of our final stages of pre-Olympic training at Penrith before we fly out of Sydney tomorrow and straight into the Athletes Village. The excitement of racing in Beijing is really starting to build amongst the crew.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part IX)

James Chapman — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:38:57 +0000

With less than 30 days until kick-off in Beijing, preparations are starting to heat up; in every sense of the word.

We’ve been on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland for about a week, and as if being a Cockroach in the heart of Cane Toad territory when Queensland snuck home over NSW in the State of Origin decider last week wasn’t tough enough, training has involved long, draining sessions in “artificial” heat and humidity.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part VIII)

James Chapman — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:01:03 +0000

We’ve been back in Canberra for 10 days after a brief break to catch up with family and friends, but most importantly seeing the nearest and dearest WAGs (I’ll be in the doghouse if I don’t say that).

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part VII)

James Chapman — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:17:24 +0000

This is my first entry since the Luzern World Cup.

Regret and disappointment are the first emotions I felt after the final in Luzern, where we placed fourth.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part VI)

James Chapman — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:35:15 +0000

The breath-taking, cathartic bus trip across the Alps was just the tonic after a rigorous, and sometimes wayward 10-day training camp in the northern Italian town of Varese.

Read last week’s installment of the diary

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part V)

James Chapman — Sun, 25 May 2008 21:20:41 +0000

In this edition, I’ve interviewed Australian men’s eight crewmate Sam Loch, a self-confessed institutionalised 24-year-old from Whale Beach in Sydney who lists protein and lactate buffering amongst his interests.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part IV)

James Chapman — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:19:54 +0000

Many of you highly intelligent and in tune Roar readers may already know that the Australian Eight raced the weekend just passed, and won.

This is pretty, no, very exciting for our debut. What wasn’t exciting was that I had to sit on the bench whilst my crew mates took on the countries that turned out to race.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part III)

James Chapman — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:10:12 +0000

We’ve been in a whirlwind since arriving in Germany, and not just because we’ve been pumping out some long sessions on the water after a long flight from Australia last weekend.

Despite the excitement and sentimentality of rowing on the 1972 Olympic Rowing Course, a 20km session on a 2km course means turning the boat around every seven minutes for 90 minutes. It can make you dizzy!
Read More...

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman (Part II)

James Chapman — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:14:44 +0000

Just as the 100-days-to-go mark ticks over until the opening ceremony in Beijing, it’s time to jet off and fly the Australian flag at World Cup regattas in Germany and Switzerland.

Going for gold: the Olympic diary of rower James Chapman

James Chapman — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:27:25 +0000

Cut-out passes and Russian Military Martial Arts are not what is usually coupled with rowers in an Olympic preparation.

I wouldn’t have believed it six months ago. I wouldn’t have ten years ago, when first I started rowing after leaving high school. But now I believe it.