Scenic venue could be frightening sight for rowers on race day (Agencies) Updated: 2004-08-13 17:37
Maybe the Greeks remembered the lesson of their failed attempt to stage
rowing at the first modern Olympics 108 years ago. Maybe not.
Rough seas in Phaleron Bay wiped out the 1896 rowing events, which back then
where scheduled for only one day.
There'll be no attempt to race at sea in the 2004 Athens Games, but there is
worry over wind _ a constant sea breeze that buffets the dusty, sun-baked
mountains here as it sweeps in from the Bay of Marathon and over a
crescent-shaped, pine tree-lined Schinias beach.
``Everyone has been a little tense about it,'' U.S. women's coach Tom Terhaar
said after practice on calmer-than-expected water Thursday. ``Luckily, we knew
about it a year in advance after we saw the worst-case scenario.''
Greek organizers chose a stretch of flats between the beach and the mountains
to carve out a rectangular lake for rowing, as well as flatwater canoe and kayak
sprints. It's in the same area where a Persian invasion was repelled in the
decisive Battle of Marathon around 490 B.C.
When the Schinias rowing complex, shortly after completion, hosted the 2003
junior world championships, some competitors found themselves losing a battle
with rough water. Waves swamped several boats. It was so bad for the U.S. eight
squad that the oarsmen had to bail out and swim across the finish line with
their boat in tow.
It was the latest in a string of difficulties at the venue, the construction
of which was opposed in court by a coalition of archeologists and
environmentalists. They sought to protect the site because of its ties to the
Battle of Marathon and because it's also a wildlife habitat and stopping point
for migratory birds.
Once those legal hurdles were cleared and the venue built, it was too late to
change the site over windy weather.
So, with a year to adjust, rowing teams and boat builders went about
preparing for what could be a rough ride. Many boats have been redesigned with
bailing pumps and other changes such as sealed air compartments to limit the
amount of water that can get in.
Coaches have sought to train their teams in rough water, where rowers must
find the fine line between getting their oars deep enough to ensure they push
water through the entire stroke, but not too deep to slow the boat down as they
lift the oar out of the water.
``We've done everything we can as far as training and as equipment to deal
with those conditions,'' Terhaar said.
Bryan Volpenhein, a member of the U.S. men's eight squad, said he felt well
prepared from the U.S. team's training near San Diego last winter, where the
water is ``usually really rough.''
``There's a cross wind, just terrible conditions. We rowed there for a long
time, which is good practice,'' Volpenhein said. ``You just have to be able to
expect anything and you'll be fine.''
U.S. men's coach Mike Teti found Volpenhein's attitude typical among
world-class athletes.
``If the wind really gets bad, most guys are going to say, 'This is great. It
works to our advantage,' because athletes are trained to think they can handle
anything,'' Teti said. ``Now when they get out there, if the boats start
sinking, maybe they'll feel a little differently.''
FISA, rowing's world governing body, has developed contingency plans to
possibly begin races before the regularly scheduled time of 8:30 a.m. (0530 GMT)
or move some events to the afternoon.
The first day of rowing also was moved up a day to this Saturday, providing
flexibility to postpone an entire day's events if needed.
If delays threaten to back up by more than that, more lanes could be added in
heat races and there's even a possibility, however remote, of cutting the
standard 2,000-meter distance in half.
In a few days of practice so far, the wind and water have been calm, giving
rowers like U.S. women's single sculler Jennifer Devine hope that similar
conditions will prevail when the races begin on Saturday, even if that might not
be quite as much of a spectacle to certain more casual viewers.
``You come to this level ... and when conditions are bad you don't get to see
the best possible rowing,'' Devine said. ``But there's always people out there
who want to see a boat capsize or whatever. They want to see the struggle, so
for them it's probably more fun for it to be rough.''
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