26 April 2018
Upon arrival at La Base we were blessed with the fortune of good weather and indulged in a lovely meal at the chateau that night where we were briefed about the 6 days of camp we had ahead of us. With this being our first camp we weren’t quite sure what to expect despite the seniors warning us about the blisters that would form over the following days.
Early mornings every day and the hot French sun, in addition to the incredible mileage covered by all crews on the water, soon depleted us of our energy, however it did not seem to affect the rate of incredible improvements from the crews, which was especially highlighted in a series of nail biting races between the J15A Crew and the Senior 2nd VIII.
The J15 As were awoken every day by a cheerful knock on the door from Mr Price. Shortly afterwards we would go on our daily morning jog and stretches. Between morning four sessions and single sculls midafternoon, most of the boys would ignore the rest time advised by the coaches and play basketball, however as the week went on we soon realised this wasn’t the best idea.
On the 2nd last full day of camp the J15s were treated to an afternoon of kayak water polo, but it ended up being who could stay in the boat the longest without capsizing, which proved to not be too long!
The camp was also a perfect way for everyone to get to know each other throughout the Boat Club, with evening stretching sessions and meal times bringing the boys together, including the occasional inter year basketball match!
Overall the camp was a brilliant experience to improve our rowing in a beautiful environment and bond as a crew and boathouse, to then hopefully compete successfully at National Schools Regatta. All J15 crews tremendously improved and are all excited for what promises to be a great racing season.
Written by Andrew Campbell & Daniel McNamara
