Commonwealth Rowing Championships 2014

After training for weeks for the biggest event to date, it was suddenly upon me and 7^th August saw me travelling to Glasgow. I caught a lift with the trailer so it was a long and steady journey up north to Scotland which took 6 hours! When we eventually arrived at Strathclyde Country Park we were met by the rest of the England team. The trailer was quickly unloaded and boats all rigged and before I knew it I was out for a paddle in the double getting used to the lake and surrounding areas.  Later that day we went to check in at our hotel: The Hilton, it was a pleasant hotel and a lovely room so I knew I wouldn’t mind resting and spending time in there…once I figured out the wifi code I was all set up watching episode after episode of Gossip Girl (my new found addiction)!

Friday morning we were all up and off for a day of light training at the lake…seeming as though we hadn’t yet gone out in the quad this was the time to set it all up and have a paddle together before the race on Saturday. The day went fairly quickly and before we knew it we had to attend the opening ceremony. One slight problem – the team England kit had yet to arrive…after numerous searches for it, we got provided with a basic tracksuit so we could at least look like a team. The ceremony was short and sweet with lots of bagpipes and kilts. In total there were 14 countries competing across 22 events.

 

 

 

Race day number one arrived. Everyone seemed to be in the zone and prepared to create England domination at the CRC this time. Last time England finished 4^th in the medals table so everyone wanted to improve on this. After an early start, we all headed down to the lake to pre-paddle in our race boat. We did a quick loop of the lake in the quad with a few bursts so that we felt ready to race. As the women’s quad event required two lightweights to be in the boat, me and my doubles partner, Nikki Spencer, went to weigh in two hours before the start of the race. Luckily for this race we didn’t need to have a crew weight average and it was the upper lightweight boundary of 59kg so we were safe! Race time was 11:50am and before I knew it I was on the start line waiting for the green light…we had a solid race down and were pushed by Wales the entire 1500m beating them through the finish line in 3^rd position. It was a close call though and as three of us hit a buoy and came out of sync, we did exceptionally well to keep Wales off! My first international medal had been achieved; I was beyond happy and standing on the podium with the England flag was on hell of an experience that I will never forget J  The first England medal had been won. The day saw a success with every boat, medalling in nearly every event…team England domination had begun!

 

Sunday saw the lightweight double event…the one I had been training in and the one that meant the most to me and my partner. We were desperate to medal and race well after all the hard work we had put into this boat, we wanted to see some recognition for getting up early for weeks and training on our own no matter what! Our race was at 10am so weigh in was at 8am and we wanted a pre-race paddle beforehand. The weather was wet but all wind was gone so good race conditions awaited. We had a very good pre paddle and this got us focused and ready for the toughest 1500m I was about to encounter. After drying off we went to weigh in and needed to average 57kg – we managed this safely so quickly disappeared and ate. The two hours before this race were one of the most nerve wracking I have ever experienced at a rowing event, even though there was a relaxed atmosphere I knew I was representing my country and wanted a positive result. After listening to music I was all fired up and just wanted to get out there and race. When we boated we had some very good starts and bursts so felt confident within ourselves that this was going to be a good race even though there was some tough competition. If we stuck to our plan we knew we would do well. So the race began and we stayed with everyone off the start, we powered through keeping in our rhythm and squeezed through everyone but Canada…as we got closer and closer to the finish line we were catching them but they just beat us to first place! I was over the moon with a silver medal and felt we had a fantastic race that went to plan. The hard work had paid off J If I thought Saturdays medal ceremony felt special this was something different. I felt so proud to be achieving my silver medal and with Nikki. She was a great partner to train and race with and I loved every minute of the double. My first international event was a success – bring on many more in the future!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team England had a great championships and finished 2^nd in the medals table…2 places higher than the previous time. We all went home with lots of medals hanging around our necks and big cheesy grins J

 

So after one hell of a year I finish it on one massive high. I am now having a few weeks rest of rowing, need it both physically and mentally, before I start training again for next season and who knows what that will bring…

Commonwealth Rowing Championships 2014

After what felt like a disastrous season this year I was over the moon when I received an email inviting me to the lightweight seat racing day for the commonwealth rowing championships and the opportunity to represent England.  

I had applied for consideration to represent the England team for the commonwealth rowing regatta, taking place on 9-10^th August at Strathclyde Park, so when I received this email all my attention was focused for potential selection. Due to my ranking within GB Rowing I did not have to race at the required regatta for selection and I got invited to the seat racing process. This was an afternoon full of racing in doubles to see who worked well together and who did not. They were looking for 3 lightweight athletes and I finished within the top 3 so I eagerly waited to hear if I had been selected. It wasn’t for many weeks until I heard that I was successful and will be representing Team England at the commonwealth rowing championships. I am so excited and happy that I have got this opportunity having missed out for the U23s and I am determined to get a medal around my neck!

I will be racing in the lightweight double scull along with my squad member Nikki Spencer. We will then be coming together with two other athletes to race in the Women’s quadruple scull. Training has been very focused and we are both striving to do the best we possibly can for our country. It will be my first international event and I am unbelievably excited but the nerves are starting to kick in…1 week to go, bring it on!

Here is the official website which should keep you all up to date and provide further information: http://www.crc2014.info/

Summer 2014 – Training, racing and camps

Right, I may have been a little absent from blogging this year but I am back and going to keep you up to date as best as possible from now on – I’ve got no more excuses! So let’s catch you up with the 2014 season…

From where I left off, the following 3 months were full of ergos, ut2 paddles and weight sessions. Training, training, training for the racing season. The monotonous training was eventually broken by a trip to France for a 10 day training camp with my fellow squad members at Lac D’Aiguebelette.  This was an absolutely beautiful place and I loved every single minute of camp! I wish I could permanently train there - perfect weather, flat calm water and the best food EVER…3 course dinners twice a day is heaven – unless you are a lightweight and need to weigh in L

 

 

 

When we got back it was time to focus and get my head in the game for the final trials which I had been invited to. Coming back from camp I was feeling prepared but extremely nervous about it all. Unfortunately due to weather conditions the usual 2 day trial got pushed into one day with racing starting very early to fit the entire process in on one day. The conditions were extremely strong winds with lots of gusts (my worst condition which I struggle in greatly!). I didn’t perform to what I know I can on the day and was very upset about how it went. Basically it was the WORST I had ever raced on probably the most important race to date. I finished 8^th overall within the U23 lightweight girls and missed out on a place for the U23 World Championships by 2 positions! This news upset me and it took a great deal for me to get my spirit back with rowing again. I was very down and not getting invited to the crew formation week knocked me back. Luckily for me I have a great support team from all my family and squad members and with their help I soon perked up.

Once I had regained a bit of focus I looked forward to racing at some regattas. I have raced at many regattas this season however I opted to enter into the highest level for lightweight women so I was regularly competing against current GB lightweight squad members so all racing has been very tough. I view it as the way to improve though as one day I need to be beating these girls so I can get selected instead of them.

Regattas: BUCS Regatta, Notts City Regatta, Met Regatta, Henley Women’s Regatta

 

In a nutshell, the 2014 season has been an emotional rollercoaster for me. I have had many ups and downs but back on track now and don’t have thoughts of quitting anymore…phew! This is one season I will reflect upon as I feel I have learnt a lot about myself and the rowing world, it’s been one huge learning journey. Let’s see what my first year as a senior lightweight rower will bring…

Boston Head Race and 5km ergo trial!

So after finally recovering from the horrendous cold that hit me on 9^th January I was back training with my squad in Nottingham by the 14^th. I had been entered into the Boston Head race whilst I was away as this race was a 5km water race which was the exact same route as what we have to do for the 5km water trials. Having a trial on 15^th February this was going to be a great chance to practice the course some more and get my head around planning the best and quickest route for the trial.

The weather wasn’t too bad, yes very cold but it luckily didn’t rain on the second division which I was in. The paddle up to the start went okay but for some reason I was on the water for a total of 90mins BEFORE I even started to race! I got very cold and the warm up paddle to the start seemed pointless now. It was as though you had just got in your boat and was forced to race straight away – not ideal.

The race went well except for taking the bend far too tight which made my blade get caught in the mud at the edge of the riverbank so I came to a stop L I got straight back on it and am now confident in the route I will take for the 5km water trial. I am so pleased I made this mistake on this race and not on an important trial where every second counts!

 

 

The following Wednesday (22^nd January) our coach had decided for the squad to complete the 5km ergo test required for trials. I was very apprehensive about this as I hadn’t done much preparation on the ergo other than long, low rate distances. I needed to make the cut off time of 19:40.0 to progress along the U23 route. I knew this was achievable as my PB at this point was 19:25.3 and I knew I was much better than when I did that so I went out to achieve the senior cut off time of 19:10.0. I had a sensible plan in my head which I was going to stick to. When we started I felt very relaxed and got straight into a solid rhythm making my plan seem very achievable. I was under all my target splits throughout and somehow managed to still squeeze it on massively for the last 1km. My final time was 19:06.6 J YAY I had done better than I set out to do and was over the moon. This was a fantastic birthday present to myself…yes I had to do a 5km ergo test on my birthday!

Now I have another tick in the box and can fully focus for the 5km water trial on 15^th February. The next few weeks will consist of me training hard to improve my water technique along with watching what I eat; I may have had a little bit too much birthday cake…lightweight problems suck!

GB U23 Training Camp – Cardiff

Having recovered (finally) from my tendonitis, I decided on New Year’s Day that I would be able to go on the GB U23 training camp in Cardiff on the 2^nd January until the 12^th January. So New Years Day saw me packing for an intense camp of indoor training consisting of ergs, weights and more ergs! I was, in some unusual way, really looking forward to it.

My dad very kindly drove me over to Cardiff and dropped me off leaving me with all my kit at the Welsh Institute of Sport…little did I know that was the last time I would see the outside world!

Day one and we were straight into training getting tested to see our ability of core strength and upper body strength. Group games afterwards slowly introduced each other and got people talking and getting to know each other.

Each morning we woke at 6:30am and had to monitor out physiology through urine samples, checking our resting heart rate and weighing ourselves. This got recorded so that the coaches were aware of how we were coping with all the training, we had to do this at home since 24^th December so that we could get used to recording and monitoring ourselves…as a lightweight having to weigh myself over the Christmas period, where I stuffed my face every day, wasn’t a joyful experience but one that had to be done.

Training each day consisted of 4 sessions: an ergo – usually an 18km, followed by weights. After lunch we usually did some cross training such as a run or swimming and then did another ergo – power strokes and some stability or core work. We got two afternoons off and these were what got me through…the excitement of having only two training sessions was beyond me!

I was really enjoying all the training, even if my body had reached extreme exhaustion from not being used to doing so much, until I woke up on 9^th January with such a sore throat. My heart rate had increased dramatically so I got sent back to bed and had to remain there in isolation. My roommate had to change rooms and I was not allowed to eat near anybody. I felt like I was in prison…it was horrible and I don’t actually think I have ever felt so sorry for myself; all I wanted was to be at home in my own bed (not the comfiest and nicest of rooms to be isolated in L ). The next day I was no better and could hardly talk so the coach decided to send me home as there were only 3 days left. Thank god my dad had dropped me off as they weren’t allowing me to drive home or catch the train on my own as I would be better resting. So my dad came and picked me up at lunchtime and took me home. Thank you for saving the day dad! I don’t know how I would have coped staying isolated for much longer…I was just glad to be in my own bed and see other people!

Upon reflection I had a great time on camp, even if getting ill made it come to end earlier for me.  I gained a lot and feel my baseline fitness has improved lots from all the consistent endurance training on the ergos that we did. Let’s put it one way – it hasn’t put me off going out to achieve my dream of being on the GB Rowing team, if anything I want it even more now!

Media

Please find below an article that was written about my rowing achievements and aims in the Derby Telegraph.

Newspaper Article:

ROWING: Derby University student Yasmin Marks closing in on place in coveted Great Britain squad

By Derby Telegraph  |  Posted: December 07, 2013

By ROWING BY COLSTON CRAWFORD

Yasmin Marks

Comments (0) CHELLASTON rower Yasmin Marks is closing in on a coveted place in the Great Britain squad.
The 21-year-old University of Derby student has done well at the first of a number of trials – and has another coming up on December 14 in her category, which is lightweight sculls.
And while her greatest hope would be to break through in time for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Marks also has an eye on next year's World Under-23 championships, in Italy in July.
"I'd ultimately love to do Rio – if I'm good enough," she said.
"But I'm aiming to get into the under-23 world championships before that, as it's my last year at under-23."
Marks has come relatively late to rowing, having spent her younger teen years as a swimmer.
She has been rowing for only four years but quickly found herself breaking age group records when she took up the sport.
"I was a swimmer and my dad got me into rowing, as he had done it when he was younger," she said.
"I only went for it just to have a sport to do but I've always had that competitiveness in me.
"When I'd done about a year, I started winning competitions and I got a buzz from that."
Having started at Derby Rowing Club, Marks moved on to Nottingham Rowing Club but starting her three years course in psychology at the University of Derby has also helped – the university awarded her a bursary as a contribution to her training costs and she competes in British Universities & Colleges Sports events for Derby.
She had to travel to Boston in Lincolnshire for the most recent GB trials, held over a weekend.
The first day saw the triallists in ergo tests – on a rowing machine.
"We needed to perform a 2km ergo test," she said.
"I was in the second round of lightweights, so had to distract myself whilst the first round was taking place, as I couldn't bear to watch my competitors, knowing I still had to race.
"I felt calm and relaxed, a first for me when doing a 2km test, so I was in the best state I think you could be in.
"The adrenaline was pumping. I began with a very strong first 500m and kept pushing to achieve a personal best.
"My final time was seven minutes, 14 seconds, a PB by almost one second.
"I finished fourth out of 38 lightweights and was second in the under-23 category, so that was a good result."
The second day was a 5km water trial and, for once, conditions were ideal – the second days of trials are often cancelled due to the weather.
"I had a good row but must say that it was the most difficult 5km race I had ever done, as I pushed myself flat out from the off," said Marks
"I finished 10th out of 33 lightweights. I am usually in the bottom half of the water results, so to finish in the top 10 made my weekend."
She returns to Boston for the next trial, aiming to finish higher up the top 10.

Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/ROWING-Derby-University-student-Yasmin-Marks/story-20273926-detail/story.html#ixzz2rd7Mfk52
  

I also had a live interview on BBC Radio Derby on the 11th December 2013. This was an enjoyable experience and I talked about the November trials and my next steps with regards to gaining selection into the U23 GB Rowing team. 

 

BUCS – Indoors and Small Boats

As I am a student at the University of Derby I compete in the BUCS competitions trying to gain points for my university and help get us high up in the leader board.

 

The first event for rowing is the University Indoor Rowing Championships and as I competed at trials my result can go towards this. I gained 2^nd place and hopefully therefore some points for the university but unfortunately at the moment the results from the GB trails have yet to be passed onto BUCS. As my time was 7:14.0 I am pretty confident I will be awarded the silver position J

The small boats race was held at Boston and was joined with the trials 5km water test. Therefore my result from this was placed towards the BUCS competition. The top times were very close but I finished 6^th in this event and just missed out from getting points for my university!

Overall, for the first two races of the BUCS season I am happy with the results and look forward to representing my university at the BUCS Regatta in May J