Pre-Pan American Games Regatta, Day 1
Last Updated: 28.Nov.2018
Four Green Racing Project athletes are donning red, white, and blue racing stripes this week during the 2018 Pre Pan American Games Qualification Regatta in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After winning trials on the domestic scene, Team USA athletes must race to secure their spots in next year's Pan American Games (held in Lima, Peru) during this qualification regatta, which runs November 27th through December 3rd.
Representing the Green Racing Project and Team USA are Lucas Bellows (Men's 1x), Jenifer Forbes (Women's 1x), Nathan Lado & Wesley Vear (Men's 2x, 4x), and coach Steve Whelpley. Athletes arrived in Rio de Janeiro yesterday morning. The day was busy with rigging boats, adding country and sponsor stickers to hulls, getting briefed on Team USA's health and safety protocol, and practicing on the course. The course, Lagoa Stadium, is the same course that hosted all rowing events for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Athletes are staying in a hotel that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and is a 20 minute walk from the Lagoa (Brazilian for lake). The walk through downtown Rio de Janeiro is filled with large trees covered in different species of bromeliads, most notably colorful and varying sizes of orchids. Currently, Rio is in the second month of spring, which started September 23rd, and transitions to summer on December 21st.
Racing began today with the Men's and Women's Single Sculls (M1x and W1x). The top two finishers in each event advanced to the semifinals, while the remaining crews raced the reps later in the day. Both Bellows (2nd) and Forbes (1st) advanced to the semifinals. Bellows will race tomorrow, along with the Men's Double (M2x), while Forbes will not race again until Friday.
Results are not yet available online, and the schedule is changing on a daily basis, so be sure to stay tuned to the COC website and media pages for updates.
Portuguese phrase of the day:
"Qual le a" (Kwall-Lay-Ah)
This was described to us by a local who claims that by coolly saying this phrase, it lets locals know you are not just another bumbling tourist. Which is...a good thing? Will have to confirm with other locals, because after doing our own internet translation, we came up with a literal translation of "which one". Hopefully, they're setting us down the right path.
Other useful Brazilian Portuguese words:
Oi (like oink) - Hi
Bom dia (bohm gia) - Good Morning
Obrigado/Obrigada (Oh-bree-gah-doo/Oh-bree-gah-dah) - Thank you (used by males)/(used by females)
Atê logo (ahh-chay loh-goo) - See you later
Pre-PanAmerican Games Roster, Team USA
M1x: Lucas Bellows
W1x: Jenifer Forbes
LW1x: Jessica Hyne
M2x: Nathan Lado/Wes Vear
LM2x: Cooper Hurley/James McCullough
W2x: Maggie Fellows (GRP alum)/Julia Lonchar
LW2x: Sydney Taylor/Keara Twist
M2-: Logan Smith/James Garay
W2-: Liz Euiler/Solveig Imsdahl
M4-: Veton Celaj/Jonathan Zagroba/Thaddeus Babiec/Paul
M4x: Cooper Hurley/James McCullough/Lucas Bellows/Wes Vear
W4x: Sydney Taylor/Keara Twist/Maggie Fellows/Julia Lonchar