Day 11 – Thur August 14

All revved up and no place to paddle.  What a day.

Went through our routine.  Heather was on the water in the warm up.  The C2 class had already completed their first runs.  The weather was bad with a lot of rain and then….lightning…….and the loudest bang of thunder I have ever heard.    It sounded like the biggest cannon in the world going off.  Un believable.  The athletes were pulled off the water and the ladies K1 was initially delayed by 30 minutes.  The rain kept coming and the sky showed no signs of getting any brighter.

Another 30 minute delay was announced. Heth rang me on the phone and we chatted about our strategy to deal with the delays and the uncertainty.

Then the announcement….race postponed until tomorrow.

This in itself doesn’t sound that bad until you realise the logistics.  We are only booked in to the hotel until tonight.  I have accreditation that runs out
Tomorrow.   The US coaches have accreditation that runs out at 09.00h tomorrow and is due to be transferred to the sprint paddler coaches that are moving in to our hotel tomorrow.  Dinner tickets, tickets for the venue….etc. etc.    I’ve got tickets for the swimming final tomorrow morning…which cost me a small fortune and now I can’t go….arghhh.  Anyway this is where the management earn their corn.

All is well sorted before we even get back to the hotel.  We can stay tomorrow night if we wish or we can pack up and leave in the evening after the race and staff will stay to assist us and we can leave baggage at the hotel.  Heather is the only USA interest left in the race and fair play to them, they are making sure we are looked after.

I understand that some of my US friends got up at 2 In the morning to watch the race live….thanks for the support guys….really appreciated and sorry to put you through it all again tomorrow.,

The timetable for tomorrow is that Heather will be on for her semi final run at 15.12h China time.  The final, if she makes top 10, will be about an hour later.  The time is dependant on where exactly she is in the top 10 if she makes it.

So we are now in uncharted waters.  I have never known an Olympic final to be cancelled before.  We have to calm ourselves and then build up again tomorrow.  We have just spent the evening with Heather’s mum, brother and cousin, which was actually a good distraction tonight after all the ups and downs of the day.  10.00pm China time.  Once again I am having my evening relaxing beer, watching the table tennis……..to my friends and team mates at Unicorns….I think we could show them a thing or two eh!!!!!!!!!!

We all got absolutely soaked….wet through to the skin.  All our kit is drying on the balcony……and I’m very worried about the state of my Highland Cup golf hat……….Once again to my Highland Cup golfing friends….hat or no hat….I’m bringing game……Really going to enjoy the Ryder Cup…..and all the gloating afterwards!!!

Off to bed soon. Same basic timetable as yesterday.  Heather handling it all pretty well….but we need to make sure the fire in the belly is there again tomorrow.  We had it right today……let’s hope we can repeat it.

By the way…don’t tell anyone….but it’s my birthday today.     Happy birthday me……but save any best wishes and pass them on all on to Heth.
Kind Regards
Geoff Parsons

Day 10 – Wed Aug 13 Part 2

Yes Yes YES YES.

You have now shared in my first proper celebration since Heather came 10th and made the semi-final.  My job in front of Heather is always to keep game face and to immediately move the focus to tomorrow, but inside I am so so so happy.  Would love to share a beer or two with a few of you right now…but alas that will have to wait.

Everything went exactly to our game plan.  2 good solid steady runs.  Nothing fancy, be very sure of the gates (the judging out here has been very harsh with even a slight doubt getting a 50 second penalty), do everything in the middle and don’t panic if you get a touch as one or two will not make a difference on this course.

First run down was a solid 105 and kept the lead for a while.  12th place after first runs.

We go through our routine again and a solid second run gives us a total of 211.  I know this is in and am really happy.  Really pleased that we moved up to 10th as this is what we need to be after 1 run tomorrow, in order to make the final.

Heather had a touch in each run, but basically everything went exactly to plan.

We overcame all the difficulties of having no accreditation and having to warm up in a public zone, the heat……. everything.  We used wet towels throughout to keep Heather cool and I protected “the bubble” around us, for the 30 minutes or so we were in the public zone.

A couple of strong paddlers didn’t make it as they got a 50 second penalty.

Tomorrow we have to take a different approach.  Everything starts from fresh tomorrow and the 15 paddlers go in reverse order, so Heather will be 6th boat off at 15.47 Chinese time.  If she is in the top 10 after this run, the final starts at 17.12h Chinese time.

We have to take a more aggressive approach tomorrow.  We paddled to qualify today and took it very steady and very safe.  Tomorrow we have to race and the first run has to be perfect for us to go through to the final.  The course suits us better tomorrow as it is more technical and the times should come back to us a bit and we should be a bit faster.

Thank you for all the text messages and emails congratulating Heather.  I have read most of them out to her….and thanks to Maggie who also congratulated the coach!!!!!!!!!!

I need a favour off a few of you, probably best done in my office please.  Could someone print out a couple of copies of today’s results for me on a decent piece of paper.  I cannot print out here and would like a record of the results.  If I end up with a few of them, not to worry.  THANK YOU.  Same again tomorrow as well.  The results are on the main Beijing 2008 website under schedules and results.  Just click on the canoe slalom date and you will see the results header for the various runs.  Please print all.  Thank you.

JOSIE; If my Accor card number has arrived could you please text and or email it to me.  Thanks.  If not, don’t worry.

Anyway it is now 21.35h and we are back in our room.  We have watched video of tomorrow’s course and decided upon our lines and game plan.  I have tomorrow’s timetable to do and then we are done.  Roughly speaking it will look like this:

09.00h breakfast

11.00h  pre-warm at hotel

12.00h  shower and then light lunch

12.50h  final kit check

13.00h  leave hotel

13.35h  water pre-warm at course

13.55h  Heather walks course with Sylvan (the US coach)

14.10    rest in cold room

14.35h  meet me in public zone.

14.45h  warm up

15.20h  meet Sylvan and get escorted through to water

15.30    on water

15.47    first run – semi final

You will have a good idea if Heather has made the final almost immediately, as she is boat 10 of 15.  She is 6th boat off (as they start in reverse order). So if she is in the lead immediately after her run ends, then she is definitely in the top 10.  If she is second or third, she has a chance of making the top 10.  If she is 4 – 6th then she is unlikely to make it.

Heather wanted an ice bath tonight as she is a bit sore and feeling a bit heavy armed.  What a hassle.  They would not give us any ice in the hotel as they have been told not to, for fear of an athlete eating the ice.  This is because every hotel has been told not to feed Olympic athletes outside of the village or official hotels, for fear of being accused of introducing drugs to the athlete.  After battling, the hotel insist on three people, including a manager, coming to the room to see the ice poured in to the bath.  What a laugh.  Anyway we got it done and Heather got her ice bath.

I saw Heather’s mum arrive before the start of the race and knew we made the right decision about not seeing anybody.  She looked really ashen with nerves.

After the race, we met up with Heather’s mum, brother and cousin, and she had definitely been crying.  As I said in a previous entry, I do feel for the family as they don’t really have any coping mechanism for the pressure.   Heather’s mum was really happy and I have to say I was chuffed to bits for her.  I only feel a bit sorry as we will put her through it all again tomorrow….but all for the right reasons.  (Don’t worry Jess…we are all looking after her).

So we’re still in the game with everything to play for.  Thanks to everyone who has helped us and supported us in every way.  Today it all paid off and Heather was in the top 10 at the Olympic Games.  Let’s hope she can do the same again tomorrow after first runs and if she does…then who knows.

I am now completely content……obviously not as far as Heather is concerned though……..and everything from here on in is a bonus.

Thanks and…….YYYEEEESSSSSSSSSS.
Kind Regards
Geoff Parsons

Day 10 – Wed Aug 13 Part 1

Here we go then.

We have just finished our pre-warm up at the hotel.  Time is 11.50h.  Heth is very sharp and very adrenalised.  Pre-warm was good to get the shaky adrenalin out of the system.  Heth showering and then we go for a light lunch.  Off to the course at 13.00h to start all our pre-race preparations.  A water pre-warm at 13.40h.  Walk the course just to get it all in mind once more and then rest for 40 minutes.

Main warm up starts at 15.00h.  On to the water at 15.35h and then first run at 15.52h.

Will write part 2 of this entry after today’s racing so you will probably already know what has happened.

Heth must finish in top 15 to make it through to tomorrow’s semi-final.

She is 6th boat down and is number 16.
Kind Regards
Geoff Parsons