Wow – have a look at the regatta entries for the BaselHead this week. It looks like the world’s top single scullers are meeting in Switzerland. All join to participate at the 2019 BaselHead race, the larges 8+ Head race in continental Europe.
2019 Baselhead race: Like a European Championship. The EuropeanEight’s
Disguised as two “EuropeanEight Rowing Team” all top European Single Scullers will be sitting in an 8+. All scullers are top performers, world champions, European champions or Wold Cup winners. In Basel they call it the “European Eight Rowing teams”. It feels that we will have a second European Rowing Championship. Lucerne, the second, just in Basel this time. Many of them are qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The EuropeanEight Rowing Challenge- more than a European Rowing Championship
The single scullers are facing many challenges during the 2019 Baselhead race:
From individual rowing to Crew rowing:
The top European Single Scullers will be rowing in an 8+ Crew. They will listen to a cox, absorb the stroke and stroke rate from the stroke person – a feeling they need to get used to. Changing a boat and moving into a new crew is not as easy as we think.
Sculling to rowing
Changing from sculling into rowing might be a challenge. No problem for the Sinkovic (CRO) Brothers. They have been 2- World champions and World Champions in their 2x. They handle their oars perfectly.But how about Jeannine Gmelin (SUI) or Magdalena Lobnig (AUT)?. Will Olli Zeidler be able to get the same pressure in his eight as he did when winning the World’s in Linz?
Light weights with heavy weights
How will Jason Osborne (GER), Steff Broenink (NED) and Olli Zeidler (GER) do with light weight rowers as Michael Schmid (SUI). Can they evenly apply power during their stroke? Schmid, crew captain of the men’s eight who I met at the media briefing tells me:
…we will sort out who is doing bow and who is doing stroke. Off course we consider everyone’s physical constitution. We all know each other from the race courses. And hopefully the two training sessions before the race will help to adjust the boat. We have 8 fantastic fighters in the boat.
180 degree turn in competitive environment
Off course every top sculler knows how to turn his shell. Turn before you return to the launch dock., turn when your piece ends or when you are close to the lake shore. Turning an eight is different. Turning an eight needs a very different technique. A good crew performance at the BaselHead turn could provide the necessary seconds for an successful race.
Read here what participants think.
Read about the Boston Great eight
Let’s see how they will do. At the end of the day it will be a fun race for them. Aside from Championship pressure.The Baselhead will start on Saturday Nov. 16th.
