Yeah, as I drove down I realised I didn't have anyone's mobile number. Luckily, the UK forumites were in more or less the same place as last year, and I also spotted a couple of Sub-7 shirts.

17 boxes of Jaffa's were a dead give away too

Heheh, yeah. I've never done a yard of ale, but I reckon I could do a yard of Jaffa Cakes, no problem.

Now there's a thought, let's forget about this stoopid Shredded Wheat challenge and deal with some decent confectionary

Great to meet up with you guys yesterday.
I'll get two yards of Jaffa's next year...

Garf

I managed a tube (12inches/30cm) of Haribo jelly sweets yesterday! Plus about 5 litres of sports drink and about 30 jaffa cakes

Niall - just read your diary.

I Had a crap race too.
Nerves, a cold pryor to the race and the notorious BIRC
dry throat syndrome...

Within 10 secoonds of starting my expected 1:39.6 ave
read 1:43.5 and so I just resigned myself to finishg the race
although after 750 in I seriously considered putting the handle
down although I knew that if I did that it would be the end for me
at this rowing lark and Monty (my erg) would find himself on Ebay...

Tomorrow is another day and Cardif is your chance to
have another bite at the cherry on home turf...

Today is the first day of your BIRC 06 training...

Cheers Mate

Garf

That's EXACTLY what I thought this morning Garf!

Haha. Okay. It's even dafter as I was sat with my wife a bit higher up and off to the right in the block of seats in front of the podium. Had a great view of the 5:44. And also the nutter in one of the BUSA events doing barefoot rowing (that had to hurt).

I actually had a look for you on F8 after the race but you'd legged it. Think I'll need to get myself back to the opticians as I didn't spot a sub7 tshirt all day

After the race, once the coughing had subsided, I opted for the performance athletes diet of chocolate, crisps and coffee.

.... a diet I'm still on !

I have a group photo on my camera, I'll get it on line, see if you recognise anyone.

Good to meet you (finally) yesterday Jef! Look forward to seeing the group photo (rogues gallery!).

Sub 7 Anexed seats with guest Taff Dougie

Can't remember who was in the sub 7 shirt with back to camera....

Jef - nice one mate...

I wish my pose was a tad more flattering...
The guy with the cap is Mark "Buddmeister" Budd...

Great photo nont the less...

Cheers

Garf

Oddly, the dude with his back to the camera looks exactly like me. Though I'm pretty sure it wasn't. Maybe I just blew out my eyeballs trying to read that tiny yellow script. Who's in between Ant and Garf? Also, why is Grinyer looking so pissed off? Questions, questions.

Stretch - I kinda feel like I'm on your home turf using this forum...
Yeah the guy between me and Ant is Ant Stansbie... Hes a nice bloke.
you'd like him when we meet in 2006 god willing.

OK, photo edited

How the h*** I missed you lot I'll never know. I can't have been sat that far away at all.

Dougie
I did not mention your pb from yesterday,well done mate.

Chippy

Thanks Chippy. I'm training for <7:00 now.

Except, next week and the week after I'm thinking of doing both the full and the half Thanksgiving to Chrimbo eve challenges with 300K in two weeks (twelve days of 25K).

TEAM CHALLENGE NEWS UPDATE

Some of the UK Forumites have been discussing a challenge that all teams could participate in. Details are as follows:

Cross Team Challenge Initiative

Sounds like a great idea to me so what do you think?
There needs to be at least one male LWT and one female entry so can all Lwts and those of the fairer sex please see if you can put an entry in for each challenge.

It's going to kick off in December with an unrestricted 6K (that should please most I would imagine). So, are we up for it?? I know I am!

Roger, Roger, wilco, over!

Copy that.

Niall

The photos for race 17 are on the photodigital site.

You don't look too bad in any of your' four photos.

Four photos?! Wow! I only had 2 last year. The camera obviously loves the Taff Attack AIO!

Checked the meter board Niall?

Chippy is falling back even more!! that will teach him to try and break my spine

Sir Pirate

Come on Pirate, I've heard talk of this "breaking spine" incident three times today but no detail. Are you sure it just wasn't your back hurting through laughing so much (they're funny guys after all)?

Haven't checked the meter board for some time now and need to add my meters on there. I suspect you'll need to make the most of whatever position you've got to 'cause it'll be shortlived! Not that us Taffs aren't grateful for your metres though

There is now a Taff Attack team thread on the UK forum courtesy of Daren:

Taff Attack Team Thread (UK)

I'm in for the cross team challenge. I hope I am not the only Taffette who competes because my sprint times are pokey-dokey. Debra? Lynsey? Sue? Anyone else going to play? So December is 6K, any rate, and we have till 12/31 to do it, and where do we post results, here, or email them, or what?

I have to do another go at the 4 x 750 tonight, tomorrow a long row, and I'll make sure to do that one after midnight so it counts for the Holiday Challenge...then we're off Thurs, Fri & Sat for Thanksgiving, so no erg for a few days.

I tried to post after the races, but my post wouldn't post--it just sat there and wouldn't go on. ?? Anyway, congrats to all who got PBs! It sounded like the conditions were just awful with the dry air. It doesn' t sound healthy at all to row hard with such dry air!

Carla:

That's a neat idea ... do a long row at midnight (or whatever time it is in one's locale when the C2 web site clock "flips").

Never would have thought of that ...

-- Mark

I'd guess that the C2 website is based on Eastern Standard Time since the C2 folks are based in Vermont.

http://www.timeanddate.com/ is the place for all things to do with time zones around the world.

I have mental picture of all of us loons jumping on our ergs when the clock strikes midnight in Vermont trying to have a go at a head start on the Challenges.

Just driven down to St Mellons to hand in my form for Cardiff next Sunday. Who else is going to be there?

Niall,
Been out of touch for the past few days. Sorry for the delayed response.

Sounds like the combo of the dry arena, and race jitters must have done you in. Major bummer mate. Shake this one off and do what you need to do for Cardiff. All will work itself out.

Speedy

All BIRC going Taffs...

Great job on all your races (whether you did what you wanted to or not). I'm willing to bet the AIO's where quite the site.

All the best to everyone going to Cardiff.

Speedy

You probably drove past the entrance to my house then Mike!!
I'll be at Cardiff next week as I handed in my form this morning too!

Look forward to seeing you there Mike, it's taken too long fella!



Cheers Speedy, really appreciate it. Gonna be much better at Cardiff, I know it!

I missed you both, I dropped mine off yesterday morning as well. (On my way to coach kids sailing on Cardiff Bay) I had to ask the postman where the house was, he noticed championship entry on the envelope and commented about the number of these letters he had posted.


It will be great to see if you both can go sub 7, shame you won't be in the same race. Mike in his first event, lets hope there is some reward for all the metres rowed this year.

I hope thinks go better for you Niall next week, at least you won't need to get up at 6.30. I can't believe that can have helped at BIRC.

Look forward to seeing everyone there.


Phil

I thought it was going to be hard to find the house but I should not have worried. When I got close I noticed a bunch of people filling out application forms on the drive and then posting them through.

Personally next weekend is about setting a new PB. I am not in good enough shape post the back injury to get close to 7.00 but it will be an interesting session none the less.

Look forward to seeing everyone there next weekend. After all it is our home championship.

Phil, I was looking at last years times and if you row your BIRC time again you should win your age (>40 ) category.

Look forward to seeing all the Taffs especially those I've not met before.
It's gonna be a great day!

It’s interesting. I have had a Concept II rower since I think around 1991. First had a Model B, and the last three years a Model C. Now I am pining away for a Model D, but will wait.. I have really done the rowing to maintain some aerobic fitness though never been really serious about competing. I find that it really cuts into my ability to lift when I start getting into heavy training with the rower. It really cuts back on the fast twitch muscle mass. I see all the banter on the times and fun people have at the events , yet I know to be competitive you really have to cut down on the fast twitch mass which will kill my abilities in Greco-Roman wrestling which I like to do. It sucks.

Hi (UK) Taffs,

What's the roll call for Cardiff then ? With a well deserved win against the Wallabies I expect all Taffs competing to be extra motivated ! Thou beating the Wallabies is nothing unusual anymore it seems - boy have they lost their way since the Tri-nations. All Blacks look awesome - think I will become an honorary Kiwi for a while Well done Wales.

Jumpsoda, if you rate 50+ on the erg that may get the fast twitch muscles going ?!

Cheers and may good form be with you all in the lead up to the weekend's racing,

Martin

I hope the Welsh win on the weekend made things very comfortable at home Martin. Plenty of opportunity to make up for the last 18 years in which Wales have been unable to beat the Ozzies.

As for a roll call for Cardiff, I know myself, PaulB, Wilko51 and PhilT are racing. Haven't heard from Chippy and his crew but I would hope there would be a good turn out from the taffs as this is our home championship. As soon as I know more, I'll post an update. I'll contact the organiser today and see if he's got a competitors' list.

[quote=Niall,Nov 29 2005, 01:06 AM]
I hope the Welsh win on the weekend made things very comfortable at home Martin. Plenty of opportunity to make up for the last 18 years in which Wales have been unable to beat the Ozzies.

As for a roll call for Cardiff, I know myself, PaulB, Wilko51 and PhilT are racing. Haven't heard from Chippy and his crew but I would hope there would be a good turn out from the taffs as this is our home championship. As soon as I know more, I'll post an update. I'll contact the organiser today and see if he's got a competitors' list.

[/quote

*******************************************

Nial

Eddy,Ramboyo,Grummpy,Bore da and myself should be at Cardiff, Talking
of Cardiff i went to see the Prodigy there on Sunday evening....MENTAL


Martin
It was a fine win on Saturday against your neighbours and i have to agree that
NZ are the best team out there.

Chippy

PS
Is the Pirate still moaning about Chris and i trying to break his back What a wimp

Hello all,
MikeZ sent me a PM concerning Debra. Apparently she's left the team. Anyone know why? Hope she didn't fly over to one of the Canada teams.

Speedy

Yeh, looks like she's joined the Eh! Team and taken her 1,011,000m with her

That's a real shame (losing her, not the metres). Debra was a real "actions speak louder than words" kinda gal and just plugged away at the metres.

Would love to know what compelled her to leave us

I went out to the UK Taff thread, and noticed that there are alot of people saying that they're Welsh, but none of them have signed up. What's up with that???

Maybe if we offered a signing bonus....

Yesterday the US forum was messed up so I went to the UK one to post my 6K time for the cross team competition thing. Is this supposed to posted on our Taff site or what? I'm confused. Anyway, it was a PB by 3 seconds, but my 6K PB is still, I think, stupidly at a slower pace than my 30 min. I have to fix that. (So now I'll row a slower 30 min. That will fix it, right?)

I have no idea why Debra left and it's too bad, but maybe it makes more sense for her to be on the Eh! Team since she's Canadian. I'm sure they are tickled to have her! We really need good female members now for the cross team challenge. Debra, you are missed....

I think the Taff thread should only be on one site. We are getting fractured by it being on two. Let's either move it entirely to UK or leave it here. We are turning into almost 2 seperate Taff teams. I've never heard of half the people that have posted on the thread over there.

Not only have I never heard of them, but they're not posting their meters on with the TA. What's up with that?!?!?

Don't forget to rank it.

DECEMBER TEAM CHALLENGE

6K Unrestricted

Post your times in blue on this thread. And for that added level of competitiveness, we're competing as a team against the UK teams. So the top 5 times (incl. 1xfemale and 1xLwt) will make it to the Taff Attack A team and if we can make up a B team all the better.

Let's show them on the UK site how damn good us Taffs are!

For more info see this thread