Heavenly words to hear as I landed in my new home for the next three months. After a frustrating and tumultuous couple of days of travel, I finally found my way to Chula Vista, California (just outside and south of San Diego) to join the rest of my teammates for our winter training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

This week concludes one of about 10 weeks we’ll spend on the warm waters of sunny San Diego, leading up to the National Selection Regatta I held here in Chula Vista, March 15-17th.

It was a solid first week, spent mostly back in the single for me. Being that the last time I was in my single was sometime before Thanksgiving, it took a day or two to feel comfortable again. Small boats keep you honest and let’s just say, I was humbled more than once in the past few days. I had spent all of December working in a quad in the company of some of the most elite scullers in the country: Megan Kalmoe, Ellen Tomek, Kate Bertko, and Sarah Trowbridge. I learned an incredible amount in that month, highlighted by some brilliant and not so brilliant moments; but the experience was vital and has helped me make huge strides in becoming a stronger sculler.

Looking forward to a solid few months of training here, improving each day…and oh yeah, wearing t-shirts and sandals in January.