Junior Trials 2020/21 – What to Expect

In this unusual year, GBRT’s first few in-person junior events (such as November early identification trials) have been cancelled and replaced with erg tests and training scores. Here, we’ll discuss how to smash your 2K, 5K and 30-minute tests, before moving on to seat racing. 

Erg Tests

While it may seem like a daunting machine, the erg really isn’t that bad. A sure-fire way to improve your erg scores is to spend time on the erg in a training capacity; work on your technique and get used to watching split times.

How you prepare for an erg test is just as crucial as the test itself. Make a plan beforehand, get enough sleep and eat well. Immediately before the erg you should warm-up, stretch and make sure you’ve set the right drag factor.

2k r24 Ergo Test

As the first erg test, this one always seems a little terrifying, so it’s crucial to get the basics right! Firstly, make yourself a race plan, including technical points and some goal splits (remember to start slower than you finish). You could split the 2k into 500m or 250m blocks with technical focuses for each. Make sure you keep your technique through the last kilometre as you get tired, particularly sitting up and rocking over. You should also resist the urge to overrate in the final 250 metres – stay at rate 24 all the way.

Training – 30 Minute r20

This one’s all about how you approach it mentally, so put a bit of thought in about how to break it down beforehand. You could split it down into three sets of ten minutes – a start, middle and end, or a more complex breakdown if you’ve had experience with this erg before. Try to keep a favourable profile throughout this erg, improving as you go on. Keep your rowing stroke as long and powerful as possible, compressing fully then pushing through with the legs and glutes.

Training – 250m Ergo

A 250m erg is perhaps the only erg where a ‘fly and die’ approach could be considered acceptable! At the start, get the rate up as high as possible using power strokes and spinning the hands. Then don’t hold anything back and aim to stay at the highest possible rate, between 40 and 44.

5k Ergo Test

Just like the 2k test, you should consider making a plan for this erg with technical focuses and target splits. You could break it down into 1k or 500m blocks. GB caps these tests at r26, so you won’t be able to wind the rate up at the end, but that doesn’t mean you can’t drop the splits. Focus on power strokes from the legs and see how fast you can go in the last 500m.

2k Ergo Test

Unlike the first 2k test, this 2k is free-rate. However, you’ll still need to make a race plan and warm-up well; just as you would in the rate-capped 2k. As this is a short erg, it’ll be over quickly so you can’t afford to start without being adequately warmed up. Unlike other ergs, you can move the rate up in the last 750m, and then again in the last 500 and 250m.

Water Trials

If you’re lucky enough to get invited to water trials, you’ll likely end up facing seat racing or a matrix. These typically take place over 1250 or 1500m, with a rolling start and can be both free rate and rate capped. If your rate is limited, make absolutely certain to stay on rate – too low, and you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage, and too high you may have to re-row the run.

Additionally, it’s super important to recover well and keep on top of your nutrition, particularly during trials that take place over multiple days.

Pairs and Doubles Matrices

Every rower will be in either the bow or stroke seat of a pair/double, and there will be as many races as there are bow or stroke seats: every bow seat races with every stroke seat and vice versa. Your total time, from every run, will be added up and then coached will rank athletes by the total time, and the cumulative number of runs won. Expect to be switched between boats, so it’s fair, ensuring that their shell gives no single rower an advantage. Matrices have a poor reputation, but the best way to succeed is to row as quickly as you can with every rower to ensure you generate a robust cumulative time, regardless of whether or not you win each match-up.

Seat Racing

Seat racing contains a little more uncertainty than a matrix, as you never know how many runs you’ll do, or who coaches will select to race at any given time. Despite this inherent uncertainty, seat racing begins in a rather generic fashion: First, two fours or quads race against each other. Then, two rowers will swap boats (but you won’t know who will be making the switch until after the first run). The next run takes place, and the times compared from each run compared. So, for example, if two boats row the course, with boat ‘A’ losing, then the bow seats are swapped, and they row the course again. If this time, the same boat loses, but by a lesser margin, the bow rower who changed into boat ‘A’ would have won the seat race because they lost by less than in the first race.

 The key message here is that you should row as well and as hard as you can for every race, as you never know for which race you’re going to move crews; by the time you’ve completed your first run, half your seat race is already over.

As a last tip, never race in silence – if you’re in the bows of a coxless crew, feel free to call to motivate your crew and improve their rowing.

Good Luck!

Alex

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That’s all for now. If you’re hungry for more, check out any of our other pieces from The Catch, listen to the latest podcast episode, or flick through our race previews.

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Images by Fergus Mainland and Roesie Percy

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