Rowing 2024 Discussion Thread

[copravolley 515]

Big news

 

https://www.oasport.it/2024/11/canottaggio-cambia-la-direzione-tecnica-dellitalia-arriva-il-guru-che-ha-reso-grande-la-romania/

[phelps 8,302]

Davide Tizzano (1996 Olympic Champion, men's double sculls) is the new President of the Italian Federation, as he defeated the (now former) President Giuseppe Abbagnale by a very small margin (52% to 48%) in last week's federal elections

 

and he's already at work to make up for the last 8 disappointing years (at least in terms of Olympic success): his first move is bringing back home  Antonio Colamonaci  who made  great in the past 8 years

 

https://www.oasport.it/2024/11/canottaggio-cambia-la-direzione-tecnica-dellitalia-arriva-il-guru-che-ha-reso-grande-la-romania/

 

let's see if he can make  great again, now 

Edited November 26, 2024 by phelps

[phelps 8,302]

@Gianlu33 we posted the same (great) news at the same time  

[copravolley 515]

Cattaneo was good but his peak was in Tokyo 2021. Then there was such stabilization - stagnation. In Paris the result was in line with expectations but without the wow effect. They threw everything that was best into the quadruple sculls and it was enough for a only silver. Now without the lightweight sculls in LA I think that radical changes are needed to remain competitive. Previously there was a 3-year Olympic cycle due to Covid, so big changes weren`t good but now I think the time is right. Although of course more funds are needed for this sport in Italy, because even the best coach will not overcome this vel our men`s alpine skiing sector

[copravolley 515]

9 minutes ago, phelps said:

@Gianlu33 we posted the same (great) news at the same time  

I was surprised by Abbagnale's defeat. I thought he was a sure of victory, since he decided to run - I read some source that he didn't know if he would start before Paris 2024. What do you think about it?

Edited November 26, 2024 by copravolley

[Gianlu33 5,288]

31 minutes ago, copravolley said:

I was surprised by Abbagnale's defeat. I thought he was a sure of victory, since he decided to run - I read some source that he didn't know if he would start before Paris 2024. What do you think about it?

Abbagnale boasted that he had 80 per cent a few days before the vote (I still have the screen) and ran again as a result of a power deal. Not a great loss.

 

I have doubts about the new technical director though, you can't announce him during the congress, brandishing the scalp of the Abbagnale era technical staff (who then, were Crispi's men). Let's hope there are no rifts between the new staff and the athletes, it had to be handled better.

Edited November 26, 2024 by Gianlu33

[copravolley 515]

23 minutes ago, Gianlu33 said:

Abbagnale boasted that he had 80 per cent a few days before the vote (I still have the screen) and ran again as a result of a power deal. Not a great loss.

 

I have doubts about the new technical director though, you can't announce him during the congress, brandishing the scalp of the Abbagnale era technical staff (who then, were Crispi's men). Let's hope there are no rifts between the new staff and the athletes, it had to be handled better.

I read now that Valentina Rodini will be in the new team of Tizzano + Galtarossa and Martini. I was probably in such an information bubble on Instagram that I thought that only Abbagnale was running a campaign and had a team of people around him. That's why I was surprised by his defeat + the fact that, for example, Rodini supports his rival. But as I wrote, for me the change in the general coach position is a plus. We need a new opening and a new impulse: Cattaneo had his best results in Tokyo and then he only explained that his rowers were running away abroad to the USA to study and that's why he had worse results. Ok, except that it's the same in Romania and Greece but they results are comparable or better. It's obvious that no one here will make the UK or the Netherlands, because we don't have such resources and money but I think we can repeat the Romanian results (2 gold - 3 silver in Paris) and that will be a much better result than the 2 silver in this year.

Edited November 26, 2024 by copravolley

[Makedonas 2,239]

On 11/26/2024 at 5:41 AM, copravolley said:

I read now that Valentina Rodini will be in the new team of Tizzano + Galtarossa and Martini. I was probably in such an information bubble on Instagram that I thought that only Abbagnale was running a campaign and had a team of people around him. That's why I was surprised by his defeat + the fact that, for example, Rodini supports his rival. But as I wrote, for me the change in the general coach position is a plus. We need a new opening and a new impulse: Cattaneo had his best results in Tokyo and then he only explained that his rowers were running away abroad to the USA to study and that's why he had worse results. Ok, except that it's the same in Romania and Greece but they results are comparable or better. It's obvious that no one here will make the UK or the Netherlands, because we don't have such resources and money but I think we can repeat the Romanian results (2 gold - 3 silver in Paris) and that will be a much better result than the 2 silver in this year.

Our results are definitely not better, we always do so well in U19 and U23 and then at that point most of our rowers quit to find a career where they can actually make money. Romania and Italy at least have big teams for the Olympics. We've never had more than 4 boats.

 

For example, just look at our U19 women's team from 2022. We won gold in W1X, W2- and W2X.

 

W1X Gkogkou is now in her second year at Yale University. She didn't compete for the national team last summer in U23 even.

 

W2- Asvesta is at University of Texas and still rows I guess but didn't compete with our national team last summer. Argyraki has not competed since 2022, not even in club rowing, so she probably is focusing on her studies.

 

W2X Natsioula quit rowing at age 17 to study medicine and Dalidou is at Harvard University, but again, she did not compete with the national team in U23 last year either.

 

Only two years later and already none of these 5 girls are with the Greek national team, hopefully at least one or two will come back at some point after their studies but I've thought that in the past about some of the girls who go to the US and we never see them again...

[copravolley 515]

On 12/7/2024 at 6:23 PM, Makedonas said:

Our results are definitely not better, we always do so well in U19 and U23 and then at that point most of our rowers quit to find a career where they can actually make money. Romania and Italy at least have big teams for the Olympics. We've never had more than 4 boats.

 

For example, just look at our U19 women's team from 2022. We won gold in W1X, W2- and W2X.

 

W1X Gkogkou is now in her second year at Yale University. She didn't compete for the national team last summer in U23 even.

 

W2- Asvesta is at University of Texas and still rows I guess but didn't compete with our national team last summer. Argyraki has not competed since 2022, not even in club rowing, so she probably is focusing on her studies.

 

W2X Natsioula quit rowing at age 17 to study medicine and Dalidou is at Harvard University, but again, she did not compete with the national team in U23 last year either.

 

Only two years later and already none of these 5 girls are with the Greek national team, hopefully at least one or two will come back at some point after their studies but I've thought that in the past about some of the girls who go to the US and we never see them again...

You'd have to ask some of the UK and Dutch users here how their nations deal with this problem, if anyone knows? Because clearly those 2 countries are doing the best in Europe and probably don't experience such an exodus of their best young rowing athletes to US universities (Germany has also been experiencing a crisis in this sport in recent years).

[Grassmarket 4,062]

32 minutes ago, copravolley said:

You'd have to ask some of the UK and Dutch users here how their nations deal with this problem, if anyone knows? Because clearly those 2 countries are doing the best in Europe and probably don't experience such an exodus of their best young rowing athletes to US universities (Germany has also been experiencing a crisis in this sport in recent years).

Our  rowers are supported by lottery money, so are effectively making maybe double pr triple the average income of someone else their age, plus whatever extra sponsorship they can arrange for themselves.