Horse riding and Harry Potter scars
Written by Helena Lucas | 21 March 2014
I’ve had a pretty good year so far. It started off at the Miami World Cup where I picked up a bronze medal which I was reasonably happy with.
Obviously I would have liked to have won the regatta but we only managed five races due to it being a very light wind regatta. An OCS (premature start) on the first day slightly put me on the back foot so it was a game of catch up from the start really – but to win a medal at a World Cup event is always a good start to the year.
Since then I have been training hard out in St Petersburg in Florida with Bruce Miller the Canadian 2.4mr sailor and had two solid weeks of training was great. It was much more of a boat-on-boat type of sailing with a focus on tactics, something which I was very keen to work and improve on. I had a little accident when I was out there – I had a little bit of an argument with the jib pole and ended up in hospital with four stitches in my head, but it seems to be healing up quite nicely now and I am on the road to full recovery, though I was hoping to have a cool Harry Potter scar to show off!
It was great to get away from the wind and the huge amount of rain which this country has had and get a couple of weeks of warm weather training under my belt before the regatta season gets into full swing. It was a very interesting experience as I wasn’t sailing in my own boat so that was certainly an eye-opener. A different boat usually means different systems and a different set up which gave perspective on what I usually sail with, and I also think it takes you out of your comfort zone as you know your own boat so well, to then sail someone else’s which is set up that little bit differently just keeps you on your toes which is always a good thing.
Before my trip to the States I had my first recce in Rio which was interesting to say the least. It was quite different to what I expected and it certainly took me two or three days to settle down and get used to my surroundings. It was definitely a worthwhile trip in terms of realising what the conditions are like at the sailing venue, how shifty it can be with some very strong tides. The trip definitely made me realise that it is going to be a completely different experience to London 2012, for sure.
After only a week back in this country, I’m now focusing my attention on the ISAF World Cup events in Palma and Hyeres. I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the water for the European legs of the World Cup circuit and think that all the training I did in Florida has hopefully made me that little bit sharper out on the race course.
Definitely my main aim at both regattas is just to get race sharp, , these are two regattas are the perfect opportunity to really start to hone in on the racing skills and to highlight any areas that I need to brush up on before the likes of the World Championships later this year. I think the key to a successful campaign is motivation. The thing that’s keeps me motivated is to win another gold medal at Rio 2016 which is what it is all about to be honest. It is certainly the one thing that keeps me going and which drives me to keep training hard and to leave no stone unturned.
I have recently just spent the day up at fellow Paralympic gold medallist Lee Pearson’s place learning to horse ride for the first time in my life. I absolutely loved it, it was a fantastic experience. Lee is a ten time Paralympic gold medallist in dressage so I couldn’t have been in better hands. There are definitely similarities between the two sports. Lee spent the day down in Weymouth before Christmas trying out 2.4mR sailing and did exceptionally well, and now I having ridden a horse I can see the overlap between the two sports. It was really exciting and something which I think I will be quite hooked on now, as I know Lee is now hooked on sailing. If I get the opportunity to have another go I will certainly grab it with both hands!