Sunday, July 3rd
Sunday, July 3rd, 2016Athlete: Scott Thorbjornsen
Year & Major: Senior, Speech and Language Pathology
Hometown: Bangor, MI
High School: Bangor High School
If I could tell my incoming teammates one thing, it would be: Keep moving forward.
Today is our last day before we leave for the U.S. Many of us decided to enjoy the day at a much slower pace than most mornings. After breakfast and some packing for tomorrow there were a few rousing games of ping pong played to get the competitive juices flowing before heading to Henley to watch the finals. The train was much less crowded than previous times getting on and I was able to sit. I enjoyed it much more than being crammed into the train trying not to breathe down the neck of the person in front of me. On our arrival to the city I realized why the train had been so empty and that was because everyone in England seemed to have beaten us there. The city was full to the brim with many colors. The people of England definitely know how to dress up for an event: there were dresses and blazers of every color. The hats were also quite impressive ranging from straw hats for the men and big brimmed hats with flowers for the women. We Americans stuck out in out khaki shorts, tennis shoes, and t-shirts.
When the racing finished I went and found some souvenirs and walked home on the scenic route back to Shiplake with Dom because we knew the trains would be full. On our way back we noted the beautiful scenery of the English countryside. Everything is very green and the gardens that surround houses are different from home. Instead of being orderly these ones are overgrown and full. It seems like anything will grow. When we came back to the house more ping pong was played and dinner was eaten.
Now after two weeks of training, racing, and recovering the Laker Navy’s time in England has come to an end. These past two weeks have given me some of the greatest memories so far in my life. I have competed in the oldest regatta in the world, seen a country I may never have had the chance to see, and made many friendships. To all my friends and family who have supported me and helped make this possible, thank you. I am forever grateful for this opportunity.