TigerBlog pulled into East Fork State Park and showed his parking pass to the older gentleman in the yellow vest, who directed him to turn left and then show it to the next guy, who would also be wearing "the same yellow vest as I am."
TB politely said "thank you" and then added "I'll bet it looks better on you though." To that the man in the yellow vest did not laugh nor smile nor speak. Instead, he gave TB a rather confused look.
For the record, TB never saw anyone else with a yellow vest as he headed left. Eventually, he came to a group of women in yellow vests, one of whom saw TB's pass and told him to "keep going until you reach the beach."
And that was TB's first entrance this weekend into the 2024 NCAA women's rowing championships, which concluded yesterday on Harsha Lake, in Southern Ohio. The lake is just outside of Cincinnati, which itself is just across the Ohio River from Kentucky.
In fact, Kentucky is so close to the venue that Princeton's women's team stayed across the state line for its time at the championships.
The Tigers had another big showing at the premier event for college women's rowing, qualifying all three boats into the A Finals and then finishing fourth in the final points standings, giving the program three straight top four finishes for the first time since doing so four straight times from 2010-13.
Princeton had been one of five schools to reach each of the finals, along with Texas, Stanford, Tennessee and Washington. In other words, the Tigers were the only Ivy League school to do so.
For TigerBlog, this was his first experience at the NCAA rowing championships. As you know from his his writings about his time with the baseball team in Louisiana in 2016, TB loves to go to events that he's never before experienced.
He has to be in Indianapolis today for the start of the NCAA men's lacrosse rules committee meetings, and he jumped at the chance when he saw that the rowing championships were being held this weekend about a two-hour drive away.
The first thing you notice about a regatta of this size is the overwhelming amount of equipment that goes into putting rowers in boats. It's everywhere. There are also tents for each team, all with their own individual style to them.
At this one, by the way, you also notice the great warmup pants that the Indiana women's rowers wear. They're the same red and white striped pants that the basketball team has made famous.
The races go off like clockwork, one after the other, the different heats on Friday and then the semifinals Saturday before the finals Sunday. To keep advancing you need to finish in the top three in your heat of six boats. For those who don't advance, there are consolation races, or repechages.
To get to the finals is grueling. That's a 2,000-meter race Friday and then another 2,000-meter race Saturday, and then you need to turn it around quickly to get into the right place physically and mentally for 2,000 more meters, this time against the other five best.
It's no wonder that when TB met Princeton captains Catherine Garrett and Klara Thiele after Saturday's semifinals, they were both coming out of the makeshift ice bath that was in the Princeton tent.
TB had never met either of them, but he could tell quickly that they were exactly what you want out of your captains. Both are seniors in the second varsity boat this season, and yet they are completely committed to doing whatever it takes to help the team.
You can read TB's feature on the two of them from Saturday HERE.
The first Princeton boat yesterday was the Varsity 4, which finished a strong second. It was the second time that Princeton had finished in the medals in the V4, along with a championship two years ago. Senior Hailey Mead was in the boat both times.
The 2nd Varsity 8, off that great finish to its semifinal Saturday, finished sixth in the final, contributing big points. The 1st Varsity 8 then finished fourth, edged for third in the race and in the points standings by Tennessee. Texas was your national champion, followed by Stanford.
When it was over, there were awards to be given, hugs to be shared, food to be eaten, not to mention racing shells to be packed away and put onto trailers, to be driven back to campuses all over the country. There were also flights to be caught to the East, West, North and South,
For TigerBlog, it meant getting back into his rented Chevy Malibu and heading to Indianapolis.
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