Athletes in Poznan: Sebastian Schmidt

Stroke of the German men’s eight, Sebastian Schmidt jumped from the under-23 team straight into the Beijing Olympics. The crew did not fare as hoped, but they are back with a new coach, a new plan and a new attitude. And they are winning. World Rowing talks to Schmidt about settling into this winning rhythm.

World Rowing: Where and how did you prepare for the World Championships?
Sebastian Schmidt: Before coming here the entire German team trained together in Ratzeburg, which got quite cuddly since there were so many of us. But it was fantastic to have the whole team together preparing in one spot. This was the first time ever, or at least in a very long time that this happened in the German senior team and I think it made all the difference for the team spirit.

WR: There have been big names in the stroke seat of the German eight, how do you feel rowing in this position?
SS: Since the Essen Regatta I have been in the stroke seat, but in my opinion there’s nothing special about this position. Everybody in the boat has got a special task and their special strength. My task is to set a good rhythm and to keep it up. We are a real team – on and off the water. Compared to other German eights in the past, maybe this is also one of our strengths.

A group of around 12 of us tried different eight combinations during the winter and kept changing through different boats – eight, fours, pairs, as well as changing positions in the boats. Since the Essen Regatta we have pretty much been training in this combination in the eight. But we continue training in pairs and fours and we raced the latter at the Munich World Cup. The win in the eight in Lucerne then gave us the last support to be selected.

WR: Finishing eighth at the Olympic Games last year was a big disappointment for the German eight, is this a new beginning?
SS: Three of us, Kristof Wilke, Florian Menning and I are from last year’s eight, but last year is last year. It was a big motivation for me during winter to train hard, but with the beginning of this season last year’s events lost their significance. In general, I guess this year probably is something like a new beginning in German rowing and after last year that was probably necessary. Hartmut Buschbacher has already introduced good changes and the joint training camps are one part of it. It’s also working out great to have Ralf Holtmeyer back as the men’s eight coach. He’s got a lot of experience and has our respect.

WR: Looking at the numbers you are lighter and a bit shorter than past German eights. Have you had comments on that?
SS: Plenty of comments! One of the most frequent and popular is “you are not really the eight type, are you?” Compared to the past and most of the other nations this is probably right, since our average weight is under 90kg and our average height is only around 190cm. Our strongest guy Florian has probably an erg score which the Canadians are averaging. But we probably have some of the best watt per kg data. I think we just harmonise and are working together as a team really well. Sometimes it’s almost funny. We got a few strange looks on the medals podium in Lucerne – standing in the middle of the Dutch and the Canadians there was a bit of a dent in the picture. But for us these comments are just extra motivation.

WR: How do you like Poznan and the regatta course?
SS: I have been here three times before to race. Poznan is actually one of my favourite regatta courses and I think the course is cool. I like the compactness and its central location right in the middle of the city. I also like all the advertisement throughout the whole city. All of this is great for rowing.

WR: You won your heat on Monday, how is the regatta going so far for you?
SS: We actually had quite a chaotic beginning to this regatta. We made it to the start pontoon just two minutes before the start. I barely had time to take off my vest and to get ready. We got a warning. All this was a bit stressful and in addition it was very windy and the water rather rough, but we managed to keep calm. After Lucerne the others knew about our quick start and we knew they would be better prepared here, but we stayed focused and found our rhythm well and were able to win our heat comfortably. We knew that our opponents would have improved after Lucerne, but our aim was to go directly to the final, which worked out.

WR: What will you be doing now that you have no races until Sunday’s final?
SS: We will still train during the week and will go out twice a day. We will also watch some of the racing – especially the sweep rowing races. I’m especially looking forward to watching the men’s pair. The Kiwis won in great style in Lucerne, but the British pair looks better here than in Lucerne. In our race I hope it will be decided between the Canadians and us. Then also the Australians, Great Britain and the Netherlands look good.

WR: What will come next for you after Poznan?
SS: After the World Championships I will have a week holiday with my girlfriend. Like me she’s studying medicine. I will have a six week medical internship then in a hospital. In October we will row at the E.ON Hanse Cup and in mid-October University will start again. The long-term plan is to row in London 2012. If it’s the eight again for London I will have to wait and see. Personally, I also find the pair quite exciting. This year it would have been interesting to test one of the fastest German pairs against the Kiwis, but we are in the eight.