Princeton resident part of Junior Worlds boat
By: Justin Feil
As a member of the United States Junior National eight boat, Nicholas Jordan had the unique opportunity to see the first venue completed for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Princeton resident competed in the 2007 Junior World Championship that concluded earlier this month with the final on the Shunyi Olympic Rowing Course, about an hour outside of the center of Beijing.
"We came in fifth. It was a bit annoying," Jordan said. "According to the heat results, we were fourth. We were a bit annoyed with the final results. I think it was some good racing. There were some very, very good crews. The top three were Germany, New Zealand and then China. The Chinese and German teams dominated the scene."
The World Championships concluded a busy summer for Jordan, who is preparing to return for his senior year at Eton College, a preparatory high school in Windsor, England. As a junior, he made the required year-round commitment to the sport at the school and saw it pay off.
"This year," he said, "I was in the top boat for the school. That’s a whole step up."
The 17-year-old was part of the Eton eight that won the Championship Eight event at the Great Britain National Schools Regatta and was knocked out of the Henley Royal Regatta in the semifinals of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, the junior men’s eight-plus event. Eton beat Canada’s Upper Canada College, Canterbury’s The King’s School and Australia’s St. Ignatius’ College before falling to Canada’s Brentwood College School. From Henleys, he was able to make the U.S. team.
"I went straight from Henleys to the whole selection process," Jordan said. "There’s been more rowing than last year. We rowed every day for twice a day. I probably rowed 12 times a week this year."
Jordan, who graduated from Princeton Charter School, spent last summer rowing for the Boston Rowing Club, for whom he helped earn the gold medal at the Canadian Royal Henley Regatta. This year, making the U.S. team for the Junior Worlds was another step up.
"I got recommended for it from BRC last year," he said. "From what I did last year and over the summer. I sent in erg scores as well as recommendation letters. Based on that, I was invited after Henley.
"I stayed in school for Henley. I came on late and was able to make the team. In the short time I had before they made the final cuts, I got in the eight."
The crew was put together only about four weeks before the Junior Worlds. In order to qualifies for the worlds, they had to meet the International Time Standard of 5:53, which they did with a 5:46.96 in the National Club Championships in Camden in July.
"It’s pretty crammed," Jordan said of the time frame for putting the boat together. "It seems that way for almost all the countries, except China. Almost all the countries have school go reasonably late and then get people together. In three or four weeks, you try to get rowing together. The tension was on to bring it together."
In China, the junior team got to see first-hand the excitement surrounding the coming Olympics. China recently began its one-year countdown.
"There’s a huge excitement in China, not just with the volunteers," Jordan said. "They were very gracious and very intrigued and interested in having so many foreign people come to their country. They’re proud and excited to be hosting the Olympics. There were countless banners and shows on television about next year’s Olympics."
Jordan and the U.S. were the first to test the Shunyi Olympic Course. It is the course that will host the Olympic races in 2008.
"It was a very impressive course," Jordan said. "It was nice weather most of the time. The amount of volunteers was incredible. There were more volunteers than rowers. There were hundreds of volunteers. And then there were workers everywhere. There were builders adjusting fences. One thing you noticed was hundreds upon hundreds of civil servants getting things ready."
The Junior Worlds also saw the first athletes to get a taste of the infamous China pollution. It was memorable.
"That was bad," Jordan said. "It was easily noticeable. After the first workout, it was really tough. You sort of get used to it. Every team has to learn to cope with it. It’s like a humid haze that makes it harder to breathe. It makes coming back feel all the better."
The U.S. boat began by finishing second to New Zealand in its first heat race last Wednesday. The U.S. was third through the 1,000-meter mark before surpassing Italy in the second half of the race. They were also second in their repechage last Thursday, topping Italy by .07 seconds, to reach the final. Fifth at the start, the Americans moved steadily up until they were second. In the final, the U.S. was fifth in 5:51.56. The U.S. was third after 500 meters but couldn’t keep pace with the top four crews.
Jordan’s teammates came from around the country. Seven different states were represented in the nine-person boat. Getting to row together was half the task.
"I didn’t know any of the kids," Jordan said. "I knew more from other teams. The cox of the British eight was from my school. It was a bit strange hearing his voice in a race when he wasn’t in my boat."
Jordan is preparing to hear that voice again when he returns to Eton for the start of school. While he is looking into attending and rowing at a U.S. college, he is looking forward to his final year of high school.
"I’ve been named captain for rowing," he said. "I’ve got to sort of step up for that next year. I’m really looking forward to it."
Jordan is the first American-born captain at Eton in the 150 years that the school has been rowing. It is another honor to add to his list, but he is more concerned about ensuring a fine finish to his high school career before he heads off to compete collegiately.
"We have a good group coming up," he said. "So far, I expect it’ll be a fast crew."
Nicholas Jordan understands well fast crews. He got a peek at the world’s best junior boats, and did so with the backdrop of a China in the midst of preparing for the Olympic Games. He got a small sample of that excitement while keeping his focus on helping the U.S. crew team.
"It’s still the same sport," Jordan said. "It sort of maintains the same air of competition wherever you go. The difference is in what you see around you, or what you see or who you talk to. We really only had two days of seeing around. We saw the Great Wall and we went into Beijing. It was mostly business."
Even without the finish the Americans were looking for, this business was a pleasure.

