The Para-Row to Paris Regatta took place over two days with a mini regatta on each. Providing the squad four opportunities to compete on the Paris track and test out different race plans ahead of the European Championships and World Championships later in the year. 

The venue itself is one of the first Olympic / Paralympic venues to be completed so to get a chance to visit ahead of the Games is incredibly special and something that we will definitely hold in our advantage come Games time. For those that have rowed at Eton Dorney, the lake is very similar. The boat house sits at the finish end of the course with the lake shooting off into the distance, surrounded by what is a little country park with cycle tracks and walks in all directions. Even when warming up or cooling down at this small regatta you couldn’t help but get drawn to watch the racing from the boat park. It will no doubt be the best view in 2024. 

The Squad raced incredibly well picking up a total of 5 Golds, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals. For me it was the first time that I had managed to beat Roman Polyanski (UKR) in any race and to do so in all four races has left me feeling confident in the training that we have been doing back at home.  Callum Russel also put in a stand out performance, registering yet another personal best and narrowly coming third to myself and Polyanski (UKR). To have Callum performing at the level he is now is great for the sport because British Rowing now has 2 boats at the top of the field. Each of us are pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves both on and off the water. Next year will no doubt see some tough racing when we both return from our respective off seasons and press on towards trials in April 2023. 

In the PR2 field, Lauren Rowles dominated! Not only in the Women’s category but also the Men’s. With her female counterparts electing to race the doubles event on the Saturday, Lauren took the opportunity to run down the track against the PR2 Men’s Singles and put out a dominating performance to beat all 5 men by clear water! The work Lauren has put in this winter was highlighted even more when her main rival Perle Bouge (France) didn’t have any response to Lauren on Sunday. It is safe to say that Lauren is the one to beat in that PR2 field come the World Championships in September! 

Now the PR3 double is a new boat class for this Paralympiad and many nations are still trying to find their feet in this event. Our pairing of Annie Caddick and Daniel Powell (colloquially known as the Dannie Express), have only faced 5 other international crews so far this season at Gavirate earlier in May, with no event at the Belgrade World Cup. So both were very excited to get out and test themselves against France on Saturday and both France and Ukraine on Sunday. This new pairing is constantly evolving and as a crew mates you could sense they were getting better and better with each run down the track. Saturday saw them take Gold against France with a dominating performance and we hoped the same would happen against Ukraine and France on Sunday. As Callum and I cooled down after our race on Sunday we took prime position to watch Dannie Express come down the track, and whilst they sat in 2nd place, they looked a stronger unit than we have seen before. The Double recorded another personal best on Sunday and I am incredibly excited to see where they can get to in September against the rest of the World. 

That’s it, you’re all caught up on things #iambenpritchard but here is a snippet of what the future holds:

• European Rowing Championships, Munich 10 – 14th August.
• Varese Training Camp
• World Rowing Championships, Račice 17th – 15th September.

Now what we are all really here for: Ben’s Coffee Corner.

This month I am trying out some coffee from Elliott and Murrey from Oregon, USA. One of my old school friends is now living state side and has sent over a couple of bags for us to try. From what we have had so far I can honestly say that it is very versatile to brew with. Both bags we’ve tried have been dark roasts which isn’t usually my thing, but I have to say I have enjoyed every cup and in this weather, they are making some pretty banging Iced Coffees!

If you want some brewing method advice then why not check out my features on Instagram @BenjaminPritch1 for those posts.

Pictures provided by FF Aviron France

This process saw us contacting various engineering firms, formula one teams and other motor sport teams to see what they did for their seat designs / rapid prototyping.

During one of the Autumn International matches at the Principality Stadium, I ended up sitting next to Aaron Morgan (@aaron_morgan_racing) a fellow spinal cord injury recipient but more importantly a very good racing driver for Team Brit. We got chatting and he mentioned that his team may have the ability to point us in the right direction and the relationship was born.

Team Brit are a fully inclusive race team with the aim to become the first ever all-disabled team to race in the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race! More info can be found (https://teambrit.co.uk/) Now whilst we established a great relationship, it actually transpired that they use the same seating engineer that we at British Rowing are currently using so that avenue has been closed. However, that did not stop the team inviting me and the members of the Para Squad down to Dunsfold Park to try our hands at their racing simulator and even let us loose on the track in one of their racing BMWs!!!

Now as a child Top Gear was one of my favorite programs and the infamous track is where Team Brit are based, so I cannot believe that I can now say that I have driven around the Top Gear Track with hand controls!!!! A dream come true!

I cannot thank the team enough for making us feel welcome and I look forward to seeing where this may take me in the future but for now I will stick to racing GT7 online and hone my skills there!

Photos provided by Ryan Cox (https://www.ryancoxphotography.com/)

How are we already in April! One thing for sure I am so glad to say that spring is finally here and we are even starting to see some sessions with just a short sleeve on under the all in one and the sunnies are making more of a regular appearance.

So strap in and grab yourself a coffee for a little run down of all things #Iambenpritchard and British Rowing.

December saw the first round of trials, which normally I would be exempt from having just returned back from the Games and being on my off – season, however I wanted to take the opportunity to see just how well my new found seating position and core development was working so entered the British Indoor Championships, placing 1st and setting a New World Record. As I said in my interview then, I had only been back training for two weeks so whilst I was happy with my performance there was definitely a lot more in the tank and the job isn’t done just yet.

Towards the end of December, my four legged best friend and companion Winston suffered a herniated disc and had to take a visit to Davies’ specialist vets near Luton for spinal surgery, which I am glad to report went well. Winston was discharged Christmas Eve and joined me and the family back in Wales for Christmas day where he would remain with my parents to undergo his rehabilitation. I am happy to say that his rehabilitation is going well and prognosis looks good, although as I write this we are currently nursing Winston poorly. January 2022 saw the return of the wider Paralympic Squad at the training venue and it feels good to have some of my friends back in and around training and sharing the pain of those early morning sessions again. As I decided to return to training in November, I was invited to take part in the early winter water assessments where it seemed all the work of my winter training was paying off with me topping the results table of the assessment weekend! Excitement was and is still starting to build towards this summer’s racing to see where we line up against my international counterparts.

The seating project is also starting to take shape with several companies now being shortlisted and a design date being fixed in the diary for the 21st April, 2022. Watch this space…. Mentorship is something that I have been very fortunate to have received from my Godfather when I started working in London and is very common in the commercial space, but is something I feel is missing from the sports arena and something that I am very passionate about bringing across from my time in the City. I have partnered with The True Athlete Project (https://www.thetrueathleteproject.org/) to offer my services to a younger sportsperson and hopefully help them on their journey to the International Stage.

If any of you watch American sport you will have surely heard about March Madness (it is a basketball competition for American College’s), well I can confirm the Pritchard household also held it’s own version of March Madness.

I can now call myself a married man, following the weddings postponement with Covid. Megan and I had a fantastic day in The Orangery, Margam Park. I turned 30 and set a new “unofficial” world record as part of spring trials all in the same week and to close the month I managed to catch COVID-19 again. Luckily, this time I was not as ill as before and I am already back in the training venu undergoing a return to training programme. (sneak peak of some of our imagery below)

That’s it, you’re all caught up on things #iambenpritchard but here is a snippet of what the future holds:

• Screaming Beans Podcast – I will be featuring on the podcast at the end of this month.
• Gavirate International Regatta, 13th – 15th May.
• World Rowing, World Cup I, Belgrade, Serbia 25th – 29th May.

Now what we are all really here for: Ben’s Coffee Corner.

This month I am drinking my old staple, CoalTown Coffee but more specifically a limited edition of their beans which Megan and I blended as part of our special day.

But if you haven’t tried any of CoalTown’s coffee before then I thoroughly recommend them. They are a family run business based in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire www.coaltowncoffee.co.uk and are what I serve as my “House Espresso”. If you are new to specialty coffee, then why not try their Black Gold, this is a great entry place to the world of specialty coffee as it is very palatable and in my opinion very hard to get wrong in a variety of brew methods.

If you want some brewing method advice then why not check out my features on Instagram @BenjaminPritch1 for those posts.

Pictures provided by Page One Weddings (https://www.pageoneweddings.com/)

James and his coaches had designed a week like nothing I’ve had before, we tried Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aerial Silks, Strong Man and Circus weights, but more importantly we had a great time doing it! It is good every now and again to vary up your training because you will never know what you find that will benefit you going forward.

I have taken two things away from this training camp which I will continue to use to aid my rowing:

Indian Club work for shoulder conditioning and BJJ floor workto help activate whatever core I can!

Go check out @wildptjamesg on Instagram for a better description and understanding of why!

The Pour Over: the holy grail of home brewing outside of espresso is the next feature in my Coffee Corner.

The Pour Over is perfect for fine tuning how you enjoy coffee and enable you to taste the different notes in your coffee roasts.

Follow these technical points for the perfect pot.

1. Pre-wet filter.
2. Add ground coffee
3. Pour 60g water, then swirl and wait 45 seconds.
4. Pour 150g water over 30 seconds in a circular motion.
5. Slowly pour the rest of the water.
6. Stir from left to right and wait for the water to completely flow through the filter.
7. Enjoy!

Full tips below in the infographic.

Next up in Coffee Corner brewing advice is the most sociable way to enjoy specialty coffee…

The French Press . Cafetiere.

The French Press is the best way to socialise over a cup of coffee and allow everyone to appreciate the craft and cathartic nature of coffee.

The important thing when it comes to the French Press is patience. It is all about time.

The French Press is also one of the staples at British Rowing HQ where there are a number of coffee clubs – you will often see a cafetiere being passed around and people commenting on the coffee inside.

Give my method below a try for a perfect Cafetiere and drop me a message or tag me in your photos on instagram if you like it!

Kicking off our Coffee Corner brewing advice is my favorite beginner method… the Aeropress (https://www.aeropress.co.uk/)

The press is perfect for on the go coffee and is an essential in my training bag.

Give my method below a try for a perfect Aeropress coffee and drop me a message or tag me in your photos on instagram if you like it!

Today we are focusing on the perfect training camp coffee.

Here are some of my favorites that I like to take away with me and are perfectly suited for the Aeropress, my chosen brew method when traveling.

1. Sin Limites, Costa Rica by Clifton Coffee, Bristol (https://cliftoncoffee.co.uk/shop/coffee/single-origin/costa-rica-sin-limites/)

2. Anthracite, Coal Town Coffee, Ammanford (https://www.coaltowncoffee.co.uk/products/anthracite-no2?variant=12683093868628)

3. Blind Faith, Five Rings Coffee, Edinburgh (https://www.fiveringscoffee.co.uk/shop/p/blind-faith-coffee)

4. Pull up a Chair, Two CHimps Coffee, Rutland (https://twochimpscoffee.com/shop/coffee-four/)

5. Mogoton, Jack and the Beans Co, Pembrokshire (https://www.jackandthebeans.co.uk/shop/p/mogoton)

What’s your favorite coffee for the Aeropress?

Drop a comment below for a roastery you believe deserves a spot in my trailer bag!