New Brunswick born rower hopes her eights team medals at the event.

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Chris Fox

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Jane Rumball's second Olympics are going to feel a lot different than her first.

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Rumball, the Fredericton born rower who attended the 2004 Athens games as I was a researcher and assistant clinic manager, is going into Beijing as a key cog on Canada's women's eights rowing team.

She said she's very excited and hopes her previous trip to the games will help her on the water.

"Going to Athens was a neat experience because it gave me a chance to see the Olympics for what they are, and although I'd have preferred to have been there as an athlete, I think I'm more prepared because of the experience," she said. "In Athens I really tried to soak up the atmosphere, so it'd be normal for me in Beijing, and I did notice the noise of the crowds and the pressure, but I also realized that at the end of the day it's still the same 2,000 metres, and to have success we just need to use the same tools we use every other race."

Rumball and her longtime pairs partner Darcy Marquardt, who she won a World Championship with in 2006, joined the women's eights team earlier this year, and then qualified for the Olympics in June. She said racing eights is a much different experience from pairs, but one she enjoys.

"It's been interesting going from a small boat to a big boat. I'm in the same position, which is the stroke position, but it's very different to have seven people follow you versus one, and I have had to make a lot of changes in my racing strategy," she said. "That said, I'm starting to absolutely love the eights. My first time racing it internationally was a little over a month ago in Europe, and I was blown away by how close the racing is and how loud it is."

The women's eights team departed for Beijing July 29 and have been staying in a hotel near the brand new Shunyi Olympic Rowing Park ever since, training a few hours a day to prepare.

"We aren't staying in the Olympic village so it's going to feel a lot like any world cup," Rumball said. "I tend to perform best when I relax, so I'm really trying to think of this as any other race." Rumball, who was born and raised in Fredericton, but now lives in London, Ontario said she's looking forward to putting N.B. on the map. Only a handful of others will represent N.B. at the Olympics. They are Moncton's Rheal Cormier, who is a baseball pitcher, and Harvey's Catharine Pendrel, who is a mountain biker. Dave Durepos and his wife Sabrina Pettinicchi will represent N.B. at the Paralympics in men's and women's wheelchair baskteball respectively. The Paralympic Games run September 6-17.

"I am so proud to be from Fredericton and from N.B., and I always brag about it to my teammates, so it's going to be quite an honour for me to be one of the only Olympians from around here," she said. "It's just such a beautiful part of the world. I travel to so many places, and when I come back to Fredericton I always appreciate it that much more."

The women's eights team will begin competition August 10 with a preliminary heat, and if all goes according to plan race for gold August 17. Rumball said a podium finish is the goal, especially after the team won medals in two World Cup races leading up to the Olympics.

"Whenever Canada sends crews to the world championships or the Olympics it's always with the possibility of a medal, and we don't just go for the trip and the track suit," she said. "With the performances we've had recently in the World Cup, we're all confident we have the possibility of a medal, and that's definitely what we're going for." If the women's eights team is to have some success in Beijing, Rumball won't have long to celebrate, though. She starts medical school at the University of Toronto the day after the closing ceremonies.

"I've always done full-time school along with rowing, and I'm really looking forward to spending more time in the classroom actually because I've always been kind of a lifetime learner, and I have just been a consumer of resources for so long that it will be nice to finally give back," she said.

As for future Olympics, the 30-year-old Rumball isn't sure. She's been competing competitively for 14 years, six of which on the national team, and says she'll need a break before deciding whether to keep competing competitively.

"I try not to make decisions in extreme highs or lows, and I have been experiencing a lot of those in the past year, so I'm going to take at least a year off after the Olympics, and we will see what comes from there, but my priority right now is my family and my school."