Author: readyallrow

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 1, 2013

When we’re getting lined up, I get scared to be close to other boats. I can get even, but I’m always kind of far away. Can you do a diagram on which rowers you would use to get closer? [whether left or right more?] Thank you!

Sure. Here I just assumed that the other crews are lined up on your port side but if they’re lined up on starboard, you’d still do everything the same way, you’d just flip who you’re giving instructions to.

When I first started coxing I was always a little nervous to get close to other crews too but as I got more comfortable with it I was able to better judge what the proper distance was to have between boats, which made lining up a lot easier.

If there are more than two crews and you’re on a narrow stretch of river, you might be forced to have a short distance between each boat so you’ll have to get comfortable pretty quickly with being closer together. If you watch college crews practice you’ll see that they keep the spacing between crews pretty tight too – it just makes things easier for the coaches and it desensitizes the rowers to having other crews right beside them.

Q&A Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 1, 2013

What’s the difference between a JV8 and a 2V boat? Or are they the same thing?

It probably depends on each team and what races are available at the regattas you attend, but sometimes yes, they can be the same thing. Below I’ve listed how my team always did it. If we went to a regatta that didn’t have a novice eight but they had a freshman eight, we’d take the one or two freshmen from the JV boat and put them in the novice boat. (Novices are first year rowers regardless of what year they are in school.) If there was a 2V race but not a JV race, we’d enter the JV boat as the 2V “B” boat. Same with the 2V – if there wasn’t a 2V race, we’d bump them up to the varsity race and enter them as the varsity “B” boat.

Varsity 8+/4+

Comprised of rowers with a solid combination of high erg scores, stellar technique, a good attitude, and a strong sense of dedication to the team – those last two things were very important to my coaches. Typical makeup was usually six or seven seniors and two or three juniors.

2V 8+/4+

The second set of rowers below the V8, with times and technique just a little bit off the V8’s (no change in attitude or dedication though). Typically six juniors, a senior, and a sophomore. Sometimes it was all juniors, other times it was four seniors and four juniors, but for the most part it was the first combination I mentioned.

Junior Varsity (JV) 8+/4+

This boat was usually made up of sophomores, a junior who might not be as strong or technically advanced as the other juniors, and one very good novice.

Novice 8+/4+

All novices, obviously. Usually about six or seven freshmen and two sophomores. On occasion there might be a junior or senior in there, but it was almost always completely comprised of freshmen.

Freshman 8+/4+

Different from the novice boats in that freshman crews can only contain freshmen.

Hope that helps clarify things. Like I said though, each team does things differently so the best way to figure out how your team classifies things is to talk to your coach.

Coxing Q&A Racing Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 1, 2013

My girls really like when I cox off of other boats, even if we’re just doing steady state. I’m in the 2V boat so they all want to beat the 1V at ALL times. I find it easy to cox when we’re next to another boat/in front of it. However, I never quite know what to say without being negative and annoying when we’re CLEARLY behind another boat. Yesterday afternoon we were practically three lengths behind the v1, and we STILL didn’t catch up even when they added a pause. What do I say at times like these? I always end up getting rather quiet since the overall attitude of my boat is pretty down. I feel like whenever I call a 10 or get into the piece at this point it does absolutely nothing, since my rowers have practically given up.

This is a tough situation. I’ve been in this spot before and it took a lot of trial and error to figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s definitely always easier coxing when you’re ahead of or at least close to the boats you’re rowing with, but when you’re behind it’s an entirely new ball game. Your personality plays a huge part in situations like this too – my boats, regardless of their experience, knew that I was always going to be very matter of fact and brutally honest with what I said.

I could easily tell when we were behind because we were being out-muscled and when we were behind because our rowing was atrocious. If we were behind because we were being out-muscled and I knew there wasn’t a chance for us to catch up, I’d start focusing on technique. If we can’t beat them, we can at least row better than them, right? While they should still be rowing hard, there is no point in constantly telling them they’re behind, they need to row harder to catch up, etc. because it’s demoralizing and the rowers don’t get anything out of it. If your coaches get pissed off and say you should have been pushing them harder, honestly, I’d just shrug and move on. I got so frustrated when one of my coaches said this to me once that I just threw my hands up in the air and was like, short of pulling the oar myself, what do you want me to do? There’s only so much the coxswain can do, and all three parties – you, the rowers, and the coach(es) – have to accept that.

If this is the situation you’re in, try to take the competition out of it (regardless of what the rowers want) and focus on the things you can control, like how well they’re rowing. It doesn’t have to be “OK well, we’re like three lengths behind so let’s work on catches now!” but if you notice you’ve fallen to the back of the pack, just casually stop talking about the other boat and start calling for crisper catches, quick hands away, strong cores, jumping on the first inch, controlled recoveries, clean finishes, level hands into the catch, etc. Every minute or two, throw in a burst and get really into it. Call it like you’re calling a dead heat at a race.

If the crew we were out with was one that we should be beating or staying with, all gloves are off, no apologies. I am not going to be nice and you can bet I’m going to kick your ass up and down the course until you row like I know you can. I don’t care if we get ahead of the other crew so much as I care about the rowing getting better. I still push for us to get ahead though, obviously. When this happens, I call the rowers out one by one. I make it a point to find out what makes them tick, what pisses them off, what motivates them, what are their goals, what do they want, etc. so that in times like these I can use it to our advantage. I’ll also use what I know about the other crew to push mine – “Amanda’s split was 8 seconds higher than yours Danielle. You know you’re stronger than her so start acting like it. Yea, there it is! Now, let’s get after that 5 seat…” When they do something you want, even if it’s the most minuscule, seemingly unimportant thing, you have to get pumped. Not to the point where it’s obvious you’re faking it, but get excited. Your excitement motivates the rowers and makes them want to work.

The other boat is irrelevant anyways. You’re not going to improve unless you focus on what you are doing and how you are rowing. I’d remind your rowers of that since it sounds like they might be more concerned with beating the 1V instead of becoming better athletes. Yes, the competition is good, but only when it encourages you to get better. When all you care about is beating someone, everything else falls to the wayside. Also, keep in mind that if they were beating the 1V every time they went out they probably would be the 1V … but they’re not, they’re the 2V which means their expectations need to be realistic given the lineups and whatever else.

Whatever you do, don’t get quiet. Regardless of the situation you’re in, you can’t give up. If the rowers have given up it’s your responsibility to get them back into it. If that’s something you’re struggling with then I’d talk with them and spend some time sorting out your priorities. Set goals for your steady state so that they aren’t only focusing on beating someone because that is rarely the goal for workouts like that.

Coxing Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 28, 2013

I want to try to get this straight [no pun intended]: When boats are racing, if our bow ball is on the other boat’s stern deck, you call that or say like “riding their stern?” and when it’s cox to cox it’s “lined up?” And if the cox is next to the other boat’s 6 seat or is it when our bow ball takes their 6 seat? Thanks!

The specific wording might differ from coxswain to coxswain, but yes, you’re basically right. When our bow ball is on the other boat’s stern, I’ll say “sitting on their stern deck”. If the coxswains are lined up I’ll say “sitting on their coxswain” or “it’s coxswain to coxswain”. Most of the things I say with regards to this is something along the lines of “[rower’s name] is sitting on [seat #, bow/stern, etc.].” If we are walking on a boat and are behind them, I’ll use the bow ball to say where we are until I get even with the coxswain, then I’ll start using myself to say where we’re at.

Rowing Training & Nutrition

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Lightweights

By readyallrow February 28, 2013

Previously: Introduction || Eating disorders defined + explained || Signs + symptoms || Coxswains

Today’s post is going to be about lightweight rowing. That’s not to say that eating disorders don’t happen to heavyweights because they can and do but the potential of disordered eating amongst lightweights, particularly lightweight women, is much higher. Even knowing this though, it’s still not something that is often talked about or discussed. If you’re a heavy/open weight rower and you’re suffering from an eating disorder or think you might be engaging in some of the behaviors (voluntarily or involuntarily), this post is in no way meant to minimize those issues because they are just as serious.

What is lightweight rowing?

Lightweight rowing is a specific category of rowing that sets a maximum weight limit for each individual member of a crew. It was created as an offshoot of open weight and heavyweight rowing in order to give “average sized” athletes a chance at being competitive against similarly built rowers. Heavyweight rowers are typically taller and have more build on them so they often had a physical advantage over the smaller competition. FISA’s politically correct rationale for creating an international lightweight racing program is “to encourage more universality in the sport especially among nations with less statuesque people”. In layman’s terms, it levels the playing field.

In high school and college, the weight limits are 160lbs for men and 130lbs for women, with no changes to the minimums for the coxswain of a lightweight crew. In international competition, things are slightly different. Instead of looking at the weight of each individual member of a crew, officials look at those plus the average weight of the entire crew. Individual weights for men should be no more than 159.8lbs and 154.3 for the crew. Women should average no more than 125.6lbs for the crew and 130lbs for each individual.

Averaging is becoming a more and more hotly contested topic and most recently came up at FISA’s annual Congress meeting a week or two ago. Here is what was said about it with regards to potential rule changes in the press release:

“Lightweight Averaging – The Congress rejected the proposal of the Council to eliminate lightweight averaging in order to establish a system in which each athlete is responsible for his own weight, and not have to undergo sudden weight loss due to a teammate just before the race. Many delegates expressed the opinion that the current system of averaging allows a wider spectrum of participation in this category which might be lost if there is only one weight limit. The vote was 62 in favour of the change and 72 against.”

In collegiate rowing, the entire lightweight program across the country is small when looking at the number of schools competing vs. those who compete in the open weight or heavyweight categories. Part of this is due to funding, part of it is the school, athletic department, and/or coaches don’t think it would give their program a competitive advantage, and part of it is due to the stigma surrounding the propensity for disordered eating and the subsequent issues that arise with that when combining competitive athletes (particularly women) with weight restrictions.

Weight management

It’s often said that due to the limits on weight, lightweight rowers have a higher chance of developing eating disorders. Although that might seem obvious, when looking at the research a lot of studies found no measurable correlation between the two. What some studies did find, however, is that lightweight rowers were more highly associated with increased caloric restraints, diuretic misuse, and disordered eating patterns. Even though there was no measurable correlation, lightweights that participated in the research were on the fast track to possibly developing eating disorders in the future since they’re already doing many of the things that are clearly spelled out as warning signs and/or symptoms of them.

Other studies showed that while women were more prone to eating disorders and indulging in drastic weight control methods, men suffered from more frequent and greater overall weight fluctuations (i.e. yo-yo dieting), which is dangerous in its own right.

It’s important that whatever training and dieting regime you conclude works best for you is monitored by your coaches and/or training staff. Ideally the plan you come up with would be a collaborative effort. Athletes who are closely monitored tend to be more successful in managing their weight because of the resources and support available to them. It’s when that support system isn’t there that things tend to go poorly. In 2000, a rower from Germany who was trying to make a lightweight boat died because they weren’t being closely monitored. If someone offers you help, guidance, assistance, etc. during your lightweight career, don’t be stubborn and brush it off. You might not need them now but down the road you probably will for any variety of reasons.

One study that’s cited a lot when talking about weight loss and lightweight rowing is this one. Some of you guys have asked me about this too – can a smaller heavyweight rower lose weight and be competitive as a lightweight? This study found that it is possible but what is worth noting is that the “heavier” heavyweight athletes lost more muscle than fat mass over the course of the 16 weeks this study was conducted. Winter training through mid-spring season is about the same period of time so think about that if you are considering making the transition. Preparation must start well before the time you plan to fully compete as a lightweight. The rowers who suffered the greatest loss in muscle mass weren’t able to be competitive as lightweights because of the drastic reduction in power output, energy, etc.

Regardless of whether or not you’re a heavyweight trying to become a lightweight or if you’re already a lightweight, your weight loss needs to be a season long priority, not something you try and achieve four hours before weigh in. I say priority because that’s what it is, plain and simple. The recommended amount of weight loss per week for anyone, athlete or not, is 1-2lbs. Is it a lot, no. Does progress take time, yea. This is the one time in rowing where slow and steady wins the race. Plus, the benefits of losing weight slowly and responsibly ensure that you aren’t compromising your muscle mass at the same time.

If you’re weighing yourself, don’t do it every day because any changes you see will likely be normal fluctuations that occur throughout the day or as a result of water weight. Weigh yourself once to start (in the morning when you first wake up) and then again a few days later (again, in the morning when you wake up). Just because the scale only shows a one or two pound difference doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong and you should resort to other techniques to speed up the process. Weighing yourself too much (every day, multiple times a day, etc.) does nothing except fuck with your head. You should be weighing yourself on a consistent basis – that’s just part of being a responsible lightweight – but be smart about it.

The effects of dehydration

One of the things I briefly talked about yesterday with coxswains is dehydrating oneself as a way to get closer to the minimum or in the case of lightweights, to make weight. Other than what I hope are painfully obvious reasons as to why you shouldn’t do this, here’s some more evidence as to why it’s harmful. Let’s assume this is for a 132lb woman trying to make weight for her boat.

2% reduction (roughly 2.5lbs in this case) in water volume leads to a decreased ability for the body to cool itself, but for the most part, her ability to perform will remain unchanged. She may experience some fatigue or dizziness and will probably appear very flushed.

3% reduction (roughly 4lbs) results in a decrease in muscle endurance, which will lead to a faster onset of fatigue. Her heart rate will be elevated because the blood is thicker, so it has to work harder to pump it through the body. Confusion, fatigue, dizziness, etc. will start to become apparent as oxygen is more slowly transported to the brain. She may also be experiencing muscle cramps, thanks in part to the increased amount of lactate that is accumulating in her body due to the increased amount of energy she’s expending (which is due to the body’s decreasing ability to pump blood and slower delivery of oxygen to the tissues).

4% reduction (roughly 5lbs) or more leads to a severe decrease in endurance, loss of the body’s ability to cool itself (which means she won’t be sweating at all), very low blood pressure, a rapid heart rate (due to the increased thickness of the blood and the increased amount of energy the heart has to expend to pump it), dizziness, and/or fainting.

All of that is stuff you should keep in mind the next time you think about putting on several layers of thick clothing (with a trash bag on top) before running around a regatta site a few hours before weigh-ins to make weight.

If you want to read more, check out this article from Rowing News in 2003. If that link doesn’t take you directly to the start of the article, it starts on page 30 and is titled “Drained and Confused”. It’s pretty informative and talks about a lot of issues regarding lightweight rowing.

Image via // @rowingpost_teguran

Coxing Training & Nutrition

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Coxswains

By readyallrow February 27, 2013

Previously: Introduction || Eating disorders defined + explained || Signs + symptoms

Today I’m going to talk about coxswains and eating disorders. While lightweights have maximums, we have minimums when it comes to weight standards. In high school and college it’s 110lbs for women and 120/125lbs for men, respectively. As the smallest and lightest members of the crew we’re basically dead weight since we aren’t physically helping to move the boat and because of that, crews understandably want the least amount of dead weight to carry as possible.

For me, I’ve always been 15-20 pounds under the women’s minimum so at larger regattas I’ve had to carry weight in the boat with me so that I would be at 110lbs. Despite always being well below 110, I’ve still been pressured and felt pressure to keep my weight down. Coaches would joke or make offhand comments if they saw me eating fast food and say things like “better watch out, you’re not going to be able to fit in the seat if you keep eating like that”. There were also times where people would say “if light is good, lighter must be even better … what’s another few pounds if it helps your boat go faster?” Ah, the guilt trip. Obviously I always wanted what was best for my boat so this was the one that really got stuck in my head. I’d skip meals (usually breakfast and lunch since they were the easiest ones to skip), say that I wasn’t hungry or had already eaten, push food around on my plate to make it look like I’d eaten something, etc. I’m a picky eater to begin with so none of my habits ever appeared that abnormal to anyone. I knew it wasn’t normal but I still felt healthy so I continued on that trend for awhile.

All of this was way more prevalent my junior and senior year, particularly my junior year when I was coxing the lightweight 8+. I don’t know how much weight I lost but at most it was maybe five pounds so it wouldn’t have made a difference in my boat’s speed anyways, which I realized after I stopped coxing the lightweights my senior year. I gave up the weird eating patterns, etc. but I’m still overly aware of my weight, what I eat, etc. and it all goes back to offhand comments and jokes made by my coaches and teammates. None of it was ever malicious in any way but this goes to show that something you say to someone in passing can stick with them for a long time.

For coxswains who are above the minimum, they can sometimes have a lot of pressure put on them by their teammates and coaches to lose weight and get closer to racing weight, regardless of the fact that it might not be physically possible for them. Some coaches refuse to weigh their coxswains for fearing of instilling a “complex” in them but then freak out when that coxswain weighs in over racing weight three days before a regatta. Others don’t know how to approach talking about weight with their coxswains (especially if you have men coaching high school women) or how to address the issue of coxswains who are overweight.

By overweight I don’t mean overweight for their body types but over the “acceptable” racing weight. I generally give coxswains a buffer of few pounds but I also think you have to be realistic and know that coaches aren’t going to pick, for example, a women’s coxswain who weighs 135lbs. The stress on the coxswain and the coach isn’t worth it.

Eating disorders and similar issues tend to arise when coxswains (or their coaches) set “goal weights” for them to be at by a certain point in the season. I think having targets to hit are a smart approach as long as they’re realistic and attainable in a reasonable amount of time. When they’re not, that’s when coxswains begin engaging in unhealthy weight loss tactics.

Throughout my time in this sport I’ve seen coxswains do some pretty ridiculous shit to get their weight down. Let’s just ignore the fact that a simple adjustment in diet or exercise would have been more than enough. Taking Adderall (whether it was prescribed to them or not) to suppress their appetite was a big one, as was purposely dehydrating themselves until they had to weigh in.

Laxatives and diuretics were luckily never something I saw any of my friends use but that’s another thing coxswains turn to. The health consequences of engaging in tactics like this include confusion, dizziness, severe migraines, appearing more impatient or on edge than usual, slow reaction times, etc. in addition to heart and kidney problems from the amphetamines and laxatives. One of the symptoms of laxative use is a really sore back (due to stressed kidneys), which coxswains can easily wave off as it just being sore and/or bruised from hitting the back of the boat.

So, how can weight issues with coxswains be avoided or alleviated (before they become a problem)?

Don’t make offhand comments to them about what they’re eating, how they aren’t going to fit in the seat tomorrow, etc.

As a coxswain, be proactive and note your weight at the beginning of the season. If you’re more than 8-10ish pounds over the minimum, start paying closer attention to what you’re eating, how much you’re working out, and how much you’re sleeping. It’s literally that simple.

Don’t wait until the last minute before a big regatta where you know you’ll be weighed in to see how much you weigh. This only leads to you being that fool running around the regatta site in sweats and a trash bag. It’s unhealthy, it’s stupid, and you’re hurting yourself more than you’re helping your boat.

If you’re a coxswain who is currently engaging in tactics like this, stop for a second and think about all that. Is it worth doing permanent damage to your body? Even if you think what you’re doing is minor (“I only did this for those three races in the spring…”), it’s still a problem. As I said before, you have to be realistic about where your weight’s at and take responsibility for/not ignore the fact that being aware of your weight is part of the job.

Image via // @kevrlight

College Recruiting Teammates & Coaches

What questions should you ask coaches during the recruiting process?

By readyallrow February 27, 2013

Below is a (not at all comprehensive) list of some questions you could ask coaches when you talk with them throughout the recruiting process. Many of these are things I asked, wish I’d asked, or things you might not think to ask.

What is the practice schedule like? Times, for how long, number of times per day, how many days per week, etc.

How do you get to the boathouse/practice facility? Bus, carpool, walk, shuttle, etc.

Team dynamic, structure, hierarchy? Is there a student board, team elected or coach appointed captains, etc.

Athlete retention rate – do people stick around or quit after one season.

Do you work with our schedules or do we have to manage our classes around crew (instead of the other way around)?

How many hours a week can you expect to spend doing rowing related activities? Practice, travel, lifting, team study tables, outreach. and/or team activities, etc.

Do you like competing in the ____ conference and why?

Is the university looking to change conferences any time soon?

What does each season consist of, training wise?

From a coach’s perspective, what do you see me bringing to the team? Have a counter statement ready.

What is your relationship like with the professors? Frequent interaction, no interaction, on good terms, ever had any issues, etc.

Graduation rate of those on the team

What kind of academic support is available? Athletic adviser, mandated study tables, peer advisers, etc.

Do athletes have priority registration and if so, how far in advance of regular registration?

What’s the team GPA for the past semester/year?

How much class time is missed due to traveling?

Will my roommate be another rower/coxswain on the team?

Do rowers/coxswains tend to be housed in certain dorms or are they housed all over?

Is the opportunity available to earn a scholarship in the future if my performance merits it?

What are the factors that go into determining who gets a scholarship?

Would you consider your program more, less, or equally as demanding in comparison to other similar programs in this division, conference, etc.

How do you compare the program to out-of-conference competitors?

How do you determine lineups?

How do you use freshmen recruits in lineups comparison to freshmen walk ons who have rowing or coxing experience?

Has anyone transferred from your team to another university and team? What were their reasons for leaving, if you know?

What would your team say are your biggest attributes? Have a counter statement ready.

What would they say they like the least about you? Have a counter statement ready.

What is your coaching style and philosophy?

Would I still have the opportunity to study abroad? Has anyone done it, how does it effect team standing, are you welcomed back when you return, etc.

How much school support does the team receive?

What is the relationship like with the athletic department/athletic director? Does he/she make it a point to get to know all the teams, etc.

Have you had the chance to see me row or cox in person? Thoughts, opinions, etc.

How would I fit in with the team and what could you see my role being?

What are your expectations of your athletes, both on and off the water? This is an intentionally vague question.

How do you handle discipline if it’s a serious issue but not something that merits the university’s or athletic department’s involvement?

What are your short term and long term goals for the team?

Where do you place your coaching emphasis?

Who are the assistant coaches? What are they like, what are their specialties, what do they bring to the team, how do they interact with you/each other, etc.

What is the typical day like in the life of a University of ____ rower?

Are you planning on leaving soon (contract expires, looking for new opportunities, etc.) or will you be here for the foreseeable future?

What are the policies for missing or being late to practice due to academic or extracurricular club commitments?

How many credits are required to be on the team and/or maintain my scholarship?

Where do your rowers come from?

What is the biggest/proudest achievement, both on and off the water, during your tenure?

If I’m injured and on scholarship, what happens?

How do you determine whether or not to renew scholarships? What’s the criteria, etc.

What do you know about my major? Thoughts on how it might interfere, etc.

Can the application fee be waived for athletes? (At least one of mine was.)

What is the team/athletic department’s standing with the NCAA? Any team violations, etc.

What are the most popular majors amongst the members of the team?

How can rowing help me as a college student? Again, intentionally vague.

What kind of alumni support do you have?

Where do I stand amongst other recruits?

How many people are you actively pursuing and has anyone signed their NLI yet?

Can you have a part-time job or do work study at the same time as being a full-time student-athlete? How it’s worked for other rowers, do other rowers do it, what kind of jobs do they have/have they had, etc.

What are the next steps in the process?

Is there anything I can provide that would help you in the evaluation process?

When can we touch base again? There are NCAA rules so make sure you find out the specifics to avoiding being caught in a recruiting violation.

This is all just the tip of the iceberg but hopefully this gives you some stuff to think about before you meet with the college coaches. For more advice on recruiting, check out the “recruiting” tag.

Image via // @drveuros

Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.

Rowing Training & Nutrition

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Signs + Symptoms

By readyallrow February 26, 2013

Previously: Introduction || Eating disorders defined + explained

Similarly to yesterday’s post where I briefly described the different types of eating disorders, this post is going to list some of their warning signs and symptoms, as well as how your rowing is affected by them.

Due to the higher prevalence of and more readily available information for certain eating disorders than others, I’m only going to go over anorexia and bulimia. This is in no way meant to make light of the other disorders I discussed yesterday or take away from the seriousness of their complications though. These two disorders have much more severe physical consequences that directly effect rowers (and athletes in general) so that’s what I’m going to spend time going over.

Anorexia Nervosa

“A serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.”

Warning signs

Dramatic weight loss, refusal to eat certain foods or abstaining completely from an entire food group (no fats, no carbs, etc.), frequently suffering from or displaying signs of anxiety, engaging in negative self-talk (we all do this, but in this case it’s taken to the extreme), having carefully calculated food rituals (obsessively chewing, pushing food around the plate, etc.), maintaining rigid exercise regimes regardless of weather, injury, health status, etc. (part of the reason why this disorder can be easily hidden amongst rowers is because most of us already do this), making excuses to avoid eating, increasing your intake of caffeine (since caffeine makes you have to pee, which leads to water loss), etc.

Symptoms

The body eventually goes into starvation mode due to malnutrition, hair and nails become brittle (multiple your standard dry hair and split ends by tenfold), your skin dries out (sometimes you can actually see scaly patches), you frequently get chills (due to the body’s inability to regulate temperature and from the lack of fat mass), energy levels plummet, vital organs are damaged (the kidneys can’t handle all the proteins being broken down or the lack of water, heart rate slows, blood pressure falls, the brain begins wasting away, etc.), electrolyte imbalances are exaggerated, the lack of and/or loss of calcium leads to weakening of the skeleton, you’re in a perpetual state of confusion because your brain isn’t receiving enough energy to maintain function, muscles are broken down for energy when there is no fatty tissue left, etc.

How this effects rowing

Anorexia (and other EDs) affect your rowing in all the obvious ways. Carbohydrates and fats are the main fuels we use during practice and races. If our glycogen and fatty tissue stores are depleted, the next thing the body is going to go to for fuel is protein, which is what our muscles are comprised of. If your muscles are being broken down, your kidneys go into overdrive trying to filter the proteins from your system, which can eventually lead to kidney failure due to the stress put on them. Not having any muscle mass is a huge detriment to rowers because, obviously, that’s where we draw our power from.

As the muscles begin wasting away, so to does our ability to maintain the amount of power we can produce. As we try to continue maintaining a high power output, we have to exert more and more energy to do so, which is hard to do when our energy levels are at rock bottom levels due to the lack of nutrients from not eating. Low energy levels + high power output = fatiguing fast. If your body isn’t getting any nutrients, your brain isn’t either which can lead to increased incidences of you experiencing serious bouts of confusion, dizziness, and fainting. I’ve seen people pass out on the water in the middle of a row (including some in my own boat) and it’s terrifying.

Another consequence of reduced brain function and low fat mass is the body’s inability to regulate it’s own temperature. Temperature regulation is very important to rowers since it’s very easy for us to become overheated quickly. With disorders like anorexia, the inability to regulate and maintain temperature tends to cause those suffering from it to experience intense cold chills all the time, which sucks to begin with because who enjoys being cold all the time, but it’s also dangerous when you’re out rowing in the fall, late winter, or spring when the temperatures are low.

Bulimia Nervosa

“A serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder characterized by a cycle of binging and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to undo or compensate for the effects of binge eating.”

Warning signs

Unexplained stomach pain(s), blood tests indicating electrolyte imbalances, withdrawing from friends, family, and activities (most often as a way to continue hiding their behavior), decay and discoloration of the teeth, swelling in the face (due to damaged glands in the cheeks), rigid exercise regime (similar to anorexia), evidence of purging (frequently leaving meals to go to the bathroom, signs and smells of vomit, finding laxatives and/or diuretics, or the less often discussed but still obvious sounds of purging – vomiting obviously, but the longer-than-necessary sounds of running water can also be an indication that something is going on), and evidence of binge eating (large quantities of food suddenly go missing in short periods of time, finding empty food wrappers hidden away), etc.

Symptoms

There are overlaps between anorexia and bulimia, but additional symptoms of bulimia include irregular heart rates, heart failure (leading to death due to dehydration and the lack of potassium and sodium), electrolyte imbalances, inflammation and/or rupture of the esophagus, development of gastric ulcers, tooth decay, acid reflux, etc.

How this effects rowing

The biggest detriments to rowing for someone suffering from bulimia come from the electrolyte imbalances and heart problems. Everything else is just an added layer of discomfort on top of what can already be an uncomfortable sport. Electrolytes “affect the amount of water in your body, the acidity of your blood (pH), your muscle function, and other important processes. You lose electrolytes when you sweat” and “must replace them by drinking fluids”. Electrolyte imbalances, as I talked about with anorexia, leads to heart and brain function problems. When we’re rowing at high pressure/rates our heart rates enter the red zone a lot. Having a condition where the heart rate is no longer regulated and you’re experiencing palpitations, arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, etc. (which can and most likely will result from those imbalances) can lead to many things, including stroke and/or death.

Acid reflux, bowel irregularities, etc. are serious issues on their own but when you’re out on the water, they are a huge inconvenience and will make you miserable. How well do you row when you don’t feel well? Now think about being on the water, doing hard steady state, and suddenly having a stroke. Seriously. Imagine what that would be like for second.

A lot of the medical issues associated with bulimia are ones that are detected through medical tests (or a dental check up) but even though we routinely go through physicals, clearance procedures, etc. the root issue of the eating disorder itself can still go undetected unless you are specifically questioned on your eating habits.

If you go through your medical exams and it’s determined that you have or on your way towards developing one or more of these problems, hopefully that will serve as a wake up call that you need to make some changes but also that you should reach out to someone for help, particularly if you feel like you’re losing or have lost control over your habits.

Image via // @tristanshipsides

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow February 26, 2013

Can I just flat out ask my coach for a coxswain seat race? How do I go about asking such a question?

If you wanted to, I don’t see why not. Before directly asking for one I’d first talk with your coach to find out why you and the other coxswain(s) are in the boats you’re in. Assuming this is a “I’m in the 2V but wanna get in the 1V” type of situation, I’d get their thoughts on what they think makes you a good fit for this boat and/or what’s keeping you out of the other boat – i.e. what areas could/should you improve on that would make you more competitive and give you a better shot of getting in there.

The key is to talk yourself up instead of talking the other coxswain down. Explain why you are the best person for this boat and why your coach should consider giving you a shot at coxing it. If you’ve been working on a particular skill and feel like you’ve made some good improvements, tell them. If you think you can get in the boat and make it faster because of XYZ, tell them … but also show them by doing those things with the boat you’re currently in.