Category: Rowing

Q&A Rowing

Question of the Day

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I’ve been rowing for six years and since my novice year I have consistently been in the V8. Our coach told us that in order to win we need to want to win more than the competition and in order to want it more we need to work so hard we can’t stomach the thought of losing. I’ve gotten to that point but it appears that this will be my first season in 11 that I will be rowing in the JV 8. I feel like a failure and that I’ve let myself down. It’s gotten to the point where it’s affecting other parts of my life. I’m taking it out through practice and working harder than ever. I feel like I’m being over dramatic but it’s so upsetting because I’ve made PRs on multiple erg tests (all are within the top 5 scores on the team) and I can feel that my stroke has significantly improved and it’s still not good enough. I know I’m being over dramatic but it hurts a lot and don’t know how to get over it. Do you have any advice?

This is why I have an issue (albeit a minor one) with coaches really pushing that whole “you have to want it to so much you’ll do XYZ” mindset because if it gets pushed too hard then people end up in the situation you’re in where they feel like failures because they’ve essentially been conditioned to think that not winning or being in the top eight or whatever is the worst thing ever. That’s just my opinion obviously but I think it’s important to keep in mind that there’s a fine line when it comes to stuff like that.

Erg scores aren’t everything. Most boat movers are good on the erg but not all those who are good on the erg can move a boat. I’m assuming that if you talk to your coach they’ll probably say that something about your technique is what put you in the JV8 which is encouraging since  fixing your technique is easy. Well, it’s not easy but it’s something you can easily commit to working on and improving, even in a short amount of time. Find out what it is you need to work on (it might be something specific or it might just be general…), commit to making and incorporating small improvements into your rowing, talk with your coach regularly about how you’re doing, and then after a couple weeks (like, two-ish minimum) ask if you can seat race for a spot in the V8.

I don’t necessarily think you’re being overly dramatic (maybe a little but not overly), I just think you’re being  harder on yourself than you need to be. Does getting put in the JV lineup after consistently being on varsity sting a little? Yea, it does but it’s the decision your coach made so you’ve gotta go with it (for now) and move on. Don’t throw yourself a pity party over this. My take on all of it is that if you’ve been rowing in the V8 for 11 seasons then whoever took your seat must be a really, really strong rower (either power wise, technique wise, or both), which means your coach probably had a really tough decision to make. This is a good thing. You want to have more than eight people competing for your top eight otherwise it’s a “top eight” in name only but if you’ve got ten people competing to be in it then you actually do have to narrow your lineup down to the eight best of those ten. Having a good 2nd/JV8 is good/important because it means the V8 is gonna have someone to push them during practice and vice-versa which in turn means everyone is going  to get faster.  This. is. what. you. want.  Right now whoever took your seat is (indirectly) saying “come and get me” so ultimately it’s your decision whether or not to put the time and work in to reclaim your spot.

College Q&A Recruiting Rowing

Question of the Day

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Hey! I’m currently a sophomore in high school and I really want to get recruited into a D1 or D2 college rowing program. I’ve been rowing for 3 years and the only problem is my height. I’m 5’3-5’4. My best 2k time is 7:44.2 and I plan on dropping about 14 seconds by senior year. My coach said that I have really long reach. How much is my height going to hinder me from getting recruited? Will I be better off switching to coxing?

I’d look into lightweight programs since you could definitely get some looks with that 2k time, even more probably if you go below 7:40. If that’s the route you go then I don’t think your height will really be that much of an issue. Just thinking about the lightweight women on our team, I feel like the ones I see most often around the boathouse are in the 5’3″ to 5’6″ish range. Obviously your height can be a disadvantage (especially if you’re rowing in a heavy/openweight program as a shorter person) but since lightweights are naturally shorter than heavyweights it’s not as big a deal to be a few inches shorter. I definitely wouldn’t switch to coxing though since you’ve already got a really good 2k and could potentially make for a good lightweight recruit.

College High School Rowing

2015 Summer Camps

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So I did things a bit differently this year and posted everything in a spreadsheet in an attempt to keep it all a bit more organized and easier to find/read. You can find it here. There are a few programs not on there yet because they haven’t posted their 2015 stuff but when they do I’ll update the spreadsheet and link to it here.

A couple quick notes…

Camps are color-coded and divided into the regions where they’re located, that way it’s easier to see what camps are offered near where you live. All the camps I have info on so far are listed on the first tab titled “2015 SUMMER CAMPS”. The individual tabs that follow include the location, dates, cost, website, any social media links belonging to the hosting team/program, and any reviews that I got from you guys.

“Experienced” in the context of these camps implies that you’ve been rowing for at least one full year. Doing a learn to row camp in the spring  but not actually training and racing does not make you an experienced rower/coxswain. If your school only has a spring season or that’s the only time you can participate due to playing another sport in the fall then you should be OK but you can always email the camp directors to make sure.

A lot of the camps are not cheap but you shouldn’t let that deter you from reaching out to the coaches and inquiring about whether or not they offer some kind of financial assistance if you’re interested in attending but aren’t sure if you can afford it.

There are a couple programs in here for college-aged rowers (Thompson Boat Club’s open men/women and Penn AC’s U23 team) so if you’re looking to row over the summer check out those two programs.

Keep in mind that some of these camps require rowing resumes, erg scores, letters of recommendation from your coaches, etc. to be submitted when you apply. Make sure you’re aware of which programs ask for that so you don’t send in an incomplete registration.

I hope all that helps you start narrowing down your plans for this summer. Let me know if you have any questions or know of a camp that hasn’t been added yet. Also, feel free to email me if you’ve been to one of the camps that doesn’t have any reviews as I’d really like to get something posted for each one.

Click here to view the 2015 Summer Camps spreadsheet.

Ergs Rowing Video of the Week

Video of the Week: 2000 meters, 5:48

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Thought you guys might like some motivation before your next 2k test. His time of 5:48 is about 12 seconds off the world record (5:36.6 by Rob Waddell of New Zealand), his split is a 1:27 average, and he’s pulling an average of 530 watts. His reaction at the end (and the fact that it takes three guys to sit him up) is one of the best parts of the video.

Coxing Q&A Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

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So I had a really bad coach this fall (who got fired so she’s gone now, thank god) but after a particularly windy practice, she proceeded to yell at me for telling ports to row with pressure/vice versa because something got caught in my rudder and my steering didn’t work. She said that if we were going fast enough, our boat would go naturally straight. I’m just curious as to if her comment was accurate. (BTW, on this day it was windy, there was a current, and the water was whitecapping). Thanks!

I’ve had one or two coaches say that to me too but in my experience it’s never really been true, mainly because there are too many tiny variances in pressure, technique, etc. that I can no longer account for due to the lack of steering. Plus, if your steering isn’t working why would you be rowing fast anyways? That’s stupid.  The only control I have over what the boat does is through a credit card-sized piece of plastic connected to two strings … if that somehow fails then I no longer have control of the boat which means I want to be rowing with only the necessary people at a relatively moderate pressure. “If you were going fast enough” makes me think your coach assumes everything would be totally fine if you were rowing all eight at full pressure. Because that wouldn’t end up with you running into a bridge pier or anything…

In situations like that my opinion has always been that the coxswain has the final say on what they do because they’re the ones in charge of the safety of the crew and the equipment. (If you’re a novice/inexperienced coxswain this doesn’t apply to you.) What looks like it might be fine and safe to the coach in the launch might make the coxswain extremely uncomfortable because from their perspective it’s not safe. Obviously the last thing you want is your coxswain to be is unnecessarily tense and anxious so it makes a lot more sense to say “OK the steering’s not working, how do you want to get back to the dock?” Not only does this engage the problem-solving part of their brains and make them think about the best way to approach this but it also lets them to say what they’re most comfortable doing which allows them to stay in control of the situation.

Coaches tend to look at stuff like this as “(potentially) broken equipment = money, time, wasted practice, dammit” which causes them to get frustrated (sometimes deservedly so, other times not) and become a little too controlling. This in turn results in them being short with the coxswain which can be a confidence killer and make them look/feel like that have no control over what’s going on (two things that, obviously, do nothing to help them feel like competent leaders, regardless of how experienced they are). I’m not saying every single interaction (good or bad) needs to be OMG-so-empowering for the coxswain because sometimes we screw up and we deserve to have our asses handed to us but more often than not it’s better to stay civil and turn the situation into a learning experience and then express your annoyance with them on land rather than let them have it on the water in front of the people they’re supposed to be in charge of.

For future reference, if you find that you’re unable to steer the first thing you should do is stop and reach under the boat to see if your fin is still attached. Even if you didn’t hear or feel something hit the boat you still might have run over something that pulled it off. (And yes, I know, sticking your arm in the water is not an ideal solution. Personally I’m not doing it unless it’s May – August when I know the water’s warmer and I’m guaranteed to not be wearing long sleeves and/or layers. In most cases though your coach will take pity on you and not make you do it if the temperature/water is cold.)

If the fin is there then the next thing you should do is see if there are leaves or something stuck in the rudder. If it’s rained recently then this is the most-likely cause of your steering problems and is pretty easily taken care of. I’ve had leaves, seaweed, rope (???), and one time a small tree branch get wedged up in the rudder but as long as you’re able to clear it out you should be all good. If the fin isn’t there then you’re shit-out-of-luck and you’ll have to use the rowers to help guide you home. I prefer to row by sixes at somewhere between half and 3/4 pressure depending on the conditions but if you’re less experienced then rowing by fours might be a better option for you. Unless my coach says to cycle through the sixes on the way home (typically what we’ll do if it’s raining or it’s cold, that way no one is sitting out for too long) then I like to stick with stern six rowing and then I’ll add in bow or two if I need help steering or going around a corner. Rather than have people power up here I prefer to have one side power down and the other side maintain their pressure. In my experience this always works better but feel free to play around and find out what works best for you.

Rowing Video of the Week

Video of the Week: Traits of a Champion

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This is a great video to watch and absorb now that we’re all in the midst of winter training. What does being a champion mean to you? It might be some of the things mentioned here, it might be all of them, or it might be none of them but whatever your definition is, repeat it to yourself before each practice and before every erg piece, run, and lift. Don’t let a hard workout or a workout you don’t want to do make you forget what being a champion means and entails.

Here’s the list of what’s mentioned in the video.

Champions focus on the end result; they train with a sense of purpose.

A champion never thinks they’re working hard enough and want to do more.

A champion trains in the moment without thought about the next practice.

Championships are earned in the winter and champions are crowned in the spring.

Everyone wants to win but there can only be one champion.

The goal of a champion is to win and it is your decision whether you wish to pursue it or not.

A champion is afraid of losing. Everyone else is afraid of winning.

A champion is someone who is bent over drenched in sweat and at the point of exhaustion when no one is watching.

A champion is someone who focuses on the process of becoming a winner rather than actually winning.

If being a champion is a choice then it is your choice to make.

If you have a team meeting where you discuss your goals for the upcoming season, that would be a good time to determine how you define being a champion and what traits you as a group need to employ to meet that definition and achieve your goals.

Racing Rowing Video of the Week

Video of the Week: “Do GoPros have audio?” “Yea.” “Uh oh.”

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Some of you might have seen this already but last week row2k posted on YouTube the video from the 10 year reunion row of the 2004 men’s eight that happened back in May. They took it down Sunday night and reposted it on row2k so that’s where this week’s VOTW links to since I can’t share it directly on here. Not only is the banter/commentary hilarious but it’s also fascinating to hear Pete’s stories about what was happening at each point during the race (that race being the 2004 Olympic final in Athens).

Holiday Gift Guide 2014

Coxing Rowing Teammates & Coaches

Holiday Gift Guide 2014

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Christmas is two weeks from today. If you’re still looking for a great Secret Santa gift, here are a few ideas.

Warm socks, a new uni, and fun band aids for the rowers or a coxswain wrench and hot hands for the coxswains would make great gifts for anyone but especially anyone on the team who might be a novice.

The phone case could be cool for your friends who like showing off that they do crew and the vodka, well, I’m sure there’s a volunteer assistant or two out there that would appreciate that from their team.

For more gift ideas, check out the “rowing gifts” tag.

Image via // Deutschland Achter

Q&A Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

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Hi! I’ve been rowing for four years and recently I’ve been getting some sort of tendonitis in my forearms: the forearm swells up a little and it feels very stiff and it is very painful to row with. This usually happens when I’m in a single or a double, but it has happened before in an eight and a quad. It has never happened to me so often, last year I got this twice throughout the season, but it went away the same day. I’ve talked to my coach and he said I might be gripping too much with my fingers, I’ve changed my grip since then and it was fine for a few weeks, however over the course of this week, it has come back and I’m not sure what I am doing wrong. I know it’s caused when I row long distances and when my forearms tense at the catch, but I don’t think that there is any other way to row (without tensing the forearms at the catch), when I relax my arms I end up pulling more with my fingers. As far as I’m aware, no one else in my crew has this although some say that they have had it before, but very rarely. I was just wondering if you had any tips for correcting my stroke if it is what is causing this? Thank you.

I definitely agree with your coach, I think you’ve got a bit of a death grip thing going on. If you made adjustments though and the pain came back then I’d probably recommend checking in with your doctor just to make sure there’s nothing else going on. At the very least they’ll likely be able to give you a stronger anti-inflammatory than your standard over-the-counter Ibuprofen that might help with the pain.

As far as tips for correcting your stroke, I really think loosening your grip is the biggest/best technical correction you can make right now. It’s a sequential thing too; if your upper body (i.e. upper back and shoulders) is relaxed, your arms will be relaxed, and that will lead to you having a more relaxed grip. If your upper body is tense, which it sounds like it probably is, then your forearms and grip are going to be tense as a result. When you’re at the catch, you want to maintain what I like to call a “common sense grip” – not too tight but tight enough that you have control of the handle – and make sure you’re unweighting the handle rather than lifting it in. If you’re lifting it in then that’s going to contribute to the tension you feel in your forearms. Tension’s not really the right word but if you’re going to feel “tension” anywhere it should be in your lat muscles as you lock on to the water.

From there it gets a bit harder for me to guess what you can do so definitely make sure you’re discussing this with your coach, having them watch you on the water, look for specific technical flaws, etc. and then go from there. Start with the grip thing though, for sure.

Q&A Rowing

Question of the Day

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Hi Kayleigh, my team has demoed a couple types of boat makers this fall and I was wondering which boats you think are the best?

I’m not an expert on boats by any means but the ones I think are best are the ones that…

…have the most comfortable coxswain’s seat, meaning that I can comfortably fit in them (length and width-wise, because if I can’t fit no one can…) and am not sitting at weird heights or angles. I’m extremely picky about this because it’s where I spend all my time so the way rowers are with oar handles and stuff like that is how I am with coxswain seats … times ten. I could get super detailed about what I look for in that whole area but the bottom line is that you should take into consideration what the coxswain thinks because if he/she is physically uncomfortable, has a hard time seeing the cox box from wherever its positioned, etc. then that’s probably not a shell you wanna go with. You know the saying “happy wife, happy life”? Same thing goes for coxswains and practices/races. Happy coxswain –> smooth practice. Unhappy coxswain with a really sore back because the coxswain seat is really low in the boat and angles backwards to the stern (not naming names or anything but it rhymes with Shmesolute), amongst other things –> shitty practice.

…have the smoothest/least annoying steering because there are few things worse than a shell that doesn’t respond to anything other than “no pressure starboards” to go around a simple gradual turn that I should be able to do with minimal taps on the rudder.

…don’t make me feel like I’m sitting in a bathtub or a canoe fashioned from a hollowed out tree trunk. If I feel like I’m in a fiberglass version of something that Lewis and Clark would have traveled down the river in then there’s a good chance that the rowers are gonna say something about not liking the shell (usually because of how excessively heavy it feels, outside of general rigging adjustments) before I get a chance to.

So far the only two that I’ve really liked are Vespoli and Hudson (despite being notoriously tricky to set up). I’m not a fan of Pococks at all. We had them at Syracuse and they were the worst. Resolutes are OK – half of the ones I’ve been in had poor steering and were absolute bathtubs but the others weren’t so bad so I’m pretty neutral on them.

At the end of the day you’ve gotta look at the needs of your program, take into account the opinions of the people who will actually be using the equipment (this season and in the future), and make a decision from there. Definitely ask around to other programs and find out what their likes/dislikes are with the brands you’ve narrowed it down to but keep in mind that boats in general are a rather tempestuous topic of conversation. Some coaches have very strong, nitpicky, and occasionally downright snobby opinions on why one brand is better than the other and others don’t really care and just want whichever one is the right price. I’d consider myself to be part of the latter camp. I have strong opinions on the shells from the perspective of a coxswain but outside of that, I really couldn’t care less what boat I use. I’m not gonna sit around and debate the effectiveness of one type of rigger over another or how the fluid dynamics of a certain shell is going to effect our chances at IRAs in the spring (both of those are actual conversations I’ve witnessed). If the coxswain likes it, the rowers like it, and the price is reasonable … what’s the point in overthinking everything else?

One piece of advice that I’ll give you though with regards to price and product is to think long term, not just in the immediate future. That was an issue that my high school team had when I was a junior and they’re sort of paying the price for it right now. Our coaches wanted to upgrade our varsity boats to ones that would last the team for a good number of years but the executive board decided to put the money towards a cheaper shell that the coaches weren’t totally on board with because they didn’t think they would get more than 8-10 years out of it, if even. Well, here we are 10 years later and it’s well beyond being on its last leg. If you aren’t a super wealthy program that can afford to get new boats every couple of years then this is something to consider. It’s worth spending the money on a shell that’s going to last you a long time if you need it to (with the proper maintenance and care, obviously) rather than one that you’re only going to get a couple years out of before you have to do this all over again.