One, excellence comes from preparation. Athletes spend 90 percent of their effort in preparing for the game and 10 percent playing the game. If we used that ratio of 90 percent preparation to 10 percent performance we would achieve excellence. Two, perfection is a moving target. But excellence is within reach. Two simple and inarguable truths. Excellence comes from consistent improvement. Dedication to preparation and practice yields increased excellence. Perfection cannot even be defined, let alone achieved. I won’t be perfect, I might not even be excellent when I begin. But I know how to achieve excellence and that is as close to perfect as I ever need to be.

One of the biggest myths of this sport is that rowers pull hard in spite of the pain but the truth is, they revel in it because it’s the pain that tells them what they are achieving.