Tag: qotd

College Q&A Rowing

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Hi, I’m a freshman in college. I rowed all throughout high school, and I thought that I could handle not rowing in college but I don’t think I can. It’s all I’ve been thinking about lately. I’ve asked my parents if I could transfer home and row for a local club but they told me that I need to buck up and put my education first over my love for rowing. I don’t know what to do. They won’t listen to me at all. Do you have any suggestions? I don’t want to give this up.

I hate to side with your parents but they’re right. Transferring JUST to row isn’t a legitimate reason to switch schools, especially if you’re at a good school right now. You have to think long term – rowing’s not like football or basketball where you can transfer to a better school in hopes of getting more playing time and improving your stock in the draft so that you’ll hopefully land a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract. If you wanted to transfer schools because you didn’t think you were getting a good education or you realized that the school you’re at just isn’t for you, those would be legit. If you were transferring to an equally good or better university than the one you’re at, with an equally good academic program as the one you’re currently in, then you might be able to convince them but if they know the reason you’re doing it is ultimately because you want to row, it’s going to be a very, VERY tough sell.

I would investigate opportunities in your current city and at your school. During the summer you can row at your local club at home but during the school year, like your parents said, school does come first. It sucks but it’s just how it is. If you still ultimately decide you want to transfer make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, whatever those might be. Sit down and have a mature, adult conversation with your parents. Gather all the facts (including financial costs of transferring) and present it to them. The more mature and rational you are about the situation, the more your parents will respect where you’re coming from and be willing to listen to you (even if they still say no in the end).

Q&A Teammates & Coaches

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My coach isn’t very chatty with us. Obviously my teammates and I still have a pretty solid relationship with her due to the endless hours we spend at practice together but sometimes I feel like she doesn’t like me. I never want to be that annoying kid so I’m generally pretty quiet and very obedient (that’s kinda just my personality anyways). Any suggestions on building a relationship with my coach without being a pest? (She’s about your age if that makes a diff.)

I wouldn’t ever assume that your coach doesn’t like you. One thing I’ve noticed (and done) is that younger coaches in general might not be very talkative outside of the typical “coaching” conversations just because we’re trying to maintain our authority (I guess is the best way to put it) because we are closer in age to you guys, which does then make it harder for the athletes to get to know us. I would open up a little yourself, maybe talk a little bit more to her, ask her about why she chose to row at the college she rowed at or why she chose that college or what her major was, etc. You don’t have to get super deep or super personal … just elaborate a little on what she offers up in a regular conversation.

Related: I row with my school (secondary school in England – so high school) and we share a boathouse/coaches with a boys school. One of my coaches is really jokey, he constantly teases us about the boys we know, he pokes fun at us, he has nicknames for us, and although I like that I never feel that I can ask him anything, if I’m unsure over something I don’t feel like I can ask anything. How can I get better at communicating with him? There is also another coach who is relatively new coaching our squad. I’ll do something right for 3/4 of a session, and then for one second I’ll mess up, and i’ll be aware that I did it wrong, but he’s straight on to me telling me how wrong it is. I’m not sure if I’m over-reacting but it really annoys me that he treats me as a complete idiot who doesn’t seem to know how to do anything, how can I change/resolve this? Thank you.

It takes a LOT for a coach to find someone annoying, even for someone with minimal patience like me. If you’re mature, hardworking, diligent, and you listen to what she says and makes the necessary changes when she tells you to work on something, she won’t think you’re a pest or annoying.

Ergs Q&A

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Hi, rowing question! Tomorrow I’ve got my first 4k with the varsity team at my school. Obvs it’s for time and the first 2k of it will be rate capped at a 24. How should I approach this piece (split and technique wise, because I’m not too worried, I know I’ll do my best) and what could I do to make it an overall great 4k? Thanks!

As far as how to approach it, go in with a plan. Write it down and look at it a few times before you start. It’s easiest if you break it into three parts – the start, the body, and the sprint.

Since the first half is capped, find that stroke rate in as few strokes as possible while going hard on the pressure. After 15-20 seconds, start to settle down into your pace, whatever you’ve decided that needs to be. Make sure it’s a MANAGEABLE split. Don’t be fooled by your body saying you can go harder…chances are if you listen to it, you’ll fly and die.

It’s OK after those first few seconds if your average split climbs up a little, just make sure you don’t let it come up too much. Say you start at a 2:00, I wouldn’t let it go above 2:05.

Holding your pace, make some pushes every so often like you would in a real race. At the 1500, 1000, 750, and 500 are all good spots to take a 10 or 20.

Coming into the last 500m, start thinking about your sprint. You’ll want to up your power a bit and bring your split down a second or two. Hold that split until the last 300m, take 5 to build into your sprint, and then GO. Make sure you’re still holding a 24, but going all at it with the power. Use your recovery time to wind up the legs and then power through each stroke until the end of the piece.

Watch your technique as you get more fatigued. If you don’t mind someone coxing you while you erg, have one of the coxswains give you a 10 or 20 or remind you to sit up at the finish as you get into the last 500m. Take a deep breath before you start and don’t focus on anyone or anything else except for YOU and YOUR monitor. When you finish, make sure you stay on the erg and paddle lightly for at least 5 minutes or so. Have a water bottle beside you so you can get a drink without having to get up.

Ergs How To Rowing Training & Nutrition

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Do you know any secret remedies for blisters? It’s the first week of winter conditioning and after only two practices I have killer blisters on my hands and ankles that I never got last year until later, and not as bad. I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong with my form or something, although I’m not quite sure that could be the problem.

I don’t know too many secret remedies but I do know some tried and true tricks to preventing and treating blisters.

Wash the erg/oar handles before and after practice. Even something as simple as a baby wipe is better than nothing. That’ll get rid of any nasty crap on there that can (and will) infect your blisters.

Loosen your grip. Death grips can cause more blisters than not having one that’s tight enough (that sounds dirty when I read it out loud…).

As painful as it will be, swab the blisters with hydrogen peroxide or wash it with really hot water and soap to clean out the area. Once that’s done and your skin is dry, put some Neosporin on it and cover with a band aid before you go to practice. Ideally you should repeat the process post-practice to get rid of any sweat and germs on your hands.

When you’re at home and just watching TV, sleeping, etc., let the skin breathe so that the blisters dry out. If you keep them covered with band aids and tape 24/7, that’ll trap moisture in there which will just make everything worse. Only put band aids on them when you have to. You can still put Neosporin on them, just don’t cover them up.

If you can tolerate it, try putting a little Vaseline on your hands or handle before you start practice. Put enough that it reduces the friction but not so much that your hands can’t get a good grip.

Good luck!! I hope they get better. At least your hands don’t look like this guy’s…

College Coxing Novice Q&A Training & Nutrition

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I’m currently a novice coxswain at my school’s club team. I weigh about 125ish. I’m thinking about transferring schools but I still want to do crew. One of the schools I was looking at was D3 and they said that coxswains should weigh less than 115. Do you think they would let me cox because I have already been doing that or would I need to lose weight? I try to work out. I’m planning on doing winter training but I’m not a good runner and I don’t have much erg experience so I don’t know if it would pay off.

If you have the option you could cox for men where the minimum for coxswains is 125lbs. I think you should talk with them and explain that you’ve been coxing for X number of seasons and would like to continue but be prepared for them to reiterate that they want their coxswains at 115lbs or under. (It’s not an unreasonable request either, especially when racing weight for women is 110lbs.)

If you’re not a good runner, that’s OK. You can always walk on the treadmill (put the speed at higher than normal walking pace but lower than jogging and/or put it on an incline), do the stair stepper, or hop on the bike. You should learn how to properly erg and try doing short pieces so you can develop the muscle memory. One of the things that really bothers me with coxswains is those who tell rowers what to do in terms of the stroke, body positions, etc. but don’t know how to at least erg themselves. There are plenty of ways to workout though beyond running and erging – find something you like and that you’ll stick with and just commit to doing it.

Ergs Q&A Training & Nutrition

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Because of an injury and physical therapy, among other things, I have a really hard time erging. I won’t finish PT until around February and I really want to have a decent 2k time (I haven’t erged the entire fall season) … what’s a good goal for myself? I’m a lightweight (5’9, 125 lbs) and I just had my first season.

I wouldn’t try and set a time goal for yourself until you can actually get back on the erg and do a base workout to see where you’re at now. It’ll basically be like doing your first erg test all over again. Once you’ve done that first one, compare it to the last one you did before you were injured and see what the difference is. Whatever that difference is, make it your next goal to cut those seconds down by a reasonable margin the next time you do a 2k. Once you’ve gotten to whatever your last 2k was, you can do what you’d normally do when aiming to lower your times.

Depending on your injury, I’d try and continue doing some strength training throughout December, January, and February. If you have an upper body injury, stick to lower body exercises (leg press, hamstring curls, leg extensions, squats (without weight), one legged squats, etc.). If you have a lower body injury, stick to upper body exercises (shoulder press, tricep dips, front and lateral dumbbell raises, pushups, high pulls, etc.). Try and do some core as well. If you can do some kind of strength training, that will at least maintain some of your strength and fitness vs. doing nothing and having your muscles atrophy.

Ergs Novice Q&A Rowing

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I just finished my first full year as a novice and I’m a girl, 5’5 and 140 pounds. My 2k time is a 7:58 which for a heavy weight isn’t too great. Do you think it is a reasonable goal to go lightweight by the end of January?

For a novice that’s actually not too bad. If you lost 2lbs a week (the standard recommended amount) over the next month, month and a half, sure. You could technically be a lightweight. But what’s your motivation? Is it just so your erg time seems more “acceptable”? I wouldn’t focus so much on trying to become a lightweight as I would getting stronger at your current weight. Increased strength = increased power = lower splits.

Coxing High School Q&A Training & Nutrition

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Hi! I have two questions about coxing, if that’s alright. I’m a varsity mens HS cox and I weigh around 122-123 on average. Is that a good weight for men’s? I used to cox women’s but the men’s coach asked me if I wanted to switch so I coxed both for a season before switching and the women’s coach kept asking me to drop weight. Also, can you recommend any workouts to stay in shape? I don’t really have much time to work out. Thank you so so so so much!!

Minimum weight for high school men’s coxswains is 120, so you’re good. If 122-123 is your natural weight, then you shouldn’t really need to worry much about losing anything.

As far as workouts go, what does your team do? Over the winter, I’d suggest working out with them a few times a week. You can do the core workouts and if you’re able, go on runs with them. While they’re lifting, you can bike or go for a run. I get the “not having time to workout” thing (to an extent) BUT if you’re going to be at practice anyways, why not use the time wisely? Remember though, the most important part of getting/being healthy is having a healthy diet. Make sure you’re fueling your body with healthy foods, otherwise the exercise you do won’t have as much of an impact. Don’t deprive yourself though, especially since the holidays are now in full swing.

High School Novice Q&A Rowing Training & Nutrition

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I’m a novice rower for my high school crew team (I’m in 9th). I weigh around 150 and am 5’4, should I lose weight? I know height is a huge part of rowing and I don’t have that yet (or ever maybe who knows) but I’ve always been curvy so I don’t know if losing weight is going to be easy. I’m also asking because there are only five girls on our novice team (including our one coxswain) so I want to do the best for my boat.

I wouldn’t focus so much on losing weight as I would gaining strength. For some reason there’s this misconception that losing weight will make one stronger/make one’s boat faster, when in reality, the only thing that will make you stronger/make your boat go faster is YOU building muscle mass, which translates into increased power output. (Obviously you want to be lean and not have a ton of excess weight that you can’t move but at the junior level this isn’t nearly as big of a focus as it is at the collegiate level.)

I would put my efforts into doing a decent amount of weight lifting, core, erging, and cross training (running, swimming, and biking) over the winter. This will help you build muscle, which like I said, will make you stronger in the end. You might lose a few pounds too. It’s more likely though that you will lose FAT but actually GAIN weight, since muscle is denser than fat. This is GOOD, so don’t freak out if you do the workouts and actually find the number increasing slightly.

Q&A Rowing Technique

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My coach always emphasizes a quicker leg drive. I can get them down fine without it being a problem but sometimes I try to go quicker than normal on the leg drive and it doesn’t seem AS powerful. Why? Is this cause I’m not getting enough pressure behind the blade? Is there any way to improve on this?

The way I’m picturing it is you’re shooting your slide and then trying to use your upper body to get the oar through the water. This would make it feel less powerful since you’re using the smaller muscles of the upper body to get the oar through the water instead of the larger muscles of your legs. This is something I’ve noticed a lot of rowers do when coaches tell them to focus on a quicker leg drive – they shoot their butts back, which results in a lot of wasted energy since you don’t have those strong quad and hamstring muscles to pry the boat out of the water right at the catch. Shooting your butt can also sometimes cause you to miss water, so not only are you losing all that leg power, but you’re also losing the top part of your stroke, so instead of your stroke being 100%, it’s about 45%.

To fix this while still getting that quick leg drive, work on connecting the leg drive to the handle. Having a direct catch and getting the blade in the water before the wheels change direction will really help with this because you’ll have some resistance to work against as you start your drive.

When all else fails, have a serious talk with yourself while you’re in the boat. Think about the effectiveness of your body vs. the speed of the boat – what do you need to do/change/improve so that you are maximizing your body’s effectiveness to increase or maintain the speed of the boat? Ask your coach if he/she can take some video of you and then go over it with you and your coxswain after practice one day. Actually seeing yourself row and having your coach be able to point things out to you will make it a lot simpler for you to visualize what they’re trying to say. Having your coxswain there will also help her understand what the issue is so that she can be conscious of it and remind you of what to watch for (or encourage you when she notices improvement).