Tag: racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow April 1, 2013

Whats the difference between Youth Nationals and Club Nationals? I know you have to qualify for Youth Nationals but is Club Nationals still a big deal? I’m a novice and just heard my coach talking about them the other day and was curious! Hopefully one day I’ll race in one (or both) of them!

The differences between the two lie in eligibility, classification, and affiliation. If you go here and here you can scroll through the entry packets and read what they say.

Youth Nationals is held sometime in the first week or two of June. In order to attend you have to qualify by placing in one of the events at a qualification regatta. After placing, if you’re awarded a bid you can either accept or decline. If you accept, congratulations, you get to race at Youth Nationals. As far as affiliation goes, you have to be registered with the same club/team for the entirety of the spring season, which USRowing defines as being between January 1st and June 15th. Youth Nationals is also strictly for youth rowers, classified as “juniors”. Anyone over the age of 18 and/or not working towards their high school diploma is considered ineligible.

Club Nationals is later in the summer, usually in mid-July. It’s definitely “a big deal” because it’s one of the big summer regattas (the others being IDR and Canadian Henley). The eligibility requirements here reflect what classification you fall under, those being “senior”, “intermediate”, “junior”, or “junior B”. (You can read the definitions of each on the PDF.) Basically all it says is that you can’t compete in a classification below you. Racing is open to crews of all ages, as well as crews not from the United States. Crews are also allowed to be made up of rowers from multiple clubs (known as “composite” crews), but if you place the points you get won’t go towards the team points trophy.

College Coxing High School Novice Racing Rowing

Racing skills: 10 regatta tips for coxswains

By readyallrow March 29, 2013

With the spring season kicking off this weekend, here are my top ten tips for coxswains to ensure you’re prepared for every regatta.

Take responsibility for your cox box

These things are expensive – don’t let them out of your sight. Make sure they are clearly and visibly labelled with your name and/or your team name. Bring the charger home with you and fully charge it the night before your race. Also double check that you’ve got a working mic before you leave the boathouse.

Bring weight if you need it

Some regattas require coxswains to provide their own weight if they’re below the minimum. Check with your coach and see if the regattas you’re going to require this.

Have your recorder, notebook, and a pen

Make sure the batteries are charged and bring extras just in case. Have your notebook and a pen or two on hand so that you can throw together a quick recap of your race after you get off the water.

Wear the right clothes

The “right” clothes all depend on the conditions, but make sure that you are at least wearing clothes that display your school or team logo/colors. Don’t wear something that would make it impossible to identify you as a member of your team. Check the weather the night before and pack appropriately. Unless the weather is cloudless, no wind, and 85 degrees, you’ll probably get a little chilly on the water. Rainboots or Bean boots are another good thing to have on hand, particularly if it’s cold, raining, or has rained recently, that way you can keep your feet dry while slopping through a muddy race site.

Related: What to wear

Have several wrenches

One is necessary, multiple is preferred. Inevitably someone in your boat is going to say “I don’t have a wrench”, which only slows down the rigging process. Have extras on hand so you can share them with the rowers. Make sure they’re marked with your name though otherwise you might not get them back.

Review the course map before you race

The week of, or at the very least the day before, find a map of the race site and go over it. Look at the race course and see what identifiable landmarks you can point out, as well as where the meter marks are. Use this to help you form your race plan. Find out where your trailer is going to be in relation to where the docks are so you can determine the best way to get down there. Also locate where the coaches and coxswains meeting will be held.

Drink plenty of water and have a few cough drops on hand, just in case

I’m not a huge fan of cough drops but if it’s really cold or the air is dry then inevitably my throat will get kinda sore. I always try to make sure I drink a lot on race day but if I don’t have any water a cough drop is a good alternative (just not while you’re coxing – you’ll choke).

Related: How to protect your voice

Know when and where the coaches + coxswains meeting will be held

These aren’t optional. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to the same regatta three years in a row and you know everything they say at the meeting forwards and backwards, you should still go. This year could be the year they’ve made a change with the traffic pattern and unless you’re there, you’re not going to know about it. There’s nothing more important that you need to be doing at the ungodly hours that coxswain meetings are held so you might as well go.

Show the novice coxswains around

Once you’ve been to the coxswains meeting, the boats are rigged, etc. take the novice coxswains on a quick tour and show them where all the important stuff is. Answer their questions, point out stuff about the race course, etc.

Keep track of your rowers

When you get on the bus, make them countdown from bow to stern. Tell them well ahead of time what time you’re meeting before your race, at the bus, for team meetings, etc. Have everyone’s phone numbers on hand so you can get a hold of them if someone is missing. If they want to go off during the down time, at least try to get an idea of where they’re going so you know where to look if you need to go find someone.

Image via // @avironfrance

How To Racing

How to pack for a regatta or training trip

By readyallrow March 28, 2013

Traveling to regattas has always been one my favorite parts of crew. My team in high school always traveled outside the state of Ohio to race, which meant we were traveling a minimum of 200+ miles one way, so Fridays would be our travel days and we’d race on Saturdays and Sundays. This meant at least two nights in a hotel every week from the beginning of April to the end of May.

After several years of this, I’ve become pretty adept at packing for the bus, hotel, and race site. If you’re traveling this spring, especially to regattas that require overnight stays, here are some of the basic essentials that I always make sure to pack.

Charging cables and an external battery can be lifesavers when you’re traveling, especially if you’re stuck on a plane or bus that doesn’t have outlets. Your phone’s charger can also be an easy thing to forget so I like to keep a couple of spares in my backpack, that way I don’t have to run around my apartment collecting up all my chargers to bring with me.

Now that most of our work, notes, etc. are stored in the cloud, keeping up with homework while traveling is a lot easier. My laptop is a must-have if we’re going on a long trip or I have a lot to do but to save space on shorter trips I’ll just bring my iPad. I can still answer emails and get some writing done if I need to but I primarily use it to relax and catch up on some reading.

Before you leave (or start packing), make sure you also check the weather so you know what the conditions will be like at the race site. In most cases you’ll be spending all day there so you’ll want to have extra clothes on hand to keep you warm and/or dry.

Image via // @rowingcelebration

Coxing Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 27, 2013

What are some short little phrases I can say in between counting numbers in the starting sequence/power 10s/focus 10s, etc?

Listen to practically any recording I’ve posted – you’ll get some great ideas from there.

Other stuff you can say … the stroke rate and split (if you have a Speed Coach) are good to say during the starting sequence, particularly if there’s a specific rate/split you want to be at. For focus 5s/10s, keep whatever you’re saying related to whatever the focus is. When I do 5 for legs, the only things I say is “legs, legs, legs, legs” between strokes or something similar that relates to pure power. I also like to say “drive”, “send”, “complete”, “accelerate”, and “stay on it”, in addition to miscellaneous stuff like “yea!”, “there we go!”, “walking!”, etc. when I’m calling bursts.

Novice Racing Rowing Teammates & Coaches

My top 15 racing tips

By readyallrow March 24, 2013

Back in early October, one of the first posts I wrote was in response to a question I got asking for race tips. I recently got a similar question asking me what my top tips are for spring regattas and since everything I said the first time still applies, I’ve posted those below in addition to a few more tips that’ll hopefully help you have a great season.

Get some sleep

It is CRUCIAL that you get an adequate amount of sleep the night before your race. You can’t expect to be prepared to row your hardest if you only get 3-4 hours of sleep. Aim for at least eight.

Eat a good breakfast

If your race is in the morning, this can be tricky because you want to give your body enough fuel but you also don’t want to eat too much too soon before your race. If you eat a big meal too close to race time, all the blood that should be going to your muscles will instead be going to your stomach to help digest all that food. 2-3 hours before race time eat a small meal, such as a bowl of oatmeal, a slice of toast, a handful of strawberries, and some OJ. If you can’t eat that far ahead, try to eat something like a bagel and cream cheese an hour or two beforehand. Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water too.

Check your seat

Are your shoes tied in? Are the nuts and bolts on your rigger tightened? What about the seat tracks? Are they clean? (If not, the seat won’t slide smoothly and you can jump the tracks). Your coach or coxswain will go through and do a once over before the boat launches, but if you’ve already looked at your seat and know something needs adjusted, it will get done that much faster.

Relax

Save your energy. Don’t be walking around a lot before your race. An hour or so before you’re supposed to meet at your boat, find a quiet spot near your trailer/tent and just chill. Throw in some headphones and relax.

Know the race plan

Yes, it is more important that your coxswain know the race plan so that they can execute it properly but it’s also important that rowers be clued in as well so that they know what to expect and where to expect it. Having an idea of the plan allows you to pace yourself. Don’t fly and die.

Be a good sport

Good sportsmanship is a huge part of rowing so take the opportunity to tell the other crews “good race” after you’re done.

Breathe

Don’t get so caught up in pulling hard that you forget to breathe. Relax and stay composed.

Remember your technique

The more tired you get, the better your technique needs to be. The more tired you get, the more focused you need to become. That’s when injuries happen, when rowers start rowing with poor technique. When you feel like slouching, sit up a little taller. When you feel like hunching over, push your shoulders back. One of my favorite things to tell my 8+ is to not let your brain defeat your body. Your body is capable of SO much more than we think it is and you are hardly ever as tired as you think you are.

Let your coxswain do his/her thing

Head races are for coxswains. It’s basically like Mario Kart come to life. It’s going to be hectic, crowded, frantic, confusing, and at times a total clusterfuck. If she knows the cardinal rule of coxing (don’t let ‘em see you sweat), you won’t know when she’s freaking because the eight in front of her isn’t yielding or because she’s totally confused by the warm-up area and the horde of boats clogging the traffic lane. Don’t try and tell her what to do or how to do her job. When you’re done racing, make sure you tell her she did a good job too and you appreciate her getting you from point A to point B.

Wear sunscreen

It doesn’t matter if it’s warm, cool, sunny, or cloudy, you should always have sunscreen on any exposed parts of your body. Coxswains, make sure everyone, including yourself, puts some on at least 30ish minutes before you launch.

Pack accordingly and then TRIPLE check that you have everything you need before you leave

My team in high school traveled no less than 300-400 miles every weekend to race in the spring (not kidding) so that always meant at least two nights in a hotel. Regardless of whether you’re traveling 20 miles to race or 200, do not wait until the last minute to pack your stuff. Inevitably that leads to you forgetting something that you later in the day wish you had or realize you need.

Find ways to occupy yourself

Ideally you’ll spent the majority of the time that you’re not racing on the water’s edge supporting your teammates who are out there but during your down time (which at some regattas you may have a significant amount of) you have four options: 1) sleep, 2) hang out at your team’s tent and eat, 3) wander around the merchandise area(s) and buy overly-priced heinous looking spandex, or 4) go to other team’s tents and trade gear. Shirt betting is a thing obviously, but it’s still a ton of fun to go meet other rowers and swap team shirts with them, even if they weren’t in any of your races. One of my favorite shirts I traded for I got from an all-guys school in Michigan called Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. It’s a great way to meet new people and it’s always a ton of fun at the same regattas the following year when you see each other again.

Bring your parents

Hear me out! Having your parents there doesn’t totally suck because even though they’re your parents and they’re all “that’s my baby!” to every other parent watching from shore, it’s nice knowing that there are one or two people there specifically rooting for you. Even if your team is like mine and you have to travel a few hundred miles to get to the regatta, tell them to make the trip at least once, just so they can get an idea of all the hard work you’ve been putting it.

That was another thing I loved about my team was that despite the distance, so many parents came to each regatta. Invite them to come and then, as patiently as possible, give them a tour of the race site (especially if it’s a nice one you’ve already been to), explain the ins-and-outs of crew (if they don’t already know), tell them the race(s) you’re in, etc.

Be proud of yourself

It doesn’t matter if you came in first place of DFL, be proud of your accomplishments. Does coming in last suck? Of course it does. I’m not going to lie and say you should try and get some deeper meaning out of coming in last because personally I think that’s a bullshit thing people tell other people when they don’t know what else to say. But think about all the people who never even started, the people who quit in the middle of winter training because it was too hard…those people never got to experience what you just did. You raced. You killed your body for seven minutes and even if the result isn’t what you wanted, you’re a stronger person for it, mentally, emotionally, and physically. You still accomplished something, even if you lack the hardware to prove it.

If you won, be proud of the time and effort you put in but don’t forget about the contributions of everyone else in your boat. You didn’t do this all on your own. Be proud of yourself but be proud of your teammates as well – and tell them you’re proud of them. Like I’ve said before, you don’t have to like the people in your boat but you must respect them.

Have fun

Don’t get so caught up in racing that you forget to actually enjoy the experience.

Image via // @rowingpost_teguran

Coxing How To Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 23, 2013

Do you have any advice on coxing starts without calling out the fractions or counting out every stroke? They happen so quick that it’s hard for me to squeeze in useful calls for my rowers.

The whole start (starting four or five, high strokes, and settle) takes about a minute (ish) to get through. After that you can make all the calls you want but until that point, executing the start is more important than whatever else you might say. Rather than saying “1/2, 1/2, 3/4, full” and trying to cram words in between each one, pick one or the other to do. Either call the fractions or say something like “pry send, complete, complete, lengthen, full…” but don’t do both. If/when you make calls, they should be short, monosyllabic words that are quick and easy to say. It’s easy to trip yourself up if you try to say too much so just focus on keeping it simple.

If you need some inspiration, listen to the recordings I’ve posted and hear how those coxswains do their starting calls. That should give you an idea of how you might do it.

Novice Q&A Racing Rowing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 21, 2013

I’m a novice coxswain and I have my first race on Saturday. I have a question. What questions should I ask my rowers during our boat meeting? I know I can ask them what they like to hear most, but what else?

What they want to hear is probably the only question you need to specifically ask them. You can get their input on where to make specific moves (such as when to start the sprint, if you want to take 20s at each 500m mark, etc.) but during the race it might end up being a judgement call on where to do it based on what you see unfolding during the race.

I’d just ask them what they want to hear, both as a boat and individually. Individually, what’s one technique call and one motivational call they want directed towards them? As a boat, what have you been working on? What is your boat’s biggest strength that you can use to motivate them during the race? What is their biggest weakness that you can make a call to remind them to be aware of?

Coxing Q&A Teammates & Coaches

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 18, 2013

Our cox doesn’t talk to us when we are training in our quad. We have tried talking to her and also to our coach about it because it is so frustrating and asked her to talk during our rows but she just says that she feels stupid talking in practices and doesn’t change anything. She is brilliant in races, just not in practice. What can we do?

Find a new coxswain. I know that’s not your call but ask your coach to switch another coxswain in so you can actually have a productive practice.

I don’t understand how you can not do anything in practices and still (think you’ll) be effective in races. If you’ve talked to her about it more than once and told her how irritating the lack of communication is and she hasn’t listened to your concerns yet, ask your coach for someone else, even if it’s just for a practice or two and not permanently. It bothers me when coxswains don’t talk during practices but it bothers me even more when they completely write off what their rowers are telling them they want. If she’s not going to at least make an effort, you shouldn’t feel bad at all about asking for a coxswain who will talk to you. Maybe seeing you guys make a change will be a wake up call for her.

Coxing Q&A Racing Rowing Technique

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 14, 2013

When during a 2k race should you make a call for ratio? What characteristics/flaws should tip you off that ratio is the necessary adjustment?

Ratio calls aren’t necessarily something that should be part of your race plan. Like, the way you say “we’re taking a 10 at the 500m, 1000m, and 1250m”, you don’t say “we’re taking a ratio shift at 800m”, if that makes sense. The times when I’ve called a ratio shift during a race are usually somewhere between 750m and 1250m. That’s an easy spot for the rowers to get frantic, especially if they’re being passed, or let the effects of fatigue cause their technique to get sloppy. The third 500 is another spot to watch for this and make that call if necessary.

Ratio shifts are just that – they’re shifts to adjust the ratio back to what it should be (2:1) so you shouldn’t call for one unless you have to. This is why communication with your stroke is important because they can feel when the ratio is off since they’ll be getting thrown up their slide. Sometimes you can see it and/or feel it (it’ll feel very obviously like you’re spinning your wheels) but for the coxswain to feel it it’s got to be bad. My stroke and I have a one-word communication system too for when we need to get it back on track – she says “ratio” and I make the call. Simple as that.

For more on ratio, check out the “ratio” tag.

Coxing Novice Q&A Racing

Question of the Day

By readyallrow March 13, 2013

So I was watching ejector crab videos for a fun and I was wondering if someone falls out of the boat during a race should I stop or just keep going and leave them behind? I’m a novice coxswain. Thanks!

When I raced we were always told to continue racing and the launches that follow the boats would pick up the unfortunate crab catcher. Technically, I think the only person who MUST be in the boat as you cross the finish line is the coxswain. The rules though will probably vary depending on the regatta so if you’re not sure, ask at the coaches and coxswain’s meeting.

I remember hearing this story – and I tried Googling it but couldn’t find anything so who knows if it’s actually true – that said the reason why coxswains are the only member of the boat required to still be in the boat as you cross the finish line is because when coxswains first started being used, the rowers (in England, I believe) were pissed that they had to row with the dead weight so when the race started, they told the coxswain to jump out of the boat. They then rowed the entire race without their coxswain.