Anyone can be good at rowing.

I think these days people are quick to believe that they can't do things. We hear it from an early age. For example "Your very good at maths but not writing. Your great at studying but not sport." One of the main reasons I think people from Asian countries are better at maths is that they are expected to be good. There is not this excuse that people can easily fall back on that we use frequently in many western countries. 

There is always this perception that if you're not built for it or you don't have the right genes then you can't be the best. In my view this is pretty stupid. Unless you are way way way below the physical average then there is no reason you can't get anywhere you want to in rowing. 

In the lightweight men's double at the 2012 Olympics the Danes won. Stroke man Rasmus Quist was 5 foot 8 inches. I’d say many coaches wouldn't give a guy his size the time of day but did that stop him? No. He wanted to be the best in the world and he did it. He didn't listen to people who told him he couldn't do it. (which I’m sure he heard many times over the course of his rowing career) 

People are quick to say you can't do it when in fact its not impossible but just that its going to be harder than normal to do it. The danish rower had to train twice as hard as the guy in the new zealand boat who was 6 foot 3 but only came third( yes I know they weight the same but there is 8 inches between them ). Another thing people forget is that they all Olympians started out not being able to row. They had to work hard and enjoy working hard. 

As a coach it is my job to help people achieve their goals in rowing. I believe that you should never tell someone they can't do it(most people are good at putting themselves down as it is). At the same time I think people must be realistic in what they are willing to put themselves through. If someone is willing to face the challenge of 2 to 3 times a day training 6 days a week (at the right intensity) for 4 years then yes by all means lets go to the Olympics. Otherwise they must be prepared to realign their goals toward something more realistic.

Many people want to be great rowers but not as many want to do what it takes to become great rowers.(I can't stress that enough) That said I firmly believe anyone can do it if they want to more than anything else and they are willing to train their asses off. Don't listen to people who say you can't. Prove them wrong and do it.

Best rowing blogs.

The following is a list of some of the best rowing blogs out there at the moment. These blogs offer us a glimpse into the minds of people rowing and coaching in countries around the world and are great, either as a casual read, to expand your rowing knowledge or to motivate you to achieve what your really capable of achieving. 
http://www.rowperfect.co.uk/news
This blog features many interesting articles on topics such as coaching, equipment, training plans and also has many discounts and on occasion features interesting rowing related webinars with famous names in the rowing world. Well written, and often updated, this blog is a must read!  

http://xenocoach.com/
The blog of Xeno Muller, Gold and silver medalist in the single scull and now coach to who ever is lucky enough to be able to afford him. A superb read, lots of interesting video’s on technique and other insights into the mind of a great athlete and coach.

http://megankalmoe.com
Megan Kalmoe is a two-time member of the United States Women’s Olympic Rowing Team. She competed in the London 2012 Olympic Games in the Women’s Quadruple Sculls and won a bronze medal–the first ever Olympic medal in that event for the United States.  In her blog she has been documenting her training and travels with the US Rowing Team since 2007. 

http://drewginn.blogspot.com/
Member of the silver medal winning crew at the 2012 Olympics in the coxless four. Drew Ginn gives a personal look into the hardships and good times he’s had over the last few years.

http://estherlofgren.blogspot.com/
The blog of a member of  the 2012 Olympic Gold Medal winning Women's Eight. Seven-time USA National Team rower and four-time World Champion. 

http://scottfrandsen.com/blog/
Canadian Olympic rower’s blog up to the 2012 Olympic games. An interesting read.

http://www.girlontheriver.com/
She’s also a novice rower who has rapidly developed a burning passion for a sport that doesn't always love her back. You can read more about her journey from couch potato to obsessed rower at the above link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/annabelvernon/
A blog by following the British rowers and their ups and downs on their quest for glory at the 2012 Olympics.

http://uccrowingcoach.blogspot.ie
The ramblings of an Irish university rowing coach. A combination of entertaining and thoughtful posts.

http://rowdmv.blogspot.com/
http://www.quickcatchslowslide.com/
Two American blogs covering the american rowing scene from fall, through winter to spring.

Money in rowing! Should there be more?

Yesterday morning Oxford and Cambridge held their now annual trail eights test. This is a test where both clubs top 16 athletes and 2 coxes get a chance to race the full course with umpires present. It's a good gauge for coaches to see who's progressing and who’s got the potential to make it into the final 8 and race in the world famous Oxford Cambridge boat race. 

Every year the athletes that undertake the challenge that is the boat race are placed under more scrutiny than perhaps any other rowers out there. Speculation is rampant in the run up to the race with hundreds of thousands watching from the banks and millions watching on TVs all over the world. Its probably the one time of the year that rowing gets as much coverage as other high profile events.

The point I’m trying to make here is should there be more coverage like this? Would the changing of the sport from amature to professional change the way people train and perceive the sport( But no Olympics then unfortunately!)? A hundred years ago rowing was in many countries more popular than it is now. During the 19th century thousands flocked to watch races in america and the British isles, prize money was there to be won and betting on different crews was everywhere.

In this modern day and age with the technology available to us to record and display the races couldn't be capitalise on this and make it more open to the world. Whenever a rowing event is broadcast rowing clubs get people requesting to join rowing. After the London Olympics joining rates increased. 32,000 people attended learn to row camps in Britain alone after the games. In countries where the number of people rowing is but a fraction, of other more popular sports, why not inject money into the sport in the form of prizes. Even if local crews are few, the promise of a sizable prize would bring international athletes from afar which would then stir local interest and result in more media coverage for rowing.

Spectators watching the boat race

I think anyone who is involved in rowing would enjoy to see the sport opened up more to people less familiar to the sport. At large regattas for example screens showing spectators the crews taking part in the each race with a good commentary would work wonders for viewer engagement. Its a bit of a chicken and the egg situation really, without enough people interested in watching the regattas, the organizers won't be able to afford to implement such solutions but without such solutions many people will find it hard to be engaged by races.

Some people argue that injecting money into rowing will make it less “pure”, but at the end of the day its still going to be a hard sport that you’ll have to enjoy to put up with the levels of training to become a professional athlete. I just think that many athletes that are now “professional” (training for their countries) would be able to actually support their families with a proper income as opposed to having to take on a job that they might not enjoy(and forgo spending quality time with their families) just to have to put food on the table for their families. Only a lucky few get great sponsorship deals to sort them and their families out.

So to sum up this rant. Its my opinion that more money should be injected into the sport to give it the coverage it deserves( As to where this money should come from i’ll leave that to someone else to suggest ). So that when you say you do rowing to someone they don’t make some stupid gesture with their arms (or even worse do a kayaking motion).

Avoiding the daily grind in rowing.

Over the last few months many Olympians have started to make their decisions regarding the future in their sport, will they continue till Rio or will they go back to a desk job and spend time with their families. This kind of period is hard and if you haven't won it can be quite a feat to give 4 more years of your life to living the life of a professional rower (will little money in most cases),  as Eric Murry said "Hey, rowing's easy when you're doing well. When you're getting success, the day-to-day grind of it all is worth it.” 

To avoid it becoming a "day to day grind" as Murry put it, you have to, as another rowing Olympian Patrick Loliger Salas put it, "approach each day, and each session, as a chance to make yourself, however slightly, better than you were the day, or the session, before. " By approaching training in this way you are not viewing training as something which should be done(and therefore letting become a grind) but as something which you can do to better yourself. You have the opportunity to either get better or stay the same. Again I cant stress the importance of goal setting (a post to come on this soon).

This guy(Patrick Loliger Salas) came 14th in London and 15th in Beijing 4 years and he only improved by one position in the world. Why would he do that you ask? Why would he put him self through all this? Because he likes the challenge and he enjoys himself.

As Salas says, a hard days training for someone of that standard will mean only a tenth of a second gained in competition but he is willing to pay that price if it means hes getting closer to becoming the best he can be. Everyone should be striving to become the best that you can be. If you do that you could be the best in the world. If not you then who? How do you know until you've tried? "Records were meant to be broken. What is impossible today may not be tomorrow. " (another one of Salas' quotes).

View his video here. (turn on captions as its in Spanish)

Mental preparation for a rowing race.

Preparing mentally for a race is just as important as preparing physically for a race. One of the reasons older more experienced rowers who may not be as fit and strong as their younger counterparts often win more is because they have the experience to know what to do at the right time and they know how to prepare themselves properly. If you lack this experience you can prepare yourself for races by doing the following things:

1. Have a race plan

The importance of having a race plan to keep yourself focused can not be understated. It can keep your mind from wandering and worrying. I will use the new zealand double at london Olympics as an example. After the first 500 meters they were coming last but they stuck to their race plan and executed it perfectly which ended up with them coming first. (Video at the bottom of the post)  

2. Visualize what you are going to do.

Go through the race in your head before you go out and race. See you self next to your opponents, pushing past them or attacking their position. Specific rates or calls at certain points of a race are also useful for keeping yourself focused.

3. Spend most of you time focusing on what YOU can control.

Many people go out and race and as soon as they get passed out by someone they find it hard to keep motivated and keep the fight going. If you focus too much on what the opposition are doing then you can get distracted and make mistakes that you otherwise wouldn't have made. But on the other hand I think its important to know where you are in the race and have a strategy to deal with the outcomes. Trust yourself and what you are capable of doing.

4. Only race if you WANT to race.

I feel this one is very important. If you are not going to enjoy yourself while you race then don't do it. Remember when you are on the starting line that you're the one who wants to do this and remember why you want to do this. 

5. Don't be afraid to loose.

So many people are afraid of losing. The underdogs in many sports can perform to their best as most of the time they aren't worried about losing. It doesn't matter if you lose so don't even think about it!  

6. Its not over till its over!

This is really important to remember. If your dead last and behind by 3 lengths its STILL possible to win! As long as you haven’t crossed the line keep fighting! One of the best things I ever heard on how to approach a race is this, if you are 6th attack the guy in 5th, if your in 5th then go for 4th, if you get to 4th go for 3th etc etc. such a good way of looking at a race in my opinion. A great example of this can be seen by the new zealand double at the last Olympics who went from 4th to 1st in the last 500 meters!

Best rowing news sites

As there as so many scattered places to get your rowing news fix I compiled a small list of some of the best, most prominent rowing sites.


http://www.rowingrelated.com/
A site that features videos, news pieces, rowers and coaches opinions and more.

http://www.rowingnews.com/
An online magazine on rowing manly features US rowing topics.

http://www.rowingnews.org
Live feeds from lots of different rowing news sources grouped together in one easy to read place.

http://www.row2k.com/
One of the premier sources of rowing and sculling news, rowing results, rowing information, photos, interviews, and general information about rowing.

http://www.worldrowing.com/
The official news hub of FISA (which is the governing body of the sport of rowing).

Time management in rowing

Time management is an important life skill. If you develop it you can do many great things, some seemingly impossible to the average human being. The more you row the more you have to learn how to manage your time if you want to be successful at rowing and also the other things you do.

I, along with many other coaches think that its very important to have a counterbalance to rowing in life. If rowing is your be all and end all it is not very mentally stimulating and you can quickly find yourself in a rut, or even worse, burned out. Having something outside of rowing lets you take time away from rowing to refresh, rest and keep that motivating burning. 

But if you do have other pursuits (which you should) you should manage them so that you can be sure you're making the most of them and not wasting your time. At the end of the day you have to choose what's most important to you and work on those.

There are 168 hours in a week. Lets say you sleep 63 hours (that's 9 hours a night). It leaves you with 103 hours to split between what pursuits you deem important to you. Rowing, at different levels takes different amounts of time. So lets lets just take 30 hours for rowing as an example. 103 hours minus the 30 for rowing leaves us with 73 hours. 73 hours per week to do whatever you find important, be it earning a degree, working, socializing or all the previously mentioned. 

There is enough time in a week to what you want to do, you just have to do them in the right order and make sure they don't clash. So for those people out there who don't think there’s time to row and do other things I say LEARN TO MANAGE YOUR TIME! If you really want to do it you’ll find a way to make it work. Stop watching TV if you have an assignment to do etc etc.  Time management is a skill that can be learned!

Further reading :
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/time-management/wl00048