The Importance of Teammates

Rowing truly is the ultimate sport. It's the ultimate team sport and it's the ultimate workout. I could go on and on about rowing, but if I had a mere five minutes to convince someone to join, I'd focus on the importance of the team as a whole. Rowing isn't like basketball, or soccer where a few people from the team play for a certain amount of time. There are no substitutes in rowing. The team works together 100% of the time. No questions asked.

Not only does rowing provide you with the chance to work together with every one of your teammates, it also brings everyone together. Your team becomes your second family, and your boathouse becomes your home away from home. You practice with your teammates, you travel with your teammates and you race with your teammates. Everyone becomes very close. You can't necessarily get that with any sport you join.

I decided to write a post about the importance of teammates in spirit of the season. Christmas is a time for all to enjoy family time and to respect what is given to us. It is the same with your rowing team. Enjoy the presence of each and every one of your teammates, because the most unique thing about crew is that everyone works together. There are no all-stars or MVPs. If one person doesn't work, it hinders the whole boat. With rowing, athletes obtain a true sense of the meaning of teamwork, and with it, many life lessons are taught.

Today, I leave you with a blessing for a very happy holiday season.

Have a very merry Christmas/holiday season, and a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

Be sure to check back on the first Friday of the New Year for a special addition of the monthly top 10!

(Photo courtesy of clker.com)

December's Top 10

It's that time again; the first Monday of the month. That means it's time for another top 10. We all know that no rower truly enjoys the tasks that are ahead of them for the winter season (erging, running, lifting, erging....) so I figured I'd make this month's top 10 humorous in attempt to lighten the mood. December's topic?


THE TOP 10 FASHIONS ONLY ROWERS WOULD APPRECIATE:

10. Dirty knee high socks. You know, the ones that are soaked from the river/lake by the end of the day.
9. The ball-of-socks-inside-your-spandex look. Commonly referred to as “the leg tumor.”
8. 1000s of t-shirts that feature the “I’m On A Boat” saying.
7. A (most likely short) individual sporting a gold medal around his or her neck, soaked from head to toe.
6. The all-mighty spandex tan. Period.
5. Socks and flip-flops. Tennis shoes are just too inconvenient when launching on race day. Yes, we all know toe socks would make it that much easier, but that would look weird!
4. Coxswains: Half pale, half tan forehead. Need I say more?
3. Torn up, blistered and calloused hands. Smooth is overrated.
2. High-quality velcro shoes that don’t velcro. It’s all the rage.
1. ONE WORD: UNI!!

I think it's safe to say the aforementioned ten are quite fashionable, but the common public will never really understand unless they join the sport of rowing. I guess you can say it's an inside joke of sorts.

Well, that's all for today. Stop by on the first Friday of January for a brand new top 10. Be sure to start your new year off right!

Today, I leave you with a secret:

If it weren't for the uni, you couldn't do the following. Here it is. If you ever have an extreme need to go to the bathroom, but there is a really long line, take your shirt off, thus revealing your uni, and claim that it is an emergency that you cut in front of everybody to go to the bathroom, because you must launch for your race in less than two minutes. I'm serious, it works.

(Picture courtesy of vespoli.com)

A Very Important Aspect of Rowing

Whether we like it or not, us rowers are creatures of habit. While in season we have the same daily schedule, week after week. Everyday we wake up, eat, row, work or go to school and then repeat. Not only do we develop a sense of “rhythm” in our daily schedule, but in everything we do as well.

Some may not notice their developed sense of rhythm, but trust me. It’s there. In order to become a better rower, rhythm is vital. Unless you’re stroke seat (who still needs to develop a sense of rhythm to keep a steady pace and balanced set), you aim to follow the person in front of you, from the placement of the blade in the water to the exact degree of his or her "lay back." We take this acquired skill and integrate it into everything we do.

Two of the most common activities that, out of habit, you execute with rhythm are walking and erging. Honestly, while you do anything with another person, or while listening to music, you develop rhythm without trying. Not convinced? Next time you erg a steady state piece, look at the person erging next to you. I bet you’ll be almost perfectly in sync with them.

I have had numerous personal experiences that further confirm my natural sense for rhythm. Just the other day, as I was walking to the gym for a workout, I turned on my I-Pod for some company. Before I knew it, I was walking to the beat of the song. At first I just thought it was coincidence, and didn’t think twice about it. However, after a couple more songs and a slightly faster tempo, I realized I had picked up the pace of my stride only to find that i was once again in rhythm with the current song. It doesn’t stop there. Multiple times, I’ve found myself walking down the stairs in the same step as a friend, and erging at the same steady states as my teammates.

Rhythm. It is one of the most important aspects of rowing. Once you start to become guilty of the aforementioned, you know you've accomplished its true essence. Before you know it, you'll be applying it to all of your everyday tasks. While some may question your need for perfect rhythm, you can laugh and think, "if you only knew."

Today, I leave you with a proposition:

Continue with you daily schedule like you normally would, but pay close attention to how your sense of rhythm really does find its way into each of your everyday activities! You'll be surprised.

November's Top 10

So far I'm feeling good about the future of this blog. I know I mentioned in my first post that followers should check back every month for updates, but obviously I have been posting much more frequently. Sorry to say that after this post, I won't be posting nearly as many stories. Finals week is slowly creeping upon us students at OU, and unfortunately, it's time to buckle down and get some work done. So for now I leave you with the first of what will be a series of monthly top 10's. November's topic?

THE TOP 10 WORST THINGS TO HAPPEN TO YOU DURING AN ERG TEST:
  
10. Your headphones fall out, and you're forced to listen to the sound of the erg, and the painful grunts from the people that surround you.
9. Your I-Pod switches to a slow song in the middle of your test.
8. Your I-Pod cord gets stuck in the slide during your recovery; possibly multiple times.
7. One or both of your straps come undone, keeping you from pulling full pressure every stroke.
6. You breathe through your mouth instead of nose, which eventually makes it really dry. What makes it worse? You know your water is sitting right next to the erg, but you can't stop.
5. Your erg screen starts to malfunction, and your stroke rate and split start to fluctuate at random.
4. Your hands slip off of your handle, and depending on the severity, either you lose your pressure for a few strokes, or your handle flies to the top of the erg, forcing you to stop completely for a stroke.
3. You fall off of your seat. Self-explanatory.
2. You cramp up, or get a charlie horse. Either you finish in more pain than normal, or you are unable to finish.
1. YOUR ERG RESETS ITSELF.

We all know that experiencing one or any combination of the above is the worst- especially when those terrible enough to earn a spot in the top 5 occur.

Please, feel free to comment if you have a story relating to one of the top 10, or you have an additional "worst thing to happen during an erg test." Stop by on the first Friday of every month for a brand new top 10.

Today, I leave you with a BONUS:

*Although less common, I'm guessing everyone agrees when I say that the following statement is one of THE worst things that can happen during an erg test, or even a race. Drum roll anyone?

Bonus: Your coxswain calls you by the wrong name. Now that's just downright frustrating...

*Picture courtesy of Kyle Stanley

It's Worth the Early Mornings...

We've all heard the popular rowing phrase, "Rowers do more before 8AM than most people do all day." Even though the phrase is a bit exaggerated, it does do justice to the early mornings rowers face every day. Whereas most sports hold evening practices and weekend events, it is most common for crew practices to be held in the early hours of the morning- usually starting before dawn.

When people ask me about crew, I won't lie. I'll tell them the good, I'll tell them the bad, and I'll tell them the ugly. While it's fun to go on and on about the feeling of accomplishment that can be achieved, I don't fail to tell them what is to be expected to achieve such accomplishment. When I utter the the words, "wake up at 5:00," all the jaws drop. In one instance, I even received the reply of, "You're my hero..."

It's hard at first, but nothing is ever meant to be easy on the first try. I never thought that I'd be able to wake up early every day. I mean, I'm most definitely not a morning person. I could sleep until 2:00 in the afternoon if you let me. I think that once you develop a love of the sport and a sense of determination, waking up early simply becomes another everyday activity. Whether you like it or not, you become a creature of habit. You wake up at 5:00AM on a daily basis, and the days you sleep past 8:00AM are considered sleeping in.

If you have trouble wrapping this concept around your head, let me put it this way. Some people have to wake up as early as 3:00 AM for their job. Some have to work the night shift. To outsiders, these people are crazy. To them, it's nothing, because they love what they do. Rowing is no different. You just have to love it.

The purpose of this post is to tell you that it really is worth the early mornings. As painful as it sounds, there is so much to love about them. We all know that it sucks to get to practice expecting to have a good row, only to be told it's too choppy to go out. It's the worst feeling to have water practice in mind, and then arrive only to find that you have to complete an 8K on the ergs. There is nothing fun about the ergs. Nothing. I don't know about any of you, but I'd much rather take water practice over land, any day of the week.

Moving on. My point? Unless you have the problem of rowers in your boat sleeping in, you can expect to be on the water during morning practice- one reason why teamwork and determination are two of the most important aspects of the sport. The tranquility of the water provides me with a sense of relaxation, even during some of the more physically exhausting pieces. This to me is the number one reason why morning practice is better.

There's always the following reasons, as well:

1. If you practice in a populated area, there's not a bunch of people and/or distractions. Remember, who's crazy enough to be up at 5:00AM?
2. During spring season it can get insanely hot during the afternoon hours. Not in the morning.
3. There are always less excuses for one of your fellow teammates to skip practice. No one has appointments, classes or meetings to attend at such an early hour.
4. You have more time to accomplish everything you want, AND still have time to row.
   
5. And of course, you achieve a sense of accomplishment for the day by 8:00AM; the same time at which many of your peers are just rolling out of bed, or still sleeping.

Today I leave you with a fact:

The average American lives 74.1 years, and sleeps away 1/3 of it.

That's no way to spend the one life that you have!

*Picture Courtesy of Kyle Stanley (HOTC 2009)

A Series of Movie Shorts.

Teamwork: Successories

"Inches"

Everyone's Favorite Part of the USRowing Saftey Video

And For Those Looking For a Little Humor...

... Enjoy :)

What Rowing Means to Me.

The title of this blog, "Pain is temporary. Victory is forever." describes the sport of rowing in a nutshell. To some, rowing is just a way to stay in shape, or possibly just another sport that they are a part of. To me, rowing is more than a mere sport; it's a passion. You will find that this blog is dedicated to rowing- everything from what it means to me, to experiences that entail. Check back every month for updates. I do hope that you become a regular follower :)

I am one of the few that is able to say how thankful I am to be an alumna from a high school that provided crew as one of their club sports. The fact that crew often went unnoticed at my high school was demeaning; however, I didn't let that get to me, because rowing not only provided me with a workout, but a sense of integrity.

Rowing has taught me the true meaning of camaraderie, dedication and teamwork. I've taken these three elements from rowing and have applied them to my everyday life. Ultimately, this has made me a better person, which is another reason why I am so grateful for the sport. Through crew, I've met some of the most influential people that remain in my life today. My four best friends, that I met through rowing for my high school, mean the world to me. We are all so different, but our love for rowing and all that entails has brought us closer than any other value, activity or moral could.

It's a shame that some people who join crew are robbed of the true experience. This could be for any number of reasons including, but certainly not limited to an unsettling first experience, poor coaching and a team that refuses to give their all. Fortunately I can say that I have not experienced any of the previously mentioned.

First, allow me to take time to explain my first experience. I was 14 years old when I first started to row. Before crew I was involved with soccer, basketball and summer league softball. The summer before my freshman year, I realized that although I loved playing all of these, I knew that I didn't want to continue on to the varsity level in high school. When I first learned about rowing, I was told that the sport offered something for everyone, and I decided to give it a try. I spent one day at the boathouse, and I was hooked. The graceful movement of the boats along the river was something I one day wanted to be a part of. I knew it would take a lot of work, but I was willing. It absolutely paid off.

Second, I have my coaches to thank. They have immensely bettered my rowing experience. I had a lot of coaches come and go throughout my high school rowing career, some staying for as long as three years, to those that lasted a week. Not only did my coaches teach me the importance of rowing, but they were the ones that taught me the importance of dedication and teamwork. They most definitely did not just hand over everything; I, as well as my teammates, had to work for it. I was motivated to give my all because my coaches weren't just there for money. It was obvious that they were there because of their love for the sport, and their desire to make us a better team at all costs. My coaches provided me with a chance to learn about every aspect of the sport, and for that I am more thankful than I can describe in words. As a result, I have had the pleasure of rowing every seat of almost every boat, only excluding pairs and the bow seat of a quad.

Being just under five feet tall when I first joined, I was assigned to the position of coxswain- more on that later. Although I was primarily a coxswain throughout high school, because I grew to be close to five feet, seven inches by my senior year, I also became a rower on both starboard and port sides. I learned to scull the summer before my senior year, and had the opportunity to row a few single races as well as a handful of double races.

Now, graduated from high school with 20+ medals, I have continued my rowing journey by joining Ohio University Women's Crew. Our fall season just finished and I am happy to say that it was a very successful season. Out of our team's five entries in our only regatta, we left with three medals; one bronze and two silvers. I look forward to winter conditioning, and what I anticipate to be another fantastic season come spring time.

Today, I leave you with a quote:

"Rowing, like success, is a journey, not a destination,"- Rick Clother (Rowing Coach)