Some Friendly Reminders

Three things (in case you didn't read my email):

1. SPRING BREAK
I really hope that if you haven’t already thought about our Spring Break Training trip that you highly consider this AWESOME opportunity for early water time, conditioning, and team bonding. Although some people might like to spend their Spring Break basking on a beach, the water on Melton Park Lake is better than any ocean I can imagine! Why spend thousands of dollars on a cruise, when you can spend $250 (plus a little more for dinner and maybe some Epsom salts) to spend time with the people you love, doing what you love.

We are staying at the Hampton Inn in Oak Ridge, TN. We get a full hot breakfast and in the past they have kept the food available for lunch too! There is a small fitness room, an indoor pool, and a hot tub.You can find information about our rowing venue and pictures of the course and river.

A typical day includes breakfast, rowing, lunch, (maybe napping), rowing, dinner, hanging out with friends, and sleep. Eat, sleep, row; repeat. One day during the week, we will be having a "fun" day or day off. Last year the team went on a hike to the Smokey Mountains. Please take a second to vote on our fun day activity on the side of the blog if you haven't already.

2. THE SU CREW BLOG
Every few days I am posting new rowing resources and team history on the SU Crew Blog. This season I hope to keep track of the races we attend and will highlight usable information. I would encourage you to check it often and even get involved in posting.

I'd like to add information about packing for Spring Break, using music as a training tool, taking care of blisters, and much more. If there is something that you are particularly interested in, let me know. I ALWAYS need photos. Eventually, I think it would be great to get parents to visit the site and alumni.

3. PRACTICES
I am really proud of the accomplishments and strides the team is making on the ergs. From the hard work that I saw on Tuesday and particularly Wednesday this week, I can tell that you are committed to continual improvement and pushing yourselves further than you think you can go. I think my favorite saying that came out of the day was that "you train the brain to push past the pain." I know that rhyming is a little hokey, but I hope that you will remind yourself often that it is your brain that is telling your body that erging hurts and not the other way around. Our bodies are capable of so much more than our brains want to give us credit for and just like we are conditioning our muscles, we need to condition our minds!

For those of you that Coach Jim and I haven't seen around lately, I really want to emphasize the importance of these winter practices. Races are won in the "off season" more so than on. All of the work that we are doing now is going to translate to speed and endurance on the water. Not coming to practice now can effect your ability to earn a seat in the boat later.