Susquehanna University Crew - Rowing Blog

More About Traits in an Eight

2011-03-17T14:31:00.003-04:00

I have always thoroughly enjoyed the "Traits in an Eight" and recently stumbled upon a great article in the latest edition of The Independent Rowing News Inc.

Rowing News Repost

Dear Doctor Rowing,
Could you explain to me what the different seats in an eight mean? Our daughter has just started rowing and we are curious to know if it means anything that she was selected as the stroke. Is the seating based wholly on technique or is there a personality type too? Does she have any future in the sport?
Should we be proud?

Set out the good linen and crystal and then get on the horn to Granny. You, my friend, have hit the jackpot. Surely you have been around rowing long enough to know that your daughter is a rare jewel, a pearl among swine.

Much has been written about what makes a great stroke. She must, of course, have a good sense of rhythm, steady and consistent, so that the seven people behind her can follow easily. She must be strong and powerful, for the stroke is the one who sets the pace of the oar through the water. And her blade work must be strong; this is not a seat for someone who has difficulty getting out of the water cleanly.

But great strokes are more than great technical rowers. It is precisely in the personality realm that a stroke most stands out. Can you say prima donna? The stroke should be someone so competitive, so self-assured that she is constantly annoying her teammates with comments like, “Have you ever noticed that I cut my meat more efficiently than anyone else on the team?” or “I wonder why it takes the rest of you so long to shower?” It’s not just that the stroke thinks that she can do all of these things better than anyone else alive. A coach’s job is to find the person on the squad who really is better at everything and put said person in stroke seat. Don’t apologize or be modest. The person who inhabits the stroke seat really is superior.

Now, what about the girl right behind her, in seven? Coaches often go out of their way to praise the “second stroke.” I’ve often heard coaches say that seven is always the best athlete. “She must be equal in intensity and drive to the stroke, but have the additional task of following and passing on the rhythm to the rest of the crew. It’s the most difficult job in rowing.” Seven seats themselves put it another way: “I am the real stroke. The person in front of me just thinks that she is setting the rhythm. If the coach didn’t have an insane prejudice against starboards, I’d be there, where I belong.”

Six? Inhumanly strong. Competitive. Arrogant. She knows that she’s the most powerful person in the boat. Has there ever been a great boat without a great six seat? Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because six doesn’t get all the attention of the stroke that she is cut from more modest cloth.

Five is a kind of reflection of the strong and savage six seat, but watered down—a reflection in an old dusty mirror. It’s not that they dislike being in the six seat’s shadow, they just don’t really notice. They are happy to put up the second best erg scores in the boat and be praised as, “a real leader in the engine room.” It doesn’t take much to make a five seat happy. They’re not all that bright.

Four? Happy, contented people. Gregarious. Well-adjusted. They are the ones most likely to have a stable relationship, a boyfriend who comes to all the races and brings everyone food. If you want to spend a pleasant hour talking about something other than crew, (though why would you want to do that?) this person is for you. So what if they have some rough spots in their stroke. They know that they are doing their best.

Much has been written about the three seat’s plight. In my copy of The Badminton Library’s volume on rowing and punting, published in 1898, it says, “It is curious how often the worst man in an eight rows in this position.” This person was the last to earn a seat in the boat. It seemed like the coach was desperate to find someone else to row in her place. But then, undoubtedly, the coach came to a big realization: no matter who the person was, the boat would still need to have a three seat. Finally, the seat racing ended. That awkward, bumbling rower, the one everyone expects to catch a crab, was in the boat. But you know what? It’s a bum rap. These people move the boat. Show me a good eight, and I’ll show you a skilled rower at three.

Two? The philosopher. Unlike the three seat, the two seat actually did catch a crab once in a big race. She has been tormented by it ever since. This is the girl who might stroke one day if her therapy goes well. She’s got the aggressive personality, but doubt lurks beneath everything she does.

Bow is the artist, the stylist, the best dressed—the one who can tell you what everyone else in the boat is doing wrong. This person has an uncanny ability to breathe through her nose at all times, without ever gasping for air. And how can it be that she is always so articulate, even after an intense session of speedwork? Could it be that she doesn’t ever really pull? She seems to live a kind of charmed life, asked to balance the boat but never criticized if it dips down to one side.

Have I offended everyone? Good. As a former coxswain, my job was to get everyone so worked up that they would kill themselves trying to show their superiority. A great crew has all of these insecurities hidden just below the surface, ready to explode at any moment. Attention? Go!

By: Andy Anderson

I need a coxswain here...

2011-03-16T21:30:00.006-04:00

Clearly if blogging were a race, I'd be losing right now. I sat in bed the other night waiting to fall asleep thinking of idea upon idea for the blog. Now as I sit here typing, I feel like those great ideas have left my brain, much like my brain often leaves me in a race. That is where the coxswain comes in...

The coxswain is the brain while the rower functions as the brawn. Racing can be almost primal, stripping us to our core, diverting our bodies' resources from the brain to the physical structures such as the lungs and heart that we call upon in such periods of intense exertion. I used to think of launching to race as almost "going into battle." There is something about racing in rowing that feels strikingly like what I imagined a war or battle scene to feel like many centuries ago.

Rowing takes courage, strength, fire, and will. I believe you need those things before stepping into a boat, but that they may leave us in the stress of the moment. That is where the coxswain must step in, to remind us as rowers what the fight is for -- to reignite or keep the flame burning that represents our desire to prove ourselves on the racecourse -- no matter what our bodies may be telling us.

I just returned on Saturday from a week with my team in Oak Ridge, TN. As my fourth trip to Melton Park Lake and the friendly community of Oak Ridge, it struck me that I feel so comfortable there that it almost feels like another home. The water is as familiar to me as my own river. I can remember how to navigate unconsciously to the marina. I know the shoals, buoys, docks, bridges, and landmarks. It is such a joy to spend a week in a town accustomed to and welcoming of rowers. It is also such a joy to spend a week with my team. Although a hard, long week, spending that time with the crew reinvigorated me after a challenging winter. To see the excitement and energy pulsing through those students allows me to reclaim mine. I learn so much from them and can hopefully share those lessons in upcoming posts! Keep checking back...

Working Out to Get Over Being Tired or Stressed

2011-02-17T22:21:00.005-05:00

The one thing that I really appreciate about exercise is that even if you feel tired and lifeless, a good workout can bring you back to life. Tonight I was working late but still made it a priority to make it to the gym.

I am the type of person who once they put their workout clothes and particularly sneakers on, I never decide not to work out. However, there are times where convincing myself to put on those sneakers can be a challenge.

Anyway, I made it to the gym after a long day at work. It's been the type of week where my brain hurts, my eyes feel like they might pop out of their sockets, and I'm always in need of a nap. I told my colleagues today that "my life is a giant spreadsheet," as I am managing a really large department project brimming with millions of details. In fact, the ways that stress is affecting me this week is just crazy.

I'm so tired that I fall into a really deep sleep. In that deep sleep, I dream. Supposedly this is a good thing because I am going through each section of the REM cycle. However, I am dreaming about work. Talk about not restful. I wake up in the morning trying to separate reality from my dream world and I feel like I never leave work. This was a real problem for me in graduate school in particular. Sometimes if I had been really concentrating on a specific project or was really deep into work, my professors would come to me in dreams. I had really wonderful professors, but they are not the type of people you want to see in your dreams. I would also write papers in my dreams. Waking up was confusing because I didn't know what I had written prior to falling asleep and what I had written in my dream. It was also a pain because a brilliant idea in a dream can be brilliant, or completely fictitious and lacking sense be seem to be brilliant at the time.

The nice thing about an intense workout is that I get to leave work behind. I drove to the gym and was waiting for my Body Pump class to begin. The equipment changes every class so I asked my instructor, Maria, what we needed -- a bench or a BOSU. These are both things that I normally really enjoy. She asked me what I wanted, and I said that I didn't know. I think I have been in charge of a lot of decisions lately and my brain couldn't process another one, and I was just TIRED. She asked if I was okay and I said I was tired. Fast forward 15 minutes and we are doing a series of side steps, hops, jogs, and jump ropes. I didn't feel like the tired, exhausted person that I had come to class as. I had a little more pep in my step and really tried to get my knees high and pushed harder. It felt really good to have the strength and energy to attack the class in a way I hadn't thought that I would be able to. I even upped my weights on a few exercises.

This same concept was one that I especially appreciated in college. The ten-fifteen minute drive from SU's campus to the boathouse made me feel like I was world's away from the stress of my academics. Coach always used to say to not take your problems with you on the water. I can't say that I entirely followed the rule, as I sometimes used my frustrations or stress to pull harder or push farther in a piece, but that kind of thing is productive. Whether you are erging in a basement somewhere or rowing on a beautiful stretch of river, there is an opportunity to be transported from your everyday cares and worries. Exercise can be so transformative and transcendental.

Story Time: Part I

2011-02-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

I've promised a lot of stories on this blog that I actually haven't delivered. I always think a fair bit about things I'd like to write about on this blog, but for various reasons they are never written or posted. This blog has a few ground rules that I have have set for myself, but the main rule that I am not willing compromise on is:

If [I] don't have something nice to say, [I] don't say it at all

This mostly pertains to things in the present (i.e. no trash talking other teams or people), but as I think about the stories I want to share about the SU team's history, inevitably there is always something less than flattering about someone (some team, some something...) who's feelings I wouldn't want to hurt, since after all it is just my faded memory that the story is drawing from.

So the next few posts from me are stories that tell some part of the history of the SU Crew team, but from my own limited perspective. In almost any crew story I can think of there are always tears involved. Take from them what you will... One such story that I promised was along the lines of "The Lite 8 Journey to Head of the Charles."

It was a very long road, which saw it's humble beginnings in Spring 2003 with an ambitious sophomore having broken 8 minutes, but a seed that was laid later that fall with a junior making a bet with her coach.

It wasn't a bet in the traditional sense -- there are no Vegas style odds on unsolidified boat line-ups. I don't remember it being particularly well publicized, nor reminders given. Aside from a conversation or two, it quietly slipped past the team's radar and life (rowing) went on as usual.

If you haven't guessed, I was the ambitious sophomore turned junior, love sick in her affection for crew. A year and a half of increased exercise and difficulty of workouts led me to return to SU in the spring of '04 a few pounds away from the 136 max of Erg Armageddon. Our team worked with tireless pursuit to compete at Bucknell's Erg Armageddon, the largest/closest indoor rowing machine competition in the area. The competition (always a week or two prior to Spring Break) gave us something to focus our energies on during that long, endless period of time stuck in the "Green Room."

I approached Coach about rowing lightweight for Erg Armageddon. He got that look that people get when they talk about wrestling, diving, gymnastics, or other weight driven sports. It is a hard look/feeling/sentiment to describe, but at it's core says, "this kind of thing can really mess people up, I don't want to deal with that." So, I let it go, but in a few days, he said, "Okay, but if you're going to do this, it has to be right." This included a very lengthy discussion on what to eat or not to eat. Water - good. Pretzels and other snacks - bad. Vegetables - good. Soda - bad. I'm putting it in this binary form to simplify the conversation, but it basically led to me making some big, but pretty easy to adapt to lifestyle changes in my eating. A girl who had once said, "I could never be lightweight because I like food too much," and "I could never be vegetarian because I would miss meat too much," had to totally eat her words (excuse the pun).

So I exercised, ate really colorful salads, still managed to have a cookie (maybe two) for dessert and hit 134 by the time Erg Armageddon rolled around at the end of February. At the time, I thought my foray into lightweightdom had ended, went on our yearly Spring Break training trip and was rowing openweight again. For reasons more complicated than I could ever understand or explain, our openweight varsity eight disbanded. I foggily remember a conversation with Coach next to the trailer after Spring Break, where he told me I could seat race for a spot in the varsity four or that I could have a seat in the lightweight eight. I was hesitant to consider moving to lightweight full time. Sure, I had made my goal but it almost seemed unreal. Even though there were four tiny pounds between me and the Knecht Cup or Dad Vail weigh in, it seemed so huge in my mind. So I thought about it.

It was the best. decision. ever.

I started practicing with the lightweight eight and I don't remember much about the early formation of that boat. I do however remember the harrowing Occoquan Sprints. The weather prediction for that day was 20-30 MPH winds, with up to 50 MPH gusts. They decided to move from the sprint race course to the more protected head race course. The race organizer also wanted to move the events up, therefore it was only possible for us to enter one event, the lightweight 8 or the lightweight 4.

Our coach wanted us to decide which event to enter. I was set to race both events, knowing full well that we had better odds to medal in the four. Standing on the bus that day, medal dreams aside, we chose the 8.

It was the best. decision. ever.

That day turned us into the "Lite 8." We weren't merely a collection of nine women who weighed under 133 pounds, we bonded over making making a tough decision and surviving to tell the tale. This may sound a little bit exaggerated, and in some ways it is, but I don't know if I have ever been as fearful of flipping/dying/losing equipment as I ever was that day. There was pile up of boats in the finish area of the sprint course, waiting to turn and make our way onto the head race course. We were out there forever at a standstill. The wind was picking up and blowing our backwards, which of course the oars are designed to steady the boat the other way. The starboard oarlocks were nearly under water, and there was no way to set set the boat without rowing to right ourselves. It was terrifying. Granted, we weren't in any life threatening danger, but it was still scary as heck.

We raced, we made it, and then another terrifying experience. On the return dock, Kathy Wulderk (our coxswain) called for "up and over heads" when one of those wind gusts came through. There were eight lightweight women holding on to this boat (Meridian) for dear life, as our feet started to pick up from the dock. Looking back, I'm not sure how we didn't go Mary Poppins style into the Occoquan Reservoir with our boat. Luckily Coach (Brian Tomko) and Coach Jim were there to grab onto the boat and we narrowly avoided disaster.

The Lite 8 went on to do pretty well at Knecht Cup, we even got to race the infamous Wisconsin Badgers (the Wisco Lights). After racing Coach told us that we had made the US Rowing national ranking poll. He didn't want to tell us at first, in case we got big heads or it messed with our ability to concentrate on the race at hand. All I can remember is a lot of shrieking on the side of the Cooper. At the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships (on a less harrowing day) at the Occoquan, the Lite 8 earned first place. We also earned 16th in the US Rowing national ranking poll. Unfortunately that year finals fell over Dad Vail week and we weren't able to prove ourselves on that national stage. This is the one thing - of anything - that I would if I could change about my college career. It was just out of our hands.

I owe a lot to those ladies. Kathy Wulderk, Erica Garland, Alyssa Russo, Erin Toenehboehn, Allison Bankus, Dawn Raskewski, Kate Jensen, and Jess Hibbard. They taught me more about teamwork than almost anyone I can think of in my entire life.

It was probably summer, I was doing research with the psychology department and went to the gym every weekday at 4pm sharp. My coach just happened to be in the cardio loft while I was

on the elliptical machine. He said, "You may not remember, but we had a deal at the beginning of the year if any of our boats placed in the top 3 at Knecht Cup, made finals at Vails, or got first place at MACCCs, they could go to Head of the Charles..."

This. was. it. My boat, the Lite 8, was entered into the lottery for a place in Head of the Charles that fall. I had no idea it would be my boat. Our boat. And it happened. I was beyond ecstatic.

Row-ga

2011-02-03T17:25:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, SU Crew took a break from the ergs for yoga, or as Co-Captain Katie Messler calls it, rowga. I've written before about some of the benefits of yoga for rowers and have posted a few links, so I have some more things for you.

Someone brought their P90X Yoga X DVD to practice. I have never actually done P90X, but I have heard that it is a really effective exercise regime. My brother lost a lot of weight at the end of his college career doing P90X with his buddies and my best friend (former SU Coxswain) Jill Sands-Martin '05 started to get into it recently. Sometimes as a coach it can be a bummer to miss a good work out while instructing the team, so occasionally I like to join in and rowga offers the perfect opportunity.

Even on the online videos or infomercial, the spokesperson points out that most people think of yoga instructors as being silly or kooky. P90X prides itself on being intense cross training, and keeps their reputation by teaching the yoga in a really powerful way. Most people at the gym do a couple of sustained planks to work their core, Yoga X has you moving from planks to push ups to downward facing dog to warrior poses in smooth, quick transitions. Your body is never fully at rest, challenging you to breathe through pain, feel your body, and lengthen your muscles.

We couldn't have been very far into the video when I started dripping sweat. The poses are engaging the muscles in such a way that it is challenging without feeling like it hurt so much that you have to give up. I was impressed by how far the team's flexibility has come since we began doing yoga nearly a year ago. There was rarely giggling (except maybe for the "make your body into a triangle and reach your arms underneath your legs and clasp the hands together" ridiculousness) and the focus of the team has certainly improved. I saw many determined, motivated faces in the room that thought very carefully about each position and called upon their body to do things that they maybe had not thought possible.

I really appreciated the chair squats, because as a rower I think the more you can continuously challenge your quads, the better. I would challenge SU's rowers to sit down deeper into the squats, and keep the backs straight. That way if you are ever challenged to a wall sit contest by your coach (e.g. Spring Break '05) to delay getting out on rough water, you know you can be the champion of your team. Even though I hold my share of erg records, Robin Atkins '05 beat me on that one.

I still fervently believe that leg presses are pivotal to a good crew lifting regime, unlike a few guys I know that emphatically believe that it is a "exercise of the nineties." Squats too. I mean really, did Xeno Muller have biceps twice the size of his neck, NO.

Overall, I was really impressed by the level of challenge that the DVD offered and the calm cool-headedness of the instructor.

Key moves from Yoga X if you don't have the DVD:

Runners Pose

Crescent Pose

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Warrior 3

Plank

Downward Facing Dog

Triangle Pose

Twisting Triangle Pose

Standing Splits

Half Moon to Twisting Half Moon

Tree

Royal Dancer

Standing Leg Extensions

Crane

Frog

Plough into Shoulder Stand

Touch the Sky

Happy Baby

You can very easily Google these terms to make up your own routine!

Group Fitness

2011-01-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

You might ask, why are there no posts recently? I've been doing other sorts of writing rather than blogging, which is to help create an SU Crew newsletter. While this may not sound like very exciting news, I am certainly excited to see it debut. We have articles from our coaches, captains, team members, and alumni as well as a ton of photos of our fall season.

As soon as it is ready for print, you will find it right here!

Over the break, I have been working on my own fitness and can't help but wonder what the members of our crew are up to. I find that I am best motivated when I am working out with others or when I know that I need to meet certain expectations.

In November, I started taking "Body Pump" classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with rowers from the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association. It is a weight-based group fitness program designed to improve strength and endurance in major muscle groups. Since we are unable to row during the icy winter months, I was looking for another group fitness class that would keep me motivated and be fun.

Our trainer Maria has been pushing us a little harder each class, working with medium and heavy free weights, bars, resistance bands, step benches, exercise balls, slo mo balls, and BOSU trainers. There is always a new exercise to learn!

It has also been interesting being a part of a group fitness class with only rowers. Having completed a similar program 2 years ago, I noticed that the coordination required for the class can help rowers become more intuitive on the water. This seems to apply to rate changes and commands from coaches or coxswains. Participating in a fitness routine in the off season can do wonders for balance, control, and endurance later on.

Since this class is only twice a week, I wanted to explore my other options. I came across a Zumba class. It is a fusion of Latin and international music that focus on a few simple dance like moves in each song. I am no dancer - I didn't make it through my first year of dance class as a kindergartner.

I felt a little out of place at my first class, as it seemed like so many of the participants already knew each other. They made a big deal out of my being new, but were reassuring. As soon as the class started, it had a different style than I had been used to. In graduate school I frequented 90 minute Step & Sculpt classes and 60 minute BOSU classes that were very choreographed. The difference between the classes is that there is very little verbal cuing in Zumba. There are hand signals, but you need to really pay attention to your instructor or others in the class to get the moves.

Without previous aerobic class experience, I think that I would have been totally out of my league. Having two months experience under my belt, I am feeling so much more comfortable with the steps. I really look forward to the class because it is high energy, always changing, and I feel like I get a great workout.

So my question for you is:
What have you been up to and what is on your playlist?

Twins. Part Two.

2010-10-05T19:44:00.004-04:00

This spring I posted an entry called "Coach Twins." This entry is also about rowing twins, more specifically the Winklevoss twins.

Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss of Greenwich, Connecticut placed sixth in the men's pairs event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They are also featured in the new film, The Social Network, based on the rise of Facebook. It is thought that Mark Zuckerberg used code he created for the Winklevoss' ConnectU to later launch thefacebook.com. The Winklevoss' later confidentially settled for $65 million but continued pursuing their rowing dreams.

Dan Boyne of Row2K has a new feature column that will explore what went into filming the rowing portion of The Social Network: Rowing and the Art of the Social Network—Part I - (row2k features).

Blisters.

2010-09-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

First a few caveats regarding blisters:

1. Never wear gloves (unless you want to get laughed at).
2. Don't bandage your hands with white medical tape like you are an Egyptian mummy. This will only promote more (possibly even more painful) blisters in the millimeters between tape.
3. Never pour shampoo, soap, or other cleaning product directly on your blisters. Wash carefully or suffer the consequences.

Here is some handy information from SU Crew Team Captain Katie Messler:

I heard a few novices asking what to do about hot spots, blisters and open sores on your poor hands. Here's a quick fix for those pesky ailments:

1. Lose the lotion! The softer the skin, the more frequent the blisters. Stop applying lotion to your hands to build callouses.

2. Soak 'em!- fill a bucket with warm water, add 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt (Found near the Advil in Walmart), stir until the salt dissolves and let your hands soak for 20 minutes. This will dry out your blisters and sores, and keep it clean.

3. Wash your hands! More washing means less bacteria, which means happier hands. Use spray disinfectant or hand sanitizer to keep your hands clean and to dry out the blisters when you're not near a sink. It will sting for a second, but will help overall. This will also help toughen your hands.

4. Use protection! Use nu skin (liquid bandage) or athletic tape to ward off blisters during long rows. Don't use too much tape because this will constrict your hand movement and it will be harder to get those beloved early roll-ups. Gloves won't help, so don't bother.

Number 5 comes from SU Rower Rob Pennaherarra:

5. Popping blisters -- When new blisters form on our hands we always get the urge to tear them right off! Now, although it may be a fun and entertaining thing to do during class to keep you awake, it is not a good thing to do; it can allow for infection in your hands. The proper way to take care of blisters is to poke a hole through the center of the blister, drain it, and then wash it. This will make sure that the skin hardens and helps you to form callouses but will also make sure that your blister is nice and clean!

As a new rower (or even a returning rower), here are my personal tips for a rowing first aid kit:

Needles
Wooden Matches
Neosporin
Fabric Band-aids
Small Pair of Scissors
Nail clippers
Epsom Salts

A blister is fluid that accumulates between two layers of skin. For simplicity's sake, blisters boil down to three categories. The first is the type of blister that fills with a clear serum or plasma. The second is a blister filled with blood and the third is a blister filled with pus. Blisters are created from friction -- in rowing it is the oar handle rubbing against the palms and fingers of a rower. In the case of a pus filled blister, I suggest finding the nearest medical professional, as sometimes antibiotics are needed to treat those types of blisters.

Blisters can be painful, especially if they tear. Take care in examining your hands each day. For large blisters, I suggest draining the liquid by gently pushing a needle (use the match to disinfect the needle first) into the blister at the edge, perpendicular to the movement of the skin. Make the smallest hole possible and use a cotton ball or paper towel to absorb the liquid. Leave the excess skin, as in time this can build up to form a callus. In the case of a ragged blister, sometimes you need to use a small pair of scissors or nailclippers to prevent further tearing of the skin. Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap or hydrogen peroxide. This will hurt, but it is important that the wound is free from bacteria. Apply a small amount of Neosporin and cover with a bandaid.

Most rowers have their own preferences when it comes to blister care and bandaids. I prefer the fabric bandaids, as they seem to hold up better during a rowing practice. I also like the elastic medical tape (it is beige colored, with rouching and used in many athletic training offices). The elastic tape isn't as gummy as white medical tape, holds up better in practice, and creates less friction. I've never found a good use for pre-wrap, except maybe to tie back a pony tail.

Whatever your choices, just use a little tape and as few band-aids as possible.

Extreme Cross Country Rowing

2010-09-17T08:00:00.000-04:00

I often describe the difference between fall head racing and spring sprint racing to the difference between fall cross country and spring track. Red Bull has managed to improve upon this metaphor by actually combining the sports. Below is a video of what can only be described as "extreme cross country rowing." The event begins with a men's eight competition on the water in Switzerland, transitioning to land where the rowers carry their boat and oars through a challenging trail run, get back on the water and row back to the other dock, and then run their boat to the finish line. Check it out!

Crew Couples

2010-09-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

One of the interesting things about SU Crew is how closely the men's and women's teams work together. At many schools the teams may be separate, or could be in totally different classification systems (club versus varsity). There are some schools where the lightweights travel to completely different races than their heavyweight counterparts (such is the case with the Wisconsin Badgers and the Radcliffe [Harvard] women). But at SU, we practice, travel, and spend time together regardless of gender. This means: Rowing relationships. They happen.

As a team member from 2001-2005, I saw my fair share of rowing relationships or "crew couples." I was not left out of the trend either, as I was in a rowing relationship for close to three years. I thought that I would write a quick update on couples of the past.

Pete Haberkost '04 (starboard) and Erin Toeneboehn '04 (starboard) met on the crew team and dated through out college. Coach Jim managed to snap this cute picture of the two of them rowing a mixed double during their senior year.

In 2006, Pete and Erin got married. Jess Hibbard '05 served as the maid of honor and had previously been stroke seat of Erin's Lite 8. Pete and Erin currently live in Woodbridge, Virginia where they are teachers. Pete also coaches with the Prince William Rowing Club. They are expecting their first little crew baby this fall/winter.

Pat Johnson '03 and Laura Lindberg '04 also met on the SU Crew team. They were both lightweights on the team. They married in 2009 and live and work near Philadelphia. Laura is a registered nurse and Pat works as a recruiting consultant for Comcast Cable. They are expecting their first baby this fall.

Ashley McConnaughhay '08 and Andrew Addison '08 also met on the team. Ashley rowed in high school and coached during her college summers on the Hudson River in New York. Ashley and Andrew were married during this past summer and currently reside in Reading, PA. Ashley works for a bank and Andrew works for the Army and is also a volunteer firefighter.

I found this funny blog posting called "All's Fair in Love and Rowing" which posits that rowing relationships are actually "crewcest."

Upping My Game

2010-09-08T23:46:00.000-04:00

I very clearly need to up my game. To be honest, there is not a day that goes by that I don't remind myself I haven't posted on this blog for quite sometime. I had a whole list of excuses, but then I remembered that real rowers, "Row hard. No Excuses."

I thought that I would share a video that I came across this summer. I'm kind of in love with the Canadian Men's Heavyweight Eight national team from the 2008 Beijing Olympics who won the gold medal. I'm particularly infatuated by their coach, Mike Spracklen and his coaching demeanor. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so in a news story for the Toronto Star, the rowers were asked to impersonate their coach.

Adam Kreek (with more world gold medals than I can count) says in his Spracklen impression, "Well you may look tired Adam. You can go into the dark, that's fine. Not everyone can be a champion. Not everyone can be an Olympic gold medalist." The impersonation is so nonchalant it is almost insane that someone can talk about something so important in such a calm manner. However, it comes down to a set of choices that a rower can make. You can have excuses, or you can commit and find glory.

As a college rower, it is easy to let a lot of other things in life get in the way of rowing. IF you want to be good, IF you want to row on a strong team, you have to make the commitment. That means making every practice (regardless of your other campus involvement), working out at the gym outside of practice, and making every stroke on the water count.

"Success in rowing is based on the time that you put in." -Adam Kreek

Welcome Back!

2010-08-25T11:29:00.002-04:00

Welcome back SU Rowers! August marks the beginning of a new academic year and the latest rowing season. Take a look at our tentative fall schedule:

August 23-27: optional pre-season practice
August 30-?: practice each weekday at 4:30pm on the river
August 30: display a double and ergs at Deg to recruit new rowers
September 1: meet and greet with experienced and potential new rowers in the Apple Room
September 2-9: new rowers will meet in the erg room for training
September 3: 5k fun run at 9:00am - meet in front of the gym
September 9: safety video and swim test, experienced rowers will do a stadium run
September 10: everyone to the river at 4:30pm
September 24-26: Susquehanna Family Weekend
September 25: Selinsgrove Street Fair
September 30: Dues must be paid
October 9: Navy Day Regatta in Philadelphia
October 15-19: Susquehanna Fall Break
October 22-24: Susquehanna Homecoming
October 23: Susquehanna Crew Alumni Race at 9:30am
October 31: Dual meet with Penn State University at Howard Lake
October 6: Head of the Occoquan in Virginia

Rob Penaherarra - Guest Blogger

2010-08-14T22:44:00.003-04:00

I am so excited to introduce my first guest blogger post. I am happy to write that SU Sophomore Rob Penaherarra spent the summer rowing and is so excited about his experience that he wanted to share it on our team blog.

While this is a team blog, I would like to welcome anyone to the site that may have stumbled upon it, purely of their love for rowing. You are welcome to be a part of our team, by submitting things, by commenting, or just dropping by!

After a summer full of rowing, I was really excited to share my experiences on our very own rowing blog. My summer of rowing started before the summer even started when Coach Rachael helped me during Spring Training to find a boathouse (using the Row2k website) close enough to my house to row in during the time we were off the good ol’ Susquehanna. She and Row2k led me to the Navesink River Rowing Club, where SU alum and former rower for the SU crew team, Chris Meharg, coaches (for those of you who do not know, Chris Meharg is the rower with pretty much all the records in the Erg Room). I was able to speak to him at our scrimmage in Conshohocken, and he told me that I’d be able to take out a single for the entire summer for $200, so after coming home from school in May, I took that deal and became a college rower and member of the NRR.

In the beginning of my time at NRR, I had to take an “orientation” lesson before being able to go out on the water whenever I wanted, and during that test a coach watched me row in a single (or in this case a bath tub with oars—they make first timers take out a very steady, stable…and large single). I also had to take what’s known as a “tip test”, which involves jumping out of the single, so that the coach can make sure that the rower knows how to get back in the boat in case he or she flips in the middle of the river. Although in many rivers it may not be necessary to do this because you may be able to swim or even walk to the river bank, but the Navesink river is pretty much the ocean (actually sometimes when I went out on the water, it was more like ocean rowing than anything else). Also, all the jellyfish in the river around mid July-August is good motivation not to flip! Luckily though, when I went out in the water that first time and jumped into the river, it was jellyfish-free (by the way I am proud to say that the only time I flipped was when I did it on purpose).

After the orientation row, I was home free and able to take out boats whenever I wanted. In the beginning of my time rowing I would take out singles, which was a great experience. The single is a great way to improve technique on the water, even without a coach right next to you, and that’s because even if you mess up some part of your form-you miss some water with your port oar, your oars aren’t level at the catch, you move around a little during the recovery-you feel it instantly and you are forced to fix it. As varsity rower Katie Messler once told me, “rowing in a single is a very humbling experience” and it’s very true—you have no one to blame for your mistakes but yourself, and you have to fix them yourself. It’s a very different experience from being in a boat with other people, and only certain people are made to be in a single. After rowing in a single for a little while, I learned that I’m not the type to race in a single, and I craved to be in a boat with other rowers.

Lucky for me, there are quite a few college rowers at NRR to row with. The last half of my rowing experience (actually the majority) this summer took place in doubles, quads, and even a four! I was able to get in contact with other college rowers, and we set up times for all of us to go out on the water together. Most of the time, I’d row in a double with a coach at NRR, Yang Chen, who just graduated from Notre Dame and rowed on the Men’s team (he was at Spring Training in Oak Ridge with us-what a coincidence!). I also rowed in a quad a few times, I actually stroked a quad for a race on August 8—we came in second, and only a few seconds away from first. I was really happy with the way it turned out as that was the first time all four of us rowed together. I even rowed a four once during the summer (the only time I swept over summer), I was stroke in that boat also, which was fun but it was a little challenging for two reasons: the boat was port-rigged and although I have experience on port side, I am more experienced with a starboard oar. Also, towards the end of the row, the water became very choppy (one of many times I might add, I guess that happens a lot when you row on an oceanic river).

Rowing this summer was an invaluable experience. It gave me the chance to be on the water whenever I wanted (which will hopefully help me during the academic year when we’re training for our regattas), I made friendships with fellow rowers that I wouldn’t be able to make anywhere else, and I also learned to scull which was awesome—I’m still trying to decide if I like sweeping or sculling more. And even though I had all these great experiences on the Navesink River, I missed my teammates. And rowing in the summer got me really excited to row with them and train for regattas again! I’m looking forward to it all—not too long now!- Rob

In need of rowing inspiration...

2010-08-07T23:00:00.002-04:00

This time of year is always an exciting, yet sad time of the year for me. Working in higher education, August signals the end of my rowing season and the beginning of school. Luckily for me, that also means my team returns. While I won't have much time to row myself, I get to work with a new crop of college rowers and also have a chance to push the rowers I have worked with even further.

As a part time coach you have to make the decision to invest time and energy into your own exercise regime or your teams'. For me, coaching does not mean living vicariously through my rowers. My accomplishments are my accomplishments, just as their accomplishments belong to them. Coaching comes from a desire to impart knowledge, love, and passion for the sport unto others. While I am still working on the knowledge part, I know that I have the love and passion part down pat.

Rowing is something that has the ability to suck you in, so deep that you cannot imagine life without it. Having lived without rowing for two years, I can tell you that it was a sad experience! Arriving to graduate school in fall 2005, my first day in Student Development Theory I, I announced to the class that a large part of my identity was that of a rower. While we often talked about the impact of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, spirituality, socio-economic status, and ability, sometimes we failed to recognize that there are other experiences that really make us who we are.

Rowing has without a doubt informed my values system -- when it comes to health, leadership, teamwork, trust, integrity, work ethic, and so much more. The term "student athlete" became very important to me, even if I had never identified as that in high school. I can't express how much rowing has taught and influenced me. I'm going to attempt to compile a non-comprehensive list...

Balance. Harmony. Rhythm. Synergy. Laughter. Trust. Limitlessness. Passion. Technique. All about the two most important wrenches (7/16 and 3/4). How to change a tire and tighten a lug nut. Nutrition. Yoga. Pilates. Running. Frisbee. Sledding. Splits. Race plans. How hitting a buoy before a race can be good luck. How similar Susquehanna and Virginia Tech look on the water. Knowing that when someone is cheering for Virginia Tech, they are cheering for you. Always send someone to hold the cafeteria door or you will miss dinner. Spandex can be fashionable. Epsom salts are not just for the elderly. It is possible to fit six people in a two door car. Fresh new boat smell is better than new car smell. Always bring your own tissues or TP to the port-o-potty at the end of a race day. The weather will be as nasty as possible during a race. Oar locks can freeze shut. Lightweights usually travel with a practice scale. Teammates last forever. The races you win might not always be the most memorable. You are only as fast as you practice. Erging. Rowing is yoga on water. Head of the Charles is magical. Guts. Lactic acid hurts a lot less than giving up does. Switching sides is not the end of the world. Coaches never stop moving on race day. Bubbles under the hull can lift your spirits. Rowing looks effortless but is dirty, smelly, and not for the faint of heart. A real rower is a McGuiver. Good rowing is like meditating. I always know the height of the Susquehanna (usually the discharge too). I assess weather based on rowability. I watch people at the gym who are erging incorrectly. Sometimes that means I give them an impromptu lesson. I can raise my voice easily. I always wear layers and carry around a water bottle. I believe a group is stronger than an individual. I thrive when I am working toward the greater good. I used to have "race plans" for writing papers (writers block was always the "third 500"). I check Row2K almost daily. I am proud to have a strong work ethic for all that I do. I want to know your 2k time and I will judge accordingly. Good rowing gives me goose bumps.

The Sweet Single Life

2010-07-18T21:00:00.001-04:00

My rowing confession of the day -- the only time (before last week) that I have rowed in a single was on Spring Break this past year. As a college rower, the emphasis was on team boats, and Susquehanna only had access to a training single that took on way too much water. It was orange and was so slow that we jokingly referred to it as the "Orange Blur," which somehow implied that it was fast. Pat Johnson '03 was the only person that I knew who rowed the Blur. Pat had excellent technique and as a Philly native, spent the summers rowing small boats with one of the clubs on Boat House Row.

I was always in awe of Brian Yocono '04, Pat Johnson '03, Joe Gibbons '03, and John Cerniglia '04. They rowed an amazing lightweight four that seemed to literally fly on water. As lightweight men, they understood that their strength stood in their technique and execution, rather than in raw power. They had a poetic grace, but could leave you in the dust on the race course.

I took out the "Bob Long" last Wednesday, a single bequeathed by a former CPRA member. I suspect that Bob takes on an awful lot of water too, since I picked it up there was water sloshing inside that made it incredibly difficult to handle. It wasn't too heavy, but the water shifted the balance of the boat while carrying it. Luckily I had a little help in lowering it into the water. It is an older boat, but is still very smooth.

My first experience in a single was so focused on not flipping (who wants to take a spill in early March?) that I wasn't able to fully appreciate the experience. With all of the coaches on the water helping with four Learn-to-Row boats and an additional four of experience CPRAers, I had the lower part of the Susquehanna all to myself. My first shove off of the dock wasn't exactly successful, but the wind and a little hand paddling helped me get back to the dock. Take two was much better.

The water was unsettled at first, so I stuck below the intake in order to quickly get back to the dock in case the conditions worsened. The Susquehanna is the type of river that can change quickly. I often watch the flags on the Rt. 61 bridge to determine the wind direction and watch for any strange cloud patterns. The longer I stayed out, the better the water became. It was a new experience having so much river all to myself and the calm quietness that comes with not having a launch or boatmates around.

The single offered me a chance to really listen and every so often I like to close my eyes to hear and feel what I am doing in the boat. Without a coach nearby, that is the easiest way I know to correct my own technique. I am much more technically proficient with my starboard blade, so I do have a tendency to pull slightly toward port. I have been focusing in the larger boats on cleaning up my port finishes and continued to do the same in the single. My only mishap of the day was squashing my left thumb between the handles, so I considered it a very successful row.

I still haven't decided if I am the type of person who rows a single. Everyone always talks about how it takes a special type of rower to be self-motivated enough to be able to push themselves in a single. Coach Steve Loaiza firmly believes that I am too social and chatty to be a single sculler. However, I love the freedom of spinning the boat around by myself and knowing that am the only one that needs to make corrections to make the boat fly. I can see how a single could be frustrating, but at this point I think it is a terrific training tool to help me become a better rower.

Too Hot to Row

2010-07-08T10:05:00.003-04:00

What a sad week... it is too hot to row. With temperatures way above average, I am sure that the last three days have reached 100 degrees. With next week beginning our second session of CPRA Learn to Row, I sincerely hope that the weather cools down.

Like Nails on a Chalkboard

2010-07-01T07:30:00.003-04:00

I began the summer coaching the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association in an intensive week long back-to-the-basics rowing camp. Head Coach Steve Loaiza and I created a "lesson plan," and spent each day with a different focus. The aim was to help experienced rowers dust off their skills and prepare rowers of all levels to have a successful summer rowing season. We received a lot of positive feedback from members and as a coach it was helpful to break things down to essential skills and sections of the rowing movement.

I coached a little more, until I went on vacation and returned to the river to find that someone had swiped my launch motor. At first I thought that someone was playing a joke on me or that the motor was being serviced. Unfortunately that was not so, but on a positive note, it did enable me to get back to rowing.

I spent much of last summer rowing in a double with a Bucknell graduate student who had rowed in high school and part of college. Physically and technically, Renee and I were a good match for each other. We even had the opportunity to compete at the Navy Day Regatta and the Masters of the Susquehanna. I say with great certainty that I am in no where near the shape I was in in college, but really appreciated the opportunity to compete once more. In between rowing the Empacher, I coxed a lot last summer, specifically for Learn-to-Row.

Each year, CPRA hosts two "Learn-to-Row" sessions, each session has five days to teach community members how to row. Adults of all ages sign up, usually out of their interest in kayaking, water sports, interest in exercise, wanting to do something for themselves, or having always had a fascination with crew. For some, LTR equates to a fun, week-long camp and a new skill that they learned. For others, their LTR experience encourages them to join the club and row for the rest of the summer (and future years).

This year, we had our first LTR session about three weeks ago. I got to cox and be an "exemplar" rower. I'm a bit of a Chatty Cathy, so coxing during LTR is always a fun opportunity to share stories with new rowers and help talk them through the motion. The nice thing about sitting in the coxswain's seat, as opposed to the coach's launch, is that you never have to worry about shouting over the motor, drifting too far away from the boat, or leaving the boat alone. The downside to coxing new rowers as an experienced rower is that sometimes you just want to do something yourself - like turn the boat around.

I have had to cultivate a certain kind of patience for Learn-to-Row, that I probably didn't have as a young rower. In college, my team had one coach. Every boat had to share one coach, and even with several practices a day, attention may have been difficult to come by in the fall season when it was time to teach novices how to row. Boats were separated and dived up to run land practices or teach in boats. Varsity boats were sent off to practice on their own. This is a common issue even today on the SU team, even when there are two to three coaches on the water. It was frustrating to want to get faster but not have the help, but it was also understood that this was a sacrifice that needed to be made in order to grow the team.

Back to the idea of patience --- I really think that in order to work with Masters rowers, it is important to be understanding, relateable, and positive. For many of the people who are taking LTR, this is the first time that they are trying something new in years. I liken it in many ways to what it is like learning how to drive. I remember being scolded by my driver's ed instructor -- "don't move your whole body to look in the rear view mirror". At the time, it seemed so hard. Now, how many years later, I can be looking directly at the road, subtly glance to my rear view mirror and have an understanding of what is around me without missing a beat. What I once had to train my brain and body to do is now natural. Rowing is very similar in that it takes time, but once you learn to row, it is ingrained in your muscles and brain. Just like riding a bike.

So, to learn how to row, you need to give yourself a free pass to make mistakes. A lot of women tend to obsessively apologize when they are in the boat. As an experienced rower in that boat, you have to help them understand that you are willing to give them time to help them develop their talent. While it is important to be personally responsible for what you are contributing to a boat, if you make a mistake, just make the next stroke better.

Now the part that can sometimes be more trying to me... listening to and feeling the boat are two very important sensory activities for a rower. As a rower, I fully recognize that I am chasing perfection, striving for equilibrium, and oneness with all things. The only things that I really want to hear are the smooth journey of wheels and squaring on the recovery, one crisp catch and strong drive, and a clean release, only to repeat again. You just know when you hear it. It's the sound as a coach that gives me goosebumps as I see a boat racing down the course. (Check out the 22-42 second mark of the Canadian Men's 8 video below).

Remember that I said "perfection." This is not something I'd expect to hear during a LTR session, so instead I usually hear blades flapping on the water, multiple different catches, a barrage of comments from the coxswain and coach with a motor humming in the background. Sometimes it seems like so much background noise I can't even hear what my own blade is doing. That is when things start to sound "like nails on a chalkboard." Bad rowing is painful to listen to, as well as experience. However, this type of experience has challenged me to work on my own skills (I'm not perfect!), rather than blaming or being accusatory toward new rowers.

Coach Steve looked at me last week and said, "boy, I can tell you are a Susquehanna rower from all the way down the course!" Apparently I have taken to pulling into my lap with my port blade close to the finish. He thought for sure I would catch it, just by listening to my finishes. With the LTR din of various sounds, it totally escaped my attention. It didn't necessarily "feel" wrong and I couldn't hear it. It was such a small change, but I definitely have to use my body markers to more consciously think about where I am pulling in to. With infinitely more sweep experience than sculling, I still have a bit more to learn and internalize before I acheive technical prowess as a sculler. So yes, I even need some paitience with myself, in addition to others.

Trailer Monkeys

2010-06-15T16:28:00.000-04:00

Surely it looks like I could up my game when it comes to posting. I supposed I haven't been feeling that inspired to write. I have been moving apartments and offices, and can tell you when my physical space isn't in order, I can't expect my head to be in the right place either.

I am a huge proponent of keeping equipment organized. I give Coach Jim some serious praise for the order he has kept our shed in. Not only does he know where things are, but it isn't difficult for any team member to find something that they need.

Susquehanna also has the tradition of having a leader to load the trailer. The position goes by many names, but is a nod to the art of learning just how everything can fit onto the trailer. I like to think of this position as being an apprenticeship of sorts, passed down from one Varsity rower to the next. It takes a lot of stress off of coaches and puts more of the responsibility onto the rowers for their own equipment.

Spring Break 2005 - Sarasota, Florida at the Osprey Oars Rowing Club

I think it is funny how people tend to naturally fall into several categories on derigging days:

Organizers - they are the ones that know if the bow numbers are packed, where the electrical tape is, which oars still need to be loaded, which riggers belong to which boat, and where the tarp gets strapped. They are the ones others look to in order to keep the loading going. They are the question answer-ers and the ones usually able to keep others in line.

Rachel Fetrow, Tim Barnes, Rachael Gebely, Ashley McConnaughhay, and Andrew Addison - March 2005

Trailer monkeys - the first ones to climb the trailer when the boats are being loaded. The ability to stay balanced while holding expensive equipment, dangling from a metal frame is most desired. Usually eager and good spirited, but the ability to crack jokes is optional.

Andrew Addison, Tim Barnes, Brian Nalls, and Brendon Wirth - March 2005

Brute force - the first ones people look to in order to get the eights on the highest racks. These are usually the rowers most likely to be seen in the weight room and are some of the most competitive team members.
Worriers - someone who has to double check the shed to make sure everything was loaded, double check the straps to make sure the boats are secured, and reminds everyone what time the bus is coming. Coaches can be both thankful for and worried by such behavior.
Go with the flow'ers - always willing to lend a hand, grab a wrench, or carry a boat. Often these are your novice rowers, who are interested to learn, but aren't yet able to discern the priorities of what needs to be done first.

Katie Messler and Nick Fritz loading oars - Spring 2009

"I'm trying to look busy, but I'm not really doing anything" - these are the team mates who skillfully avoid work and dirtiness of any kind. If a motor needs to be carried, suddenly their shoelace is untied. They conveniently have to go to the bathroom when boats are being loaded, or have to review some paperwork or go talk with the coach during an informal boat meeting.

Joe Klass, Chris Chizeck, and Christine Magee (Boat Mastress) - Spring 2009

Personality Traits in an Eight

2010-06-07T17:00:00.001-04:00

A piece of writing by Mike Sullivan that has stood the test of time...

Sully's Personality Traits in an Eight - Feb. 1976

"Here's my long awaited theory on personality traits of the different seats of an eight. This assumes a straight port-stroked stern coxed eight.

I would guess that a straight starboard stroked boat would be fairly similar, but that ports and starboards are as different from each other as men are from women - I know from personal experience being bi myself (sided not sexual). I've long noted differences in personality from port to starboard in myself. This for another day and perhaps when under the influence.

Therefore, a bucket rigged port stroked bow coxed eight is not included in this theory.

From the stern:
Cox: It's pretty obvious what traits a cox must adopt and tries to learn to do a good job in this most unique position in the athletic world. I'll pass on the leadership stuff, napoleon complex garbage, and point out a secondary characteristic or two that coxes unintentionally inherit after riding in the box for a while.
They can't drive a car anymore. They take 10 miles to change a lane, oversteer, can't find the brakes, and yell to the car a lot. This has nothing to do with the coxes' former driving ability. Stick Richard Petty in a cox seat for awhile, they'll take his driver's license away. Coxes also begin to squint a lot, no loss in vision, they just squint.

Stroke:'It's a tough job but only I can do it.' The meekest, most frightened non-rower in the world; when plugged reluctantly in the stroke seat, stays meek up until the first few strokes. The first few paddle strokes, a thought grows in the wimps' sniveling little mind that this job is his/hers for life. Back on the shore, the real personality will percolate back to the surface. 'I hope you guys could follow me ok.' In the boat they're thinking: 'stop rushing, you weenies!' Strokes are born and made to be the most competitive person in the boat by far, and if they stroke long enough, become overly competitive in everything they pursue, or don't pursue. Don't expect to finish a game of Monopoly, Risk, or Golf with a stroke. The only one that can beat him to the chow line is the three man (more later) because the stroke was delayed trying to put more oars away in the rack than anyone else.

Seven: the seat is the Bitch Niche. I don't know if whining, overly bossy, big-mouthed complainers are born, and I can't believe that the cosmic effect of this seat could possibly be so instantaneous, but you could teach Mother Theresa to row in a tank, stick her in an eight at seven for the first time, and as the stern four is rowing away from the dock, she'll turn around and yell at the bow four to 'set the f*cking boat.' The longer one rows at seven, the more sophisticated and complex the bitching becomes, changing from a crude verbal rowing suggestion to the six man in the early stages to long winded level- voiced reasoned treatises after every piece explaining why the crew is slower now than last week. Ever wonder why when a coach drives up shell-side to ask how a piece went he says: 'So how did that go, fellas? -not you seven.' I was a team captain, looked up to leader of my college crew, kept my mouth shut and did my job. I raced one week at seven, my coach told me to 'shut up Sullivan' in a post race meeting. Women who deal with severe PMS mood swings will find those swings totally disappear after some time at seven. Permanent OTR.

Six: If you bred Arnold Swartzeneggar with a Golden Retriever, you get a six. Six is also Seven's yin. The gentle giant, gorilla in the mist. Six absorbs most of Seven's bitching and keeps it from moving through to the rest of the crew. Six nods and agrees a lot. It is a hard thing for a normal person to row Six. It seems like such a great seat, your're in the stern, the boats more stable here, but when you are done with a rowing career at six, you find you have been used. Sixes are characterized by great competence in execution of rowing and life, but poor self confidence and a propensity to self-flagellation. Take your 3 year stroke out of the stroke seat and stick him/her at six for a week. This will be the first time you ever hear him/her say: 'My fault, fellas,' at the end of a poor piece. Sixes meditate. Sixes marry, go to work for, and lend their power tools to sevens. This support system keeps sevens with thriving businesses, mates they can walk all over, and a garage full of power tools at their disposal that they don't have to fix when they break.

Five: God. Yahweh. Allah. Buddha. It's not that the five seat IS those things, its just that's how (s)he gets treated. Five's stool don't stink, the catches don't hang. They're the older brother or sister that gets special treatment, and has no idea. If a photo is taken of the crew, five will look great, everyone else is caught with shirtails out, and snot on the lip. At heart and soul, five forgets to change oil, pay phone bills, and turn in forms to the IRS. Five is an example of what happens to a bum that is treated like a king, they act like one. Five has the greatest delta between image and reality. The fortunate thing is that the unearned unabashed worship lasts only as long as the time on the water. Five's on his own back at home. Five wears aviator glasses.

Four: The Amnesia-seat. Take a genius with a photographic memory. Row said genius at four. Listen to him ask for the third time in the same warmup, 'How many of these 500s are we doing?' Four seat is not stupid, just has immediate and catastrophic memory loss. At a start and 20, four settles at 21 because in the time the cox yelled 'settle in two,' he forgot. In a Novice boat where the seats have been removed and cleaned, it'll be four's that went back in backwards. Four will forget to tell the boatman about his(her) stripped rigger nut - usually from the time he is told by the coach, until he arrives at the boatman's bench wondering what he's doing there. On that first day on the water as the ice is breaking up, who is rummaging around the back of the boathouse looking for a sweatshirt? Four is why racing shirts are handed out on race day.

Three: Late in the water. Late to practice. Late to class. Late to work. Late out of the water. Late to his date. Late to the team bus. Late for everything but chow line. There is no competitiveness involved here, just an uncanny knack to have the first three rowers into the dining hall stopped by friends for a brief discussion while three breezes on by to the tray stack. Three generally gets assigned a sitter.

Two: Lean to the left, lean to the right, stand up, sit down, fight fight fight. Cheerleader. What is amazing, is to sit at four or five after a particular piece - seven is whining about the balance, the spacing, no swing, rushing: two is back there with pom poms saying: ALL RIGHT GUYS! LETS DO THAT AGAIN!... Two calls out names of power 10s. 'Awright guys - OAR CLASH TEN!' If he says something funny, he repeated something the bowman prompted him with.

Bow: Comedian. The bow seat creates a strange fatalism. They know that in a catastrophic collision, they'll be the only one to die or get paralysed. Consequently there is a constant quiet stream of one-liners that two or three could probably hear if two were not cheering loudly. If the bow is joined by a cox in a front-loader, this trait completely disappears, since someone is now likely to hear him joke about three being late, five not pulling hard, or the coxn's course looking like a signature. (S)he can be humorless and witless off the water, but on the water when there is breath to spare, you're sure to catch a chuckle if you listen.

Conclusion:
There is no possible use for this info. You don't necessarily stick your most competitive athlete at stroke. Stick anyone there and they'll get competitive. It takes a long time for some of these seat traits to manifest themselves in personality disorders, but you can usually catch subtle differences the first day.
Just this fall, doing a temp coaching for the first couple weeks of the season, one of the crew was sick one day. I'd laid out a plan of drills to reinforce what we'd spent some intense teaching time on the day before. We were also going to get a couple few hard miles in at a low rate by sixes. I had a sense that I'd do the crew more good by filling out a seat for them than by yammering from the launch. It makes the transitions go smoother in the sixes rotation and I figured I could watch them while not rowing. I told the crew what the work and goals were of the day. Then I told them I'd row four (missing port). I left the clipboard behind knowing what we were going to do. We rowed away from the dock, the cox started us going with what I'd verbally laid out. Halfway through the workout, she asked me 'what's next.' 'What's next what?' says I. 'What's next in the workout, coach?' (I honestly wondered why she called me coach at that moment, and couldn't remember the workout.)

I also suddenly remembered I was supposed to be watching rowers' blade depths while I was out and hadn't been.............. Four. "

I'm a self-professed rowing nerd. Rarely a day goes by that I don't check Row2K, Rowing Illustrated, or some other rowing related site. I enjoy catching up on the Boards at Rowing Illustrated every so often, and like this thread about who goes in what seat.

Filling a boat line up takes strategy. I like to think about both the physical and mental aspects of each rower when determining where they go. There is a lot to be said about technique and power, but sometimes it just takes a certain personality to make things fit. Also, the boat line up needs to end up working all together, so interpersonal relationships tend to influence how I set a boat.

Everyone can argue about who should the boat be built around -- the stroke? six? For me, one of the most pivotal seats to get "right" is seven. It may be the "bitch niche," but I also have come to think of seven as the bouncer of the boat or protector. Seven is in charge of stopping any rush from bow six -- the bodyguard that makes sure nothing gets to stroke. If seven isn't in time, the rest of the boat probably isn't either. It's a good seat for someone who needs to be in control.

In my entire college career, I was never stroke. I fully identify as combination of five and six (where I finished my career). Where do you fit in?

Future Blog Post Topics

2010-05-31T11:47:00.003-04:00

Here are some of my thoughts on future posts:

Hand Care for Rowers - epsom salts, Neosporin, fabric band-aids, New Skin liquid bandage, and taping secrets

Lightweight rowing

Susquehanna's travels to Head of the Charles

Celebrating our graduates

Personality traits in an eight

Fabulous and Free Workout of the Week

2010-05-30T22:22:00.004-04:00

I'm spending the holiday weekend in Connecticut with Phil. On Saturday we got a chance to go hiking together with our friend from college, Dave. While on the hike, I started to think about how hiking can be a great workout, and better yet, it is free!

Our destination? Craig Castle in Meriden, CT. It wasn't a particularly grueling hike, but we kept a good pace and challenged ourselves.

As a rower, it is important to concentrate on how your body feels during every piece and every race. A competetive rowers is all all too familiar with the burn that emanates from their quads or other parts of their body. Running on a treadmill or elliptical bike can be thankless. It is all too easy to not challenge yourself if you fall into a workout rut. Hiking is great exercise that challenges your muscles by demanding precision and balance in your steps, stamina to make it up (or even down) steep inclines, and focus and mental strength to keep going.

I suppose the same can be said about mountain biking, but that means you need a lot of specialized gear (a good bike and gear can be more than 1g). Mountain biking also demands an intense level of coordination. Speaking coordination (or lack thereof), I did take a small spill on the hike. It was toward the end, on flater terrain with a small slope on the side of the road. We were going quickly and my shoes slipped on some loose gravel. I sustained a nasty scrape on my knee, but other than being a little bruised and sore, I should survive. On that note, always hike with others and take proper safety precautions.

Find a local hiking spot today and enjoy the holiday weekend!

What's Been Going on at the River

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

CPRA (the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association) is in full swing now, after starting the season strong with a week long intensive coaching program last week. For those of you unfamiliar with CPRA, it is a local rowing club that is geared toward adults in the community. We have three coached rows a week and also have the opportunity to train for races. Some members rowed in college, learned at a camp, or took a course. Each year, CPRA hosts two Learn-to-Row weeks for adults and also two Junior camps for high school students in addition to regular rowing.

Many Susquehanna University students have been involved with CPRA -- just to name a few: Chris Meharg '03, Kathy Wulderk '04, me '05, and Ang Weaver '09. This summer Jill (Sands) Martin '05 is serving as the Head Coxswain and we are also joined by current student Katie Messler '11.

My own CPRA experience began in the winter of 2003 coaching CPRA members on the ergs 2-3 times a week at SU. That is how I believe I met Coach Jim. Every Saturday morning, I would coach an erg workout -- which is also where I met my Chiropractor, Dr. Ed Kryzkwa who showed up every week without fail. After coaching, I could get my own workout in.

In the Summer of 2004, I coxed and rowed with CPRA. Most frequently, I coxed the "Edna M. Sheary." A bow coxed Vespoli DL, it was a heavy weight men's boat, and I coxed Jim Baker, Mike Domzalski, Jim Grose, and Marc. That was the summer that Steve Loaiza blew into town. I use that phrase because no one in CPRA was quite sure how to take him. He was full of gusto and I think he enjoyed ruffling people's feathers. I think that I coxed Steve in that boat too.

That fall (2004), Steve began coaching the Bucknell Men's Crew and Jim began Assistant Coaching at SU. The one memorable time that we all converged was at Head of the Charles. That is certainly a story I will have to share in a future post. I don't hesitate in saying that it was the best weekend ever!

Upon graduating in 2005, I moved to southwestern Ohio to attend gratuate school. My closest involvement to rowing there was supervising a Resident Assistant, Randy Fiedler who served as coxswain on the Miami University crew team. When I moved back to the area to begin work at Bucknell, I was certain that I would be involved in CPRA once more.

After settling in at Bucknell, I began to row again. In 2009, I joined the Board of Directors and became their Social Chair. Last summer I got to train a lot in a sweet Empacher Double with Bucknell grad student Renee Perry and also cox a quad for the Learn-to-Row sessions. I am also the hostess for our infamous "Thursday Night Socials." Every Thursday after rowing, we grill hamburgers and hotdogs (with the occasional veggie burger) and join each other for snacks and fun.

For the first two weeks of the season, I am coaching. I thought that I would be itching to get back into a boat, but I am really enjoying myself. My experience coaching in the past year has really challenged and stretched me. I think that rowing now saddens me a bit because I know that I will never probably train at the same level I did in college. It still gives me immense joy and satisfaction, but at least with coaching I am holding others accountable to reach that level I miss.

In the news lately, CPRA was in the Daily Item, with comments by Coach Steve. Also, Bucknell Assistant Women's/CPRA Youth Coach Dan Wolleben was voted as Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year.

Sweet Yoga Moves

2010-05-23T16:30:00.001-04:00

It is a proud moment for a coach when an athlete does something totally unexpected, but completely in line with the training that they have been doing and then wants you to know about it. In my case, Devin Thomas and his fellow road-tripping teammates (Rob Pennaherrara, Erika Mall, Amanda Nichols, and Krissy Bohrman) sent me a photo of the "tree pose" that we have incorporated into our crew practices.

For those of you who may be looking to incorporate yoga into your workout routine, I tried to find a few basic resources. For SU rowers, if you have a photo of yourself completing one of our yoga moves, send it to me and we can compile our own SU Crew pose post.

iYogaLife.com is a great way to introduce yourself to Yoga and its benefits. They offer a blog entry and then a slideshow with photos depicting the various poses -- making it a simple and understandable to practice new moves. They also have various topics geared specifically toward gender, different types of athletes, and more.

"The 5 Best Poses for Athletes" highlighted by the iYogaLife Slideshow
"The Gym Goer's Guide to Yoga" on the iYogaLife Slideshow

eHow also offers a free video series on Yoga Poses & Positions for athletes.

Coach Twins and Other Clothing Info

2010-05-23T12:42:00.015-04:00

A funny thing happened on the way to the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships -- without planning it, myself (Coach Rachael) and Coach Jim dressed in nearly identical outfits.

Under normal circumstances, Coach Jim, Coach Steve, and I have the same Carhartt rain jacket. We've never gotten a photo though and this was all I could find.

I tend to bundle up before going on the water, so I routinely wear my "snowsuit" which consists of my Carhartt jacket, Under Amour Frosty Tights, rain pants, boots, and a hat. Luckily the weather smiled upon us at MACCCs and I could finally shed my layers.

When we go to races, I like to wear things that show my Susquehanna spirit - such as my SU Crew hat and then a maroon or orange top. That particular day, Jim and I must have been thinking on the same wavelength because we each had orange shirts, dark khaki shorts, sneakers, sunglasses, and our SU Crew hats on. Since it was so hot that day, I changed part way through after dripping with sweat. I did get a little guff suggesting that I merely changed to avoid being Coach Jim's twin.

Later in the season at our crew banquet, team members helped the coaching staff look even more cohesive by presenting Coach Steve and I with fake mustaches. I am just about dying with laughter in this photo.

Many of you have expressed interest in being able to purchase SU Crew apparrel. This fall, I would like to make sure that happens.

Here is what I would like to make available:

Black and maroon traditional Susquehanna Crew jackets
Orange and maroon rugby shirts
SU Crew hats
A nice polo with an embroidered logo or nice t-shirt for coaches and parents

Is there anything that you would like to see made available? Leave your suggestions on the comments section.

While we are on clothing, let me share a few of my favorite things good for coaching or rowing:

Having a full time job has certainly enabled me to buy a lot of things that I didn't have while in college. Actually, a lot of the clothing that I might wear now didn't even exist when I was in college. So, I mostly rowed in t-shirts and regular gym shorts. That definitely worked, but the nice thing I have found about the new wicking fabrics is that you can just rinse them out in the sink and let them air dry if you can't do laundry all that often. Cotton can also get really cold on the water if you get wet, but a good racing shirt or pair of spandex tights pulls the water or sweat away from your body.

Remember, "it is all about layers." Think it is too hot for pants but too cool for shorts? Try a pair of soccer socks and push them down if you get hot. They can also help with track bites. A cheap way to protect your legs from track bites is to cut the feet out of nice, thick socks -- pull the band up to your calf and bingo, no more track wounds. I still have scars from rowing the Empacher last summer until I got smart and used something a little thicker than just a band-aid. Vests are a great way to regulate body heat, and a lot easier to get out of than a pull-over jacket.

Looking to pick up a few must have for rowing pieces? Try a local outlet shopping center. They often have brand outlets like Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, and more. If you have a Triple A membership, you can often get a discount coupon book and if you shop on a national holiday weekend like Memorial Day or 4th of July, there are often extra deals to be had.

They Say a Picture Says a Thousand Words...

2010-05-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

Another part of our banquet was a lovely slide show that senior Sarah Hawk put together. Since I don't have the photos or the slide show, I thought that I would treat you to my own version of the slide show showcasing the many faces of SU Crew...

Sulking Christine and sad Sarah say goodbye to the rowing season, while ecstatic James is just happy that he could row in the final race of the season.

Chris and John Adams ponder the mysteries of the universe and the future of the SU Crew Team,

while Tess shows them some serious attitude.

Stephen and Sarah want to know if Tess is kidding because...

Sarah thinks that attitude comes from new accessories.

Paula is trying her best to be a monster, regardless of accessories.

Krissy, Amanda, and Chris B. are ready to row again because

Rob and Devin have some secret moves planned for the team.

Poor Paula is lost without her teammates,

but Nick F. tells Paula to play it cool and wait for next semester.

Nick C. and Amanda might not look that enthused, but

Megan shows them how to put their game faces on.

Lauren S. decided to give up her dream to be the next pageant queen hoping for world peace, and settled on rowing instead.

Erika, her pageant hairstylist was disappointed, but decided to experiment on Rob.

While a successful hairstylist, Erika fails in the pageant coaching business, as Tomas (her only other hope) took second place in the Little Mr. Gym Time pageant.

Kate is rarely ever not smiling, but she too is disappointed that crew is over.

Jon F. told her that she can still work on her muscles by picking up/throwing large objects.

Christine encourages everyone to eat their fruits and vegetables over the summer and

told Jon Adams to enjoy his delicious desserts in moderation.

Joe and Lauren M.think that you can learn a lesson from wildlife, suggesting that swimming is a great summer time activity that will keep you in shape like the fishies.

James said that you should be careful exercising in the wilderness or you might get bitten.

Devin suggests that working out is easier in a team and there will be plenty of other training tips on the blog this summer.

In the wise words of "Mr. T" the SU Crew girls "pity the fool[s]" who don't stay in shape and continue to train for crew over the summer.

Haley is in shock that the year is over,

Erika just can't believe it either!

Devin said that he is already ready for next year!

Chris C. said, "You are going to be as surprised as the look on my face because..."

"I really plan to bulk up!"

Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Colleen approves this message.

Tradition, Tradition!

2010-05-09T22:00:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, just one week ago marked our end of the year celebration banquet. Our banquet is an event where we get to look back on the year and pass on our traditions. Part of that tradition is giving team awards.

The Brass Oarlock Award

In old wooden shells, the riggers had brass oarlocks. The sleeve of the oar was covered in leather (called oar leathers) which would rub against the inside of the brass oarlock with each stroke. Over time, the outside part of the oarlock would become rough or pitted and develop a patina, but the inside of the oarlock stayed shiny and beautiful. "Brass Oarlock" is given to the man and woman on the team who may not be the most showy, but prove their devotion and commitment to the team through hard work, persistence, and tenacity.
2010 Woman - Samantha Gromek
2010 Man - Devin Thomas

Most Improved Novice Woman Award (MINOW) - Lauren Seamon
Most Improved Novice Man Award (MINOM) - Rob Penneherrara

The Broken Fin Award
The "Broken Fin" is given to an outstanding Susquehanna coxswain each year. This year in particular, it was given also to a rower turned coxswain that actually had a "broken fin" (his elbow).
2010 - James Hendershot

The Shaft
The "Shaft" is a broken old Susquehanna oar which is passed down each year - rower to rower - to someone who "gets the shaft." Essentially through bad luck or circumstance, this person may not have the best year, but who is still commitment to the team and also has an outstanding attitude.
2010 - John Adams

The Green Sweatpants Award
The "green sweatpants" used to be passed down to a rower with an awesome fashion sense and attitude. During my time on the team, a pair of lime green sweatpants actually existed, but most have fallen a part in recent years. In place of the sweat pants, Courtney Jean Lippincott surrendered her famous yellow rain boot (before rain boots ever became so popular).
2010 - Haley Murphy passed down the award to Paula Trinchera, whose funky/bright spandex and outlook always keep us entertained!

The Ergman Award
The "Ergman" was created by Coach Steve's wife Patty. It is passed down from rower to rower and symbolizes someone who attacks the ergs.
2010 - Devin Thomas passed the cape on to Rob Pennaherrara

The Hammer Award
Hammers are given to the members of the team with the best erg performance.
2010 - James Hendershot, Nick Corridoni, and Christine Magee

Race Day Photos

2010-05-05T13:40:00.001-04:00

Photos from Knecht Cup - thanks to Sportgraphics.com

MACCCs Schedule

2010-04-30T14:29:00.005-04:00

Seniors Christine Magee and Sarah Hawk earned one of their first medals at MACCCs in Spring 2007.

You can find the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships (MACCCs) schedule online now.

Susquehanna will compete against the University of Maryland - Baltimore County and College Park, St. John's College, James Madison University, Catholic University, Virginia Tech, St. Mary's College of Maryland, William and Mary, Loyola College, Maritime, Rutgers, American University, Liberty University, Virginia Commonwealth, and more.

Parking is $10 per vehicle and NO pets are allowed in the park. Directions are here.

SU In the Papers!

2010-04-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

Today, the SU Crew team was featured in The Daily Item, the local newspaper of Sunbury, PA. Last week a reporter and photographer/videographer came to check out our team. They took some great photos and video of our team, that can be found at the links below.

Rowing Provides a Full Body Workout by Gina Morton

Local Video - Full Body Workout

Please excuse the fact that I sound like a total airhead on the video, but I was really nervous! When I first started coaching, I told Coach Jim that I would do anything but drive the trailer. Coach Jim has kept to his word, but is happy to have an assistant around to do things that he doesn't like. Apparently "other duties as assigned," includes being on camera, because Coach Jim is camera shy. (Jim, don't worry, I'm just razzing you).

The video features glimpses of our boat house, the novice women carrying their boat to the water, and the men's varsity four in action.

Unveiling of the "Coach Tomko"

2010-04-26T08:00:00.001-04:00

Saturday was a proud day for Susquehanna University Crew. On April 24th, we christened the "Coach Tomko," after our beloved former crew coach who brought the team to where it stands today. In the works since fall of 2009, it was amazing that we could keep the secret, but asked "Coach" Brian Tomko down to the river to help with our dual meet against the Universityty of Scranton.

Coach Brian Tomko and Coxswain Jill Martin '05 having a pep talk before Head of the Charles 2004.

The "Lite 8:" Alyssa, Kate, Dawn, Sara, Jill, Ashley, Jess, Rachael, and Coach

Coach Jim began by introducing "Coach" to the newer team members and crew families. I suppose that Coach began to become suspicious once Jim mentioned how big of an impact that he had on our team and how he was such a great mentor. I wanted to share a few words about my "Coach" and got to unveil the name on the new Vespoli ES V1, the "Coach Tomko."

How could I put into words the impact that my Coach had not only on my collegiate rowing career, but also on the person that I have become today.

Brian Tomko and the SU Crew Team taught me more about my personal values, teamwork and trust, care and concern, and leadership than I have ever learned anywhere else.

Upon graduation and to this day, it is hard to think of Brian as anything but "Coach."

Just when I had thought I lost my faith in rowing during my junior year, I had an amazing opportunity to join the Varsity Lightweight 8. With the help of Coach, our Lite 8 learned to fly, with him right by our side. Nothing excited Coach more than to see us reach our goals, and it was always clear by the wide grin he wore on his face. That is why we are here today, in this moment to celebrate and thank our coach for giving so much to his team and rowers.

As the SU Crew family, new and old, we are eternally grateful for the hard word, dedication, and perseverance Brian Tomko committed to our team.

As a small gesture, without words, his spirit, commitment, and love of the sport will carry on -- in the dedication of the "Coach Tomko."

I'm a little bit happy to say that we made him turn red and shed a few tears, but I think that is just another testament to how big of a heart he has, and how much he has cared about our team over the years.

President L. Jay Lemons was on hand to further congratulate Brian. It was especially touching that he mentioned that so many current students and alumni have shared with him that crew has touched their lives in innumerable ways, as well as their admiration of Coach Tomko.

President Lemons, Coach Brian Tomko, Rachael Gebely, and Jim Gross

Varsity 8 Ladies in the "Coach Tomko"

I'd ask that if you have any memories about Coach that you would like to share or well wishes, please post them under the "Comments" section.

History Cont.

2010-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

In the Spring of 2002, SU Crew traveled to Washington, DC for "Capitol Classic," a small regatta geared toward Division III crew teams. Although a rainy, almost miserable day, the crew team saw great success and brought back several medals. Two first place medals were earned by the Lightweight Varsity 4 and the Women's Novice 4 (my boat) in "Synergy." Synergy was the perfect name for a shell. Synergy literally means the interaction of discrete parts which create a total effect greater than the sum of individual efforts. It alludes to the power of synchronicity and teamwork.

Unfortuneately, on a wet and windy trailer ride how, Synergy's hopes were literally crashed when a wet strap allowed it to fall off the trailer and be run over by two cars. It was the first boat tragedy I ever experienced, although not the last. With the help of University insurance, we were able to replace Synergy with a new lightweight women's 4. Much debate occured over the name, but "Fusion," seemed to be appropriately fitting along with the openweight women's 4, "Unity."

Busfield Results

2010-04-18T21:07:00.003-04:00

The results of the Busfield Regatta this past Saturday were just posted. It looks like the Women's Novice 4 and the Women's Varsity 4 race results are not posted correctly --- especially being that we have a third place Men's Novice 4 when we didn't even send one out on the water!

History Lesson of the Day

2010-04-15T17:00:00.000-04:00

This week I have been a neglectful blog keeper and coach. As many of you know, my full-time job is working in Housing and Residential Life at Bucknell University. I oversee 10 different residential buildings, supervise the Resident Assistants, counsel students, teach classes, and a lot more. This week is our final week for room selection, so I have been working until 10 or 11pm at night. I was lucky enough to be able to coach on Tuesday morning. Someone asked me, "Why would you ever get up that early to coach?" I simply responded, "Because it is the best part of my day." I love the students that I get to work with at Bucknell and the things that I get to do in my full-time job, but rowing has always held my heart.

One of my goals in the upcoming weeks is to tell you the story of the Susquehanna boats. As a team member from 2001-2005, I often joked that I was the team's oral historian. I love story-telling and think that every team needs to know where it came from in order to know where it is going. While I have some crazy stories, I promise you that I don't exaggerate.

I wanted to start with the story of "Annalia," but quickly realized that Annalia's history is based on the other boats of the Susquehanna fleet, as well as the members of the team.

Fall 2001 Fleet:

2x - Double Trouble
Vespoli DL4+ (Bow Loader) - Edna M. Sheary
Vespoli DM4+ - Charles B. Degenstein
2001 Vespoli DM4+ - Unity - delivered fresh in the wrapper that fall
Vespoli DS4+ - Synergy
Vespoli DL8+ - Shane's B.O.W.
Poccock 8+ - Joel Cunningham/Athena/the Poccock/Clifford

At Head of the Occoquan that year, we picked up Meridian (1997 Vespoli DM8+), which we purchased used from a high school rowing program. Believe it or not, rowing in Meridian was considered a privilege that spring, and she raced well.

The plus sign (+) stands for plus the coxswain, instead of being a "straight" boat or minus (-) without the coxswain. Sculling boats (two oars per person) have an "x" after the number of rowers.

Vespoli is an American boat company started by rower and coach Mike Vespoli. Vespoli uses a classification system of two to three letters to describe the hull type and recommended size of the crew. "D" stands for the "D-Hull" designed by a naval architect and hydrodynamics expert, and was born from the most comprehensive rowing research that had ever been done at the time. Fours are classified as small (S), medium (M), and large (L), while the eights have an additional extra-large (XL) category.

S 4+: 135-160lbs S 8+: 125-155lbs.
M 4+: 160-185lbs M 8+: 155-185lbs.
L 4+: 185-220lbs L 8+: 175-205lbs.
XL 8+: 195-225lbs

Vespoli recently introduced the "E-Hull" which was designed by the naval architect who's boat won America's Cup. They are more similar in nature to Resolute shells now, also designed by an America's Cup winner architect.

As you may have noticed, only two boats remain in the Susquehanna fleet (Unity and Meridian). Edna belongs to the Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association (CPRA). More to come later!

Dad Vails Gets a New Name

2010-04-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dad Vails is getting a new name and sponsor. Aberdeen Asset Management, a Scottish investment firm with American Headquarters in Philadelphia will be the new title sponsor of the Dad Vail Regatta. Now known officially as the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta, due to a generous investment, the regatta is assured to be in Philadelphia until at least 2013. Aberdeen has previously sponsored the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race.

Knecht Cup and Foam Steve

2010-04-12T16:17:00.009-04:00

This past weekend, SU Crew traveled to the Cooper River in Pennsauken, NJ for Knecht Cup. Knecht Cup is one of the largest mid-season regattas across the country, attracting crews from Florida, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Indiana, Georgia, and more! We got to see a number of parents and SU Crew supporters, which makes racing even more fun.

One person that was not able to travel with us was Asst. Coach Steve Loaiza. In his spirit, we brought "Foam Steve," to watch the races.

Steve had a busy weekend, fraternizing with his coaching colleague Derek Updegraff. Derek was surprised this weekend by the Bucknell Men's Crew Team, who named their new Resolute 8 after him ("Derek Updegraff Jr. '93). Derek rowed on the team as a student at BU, and later came back to coach the men's and women's teams. This is a tremendous honor that speaks to the impact that he has made on their team!

Steve is also posing with Head Coach Jim Grose and Asst. Coach Rachael Gebely waiting for the Men's Varsity Eight DII/DIII to come down river.

Since the team had to meet the bus at 2:15am on Saturday morning, some of the rowers took the opportunity to catch a nap underneath the crew tent.

The team was hosted overnight by the friends and family of Christine Magee '10. We were welcomed by an amazing dinner of meatball sandwiches, pasta, chicken fingers, chicken Parmesan, pasta salad, salad, and cookies. Sarah Hawk's Mom also contributed delicious brownies. Christine's Mom and friends were kind enough to pack the extra food to-go so that we could enjoy it once again on Sunday. We are so lucky to be supported by such wonderful people. The team was able to stay overnight at two homes in Lansdowne, which was a short trip to the race course.

I'm pretty sure that the rowers avoid eating the mushy sandwiches provided by the cafe at all costs. Since we had so many parents say that they were interested in bringing goodies to our next races, the team has made up a sign up website. The site can always be reached under the "SU Crew News and Events" section of the blog. By no means are you required to sign up ahead of time (or bring anything at all), but the site will give you an indication of what we typically bring and what the team loves to eat.

This weekend we saw teams with full out tent restaurants: complete with coffee, breakfast burritos made on site, grills, and much more. While we don't necessarily need that kind of production, the team has always appreciated support from families. I still remember the Johnsons' bringing fresh Philly pretzels to Knecht and Dad Vails, Mrs. Jensen's Mandarin Orange spinach salad and lasagna at our Occoquan races, and Mrs. Meharg's homemade brownie muffins. I later learned that the brownies were really store bought, but boy were they delicious!

We ended up having a successful weekend, seeing a lot of positive improvements in each of our boats. Since this was our first big race of the season, we also have learned a lot about where we need to go from here. You can find the results here or on our "News" section of the blog.

The Immortal Words of Coach Steve

2010-04-07T17:30:00.003-04:00

"Row like you stole the boat and the sheriff is hot on your tail!" Don't let them catch you! - Coach Steve Loaiza

Coach Steve wishes the SU Crew team the best of luck at Knecht Cup this weekend!

CPRA Octuple - Summer 2009 - Carol Graybeal (1), Susquehanna Provost Linda McMillian, Sally Thomas, Jim Baker, Derek Updegraft, SU Professor Rich Orwig, Kim Daubman, SU Assistant Coach Steve Loaiza, and former SU rower/CPRA coxswain Ang Weaver

Good Luck Charms and Rowing Unity

2010-04-06T22:00:00.006-04:00

I loved racing. Nothing was more exhilarating than going into battle with my boat. I was always a nervous wreck beforehand, but after our boat pep talk from our coach and our boat showing of solidarity, I was ready to go.

I'm a superstitious rower. I can't count the number of times that I have "knocked on wood" to prevent disaster befalling SU equipment (unfortunately it happens anyway) and I had my good luck charms and rituals in order to ensure a good race.

Dad Vails 2005 - Varsity Lightweight 4 - Bow Alyssa Russo, Rachael Gebely, Allison Bankus, Jess Hibbard, and coxswain Lauren Fasnaught

Superstition exists on some level in every sport as a way to demonstrate the belief and confidence an athlete has. Athletes playing on the college or professional levels are competing at the maximum level against others that possess the same skills. Superstitions provide athletes with confidence in their edge over the skills of their opponents.

Michael Jordan always wore his blue UNC shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck. Pitcher Mark Fidrych used to play with the dirt on the mound and talk to himself before every inning. Carl Yastrzemski wore the same pair of socks for seven years. Bruce Gardiner of the Ottawa Sentators ice hockey team used to dip his stick into the toilet before games to teach it respect.

The most memorable good luck charm I had was given to our "Lite 8" by our coxswain Kathy Wulderk.

Knecht Cup 2004 - Lite 8 coxswain Kathy Wulderk

Kathy presented each boat member with "power beads," which were essentially girl's hair ties from Walmart. They were neon hair bands with four colored beads on them. We wore them on our wrists (our outside wrist) for good luck.

Spring 2004 - Rachael Gebely and Alyssa Russo

The elastic is worn out of my two power bead bracelets (one from junior and one from senior year), but I still took one in the boat with me when I raced at Navy Day last fall. We also had orange and maroon hair ribbons. Those were more for team spirit, rather than good luck.

My stroke, Jess Hibbard had this crazy pair of blue tinted Oakley-esque sunglasses. I eventually came to wear an orange tinted pair. I think we wore them regardless of sun, but they were great for making us feel more intense and ready to go into battle. I kind of likened them to horse blinders. I never wore them outside of crew, and they always make me focused and ready to go.

Knecht Cup 2004 - Lite 8 stroke Jess Hibbard

Before every race, our coxswain would start a fist bump from the stern that would travel towards bow, and then switch directions to end back in the stern. It was our way of passing good energy to one another and get in the mood to race.

Often you will see crews wearing matching outfits, homemade individualized t-shirts, nicknames, or selecting a boat name. Be it the "Lite 8," the "FFF's" (Fat Fat Fatties), or the HMSCF - there is no shortage of creative crew names or slogans that embody the spirit of their crews.

Knect Cup 2004 - "We Weigh Enough," Varsity Open 8 - Kimmie Graham, Marisa Chamberlain, Lauren Tanis, Shannon Jolly, and Cate Eytel

Philadelphia Tri-Meet 2010 - Lauren Seamon and "First to the Dock, First to Dinner," Christine Magee

Busfield Regatta 2009 - Joe Klass, Justin Chambers, James Hendershot, Samantha Gromek, and Nick Corridoni

Fall 2009 - Justin Yedibalian, Jon Fellin, and Nick Fritz

Masters of the Susquehanna 2009 - "HMSCF" - Nick Corridoni (captain), Tom Joyce, Chris Chidzik, John Adams, Stephen Hyde, Joe Klass, Tomas Prestamo, Devin Thomas, and Nick Fritz

Whatever the good luck charm or ritual, it can increase both your level of confidence in your preparation and the level of unity you can achieve in your boat. Good luck at Knecht this weekend!

“There’s no right or wrong, but there’s together and not together. And eight guys working together is always going to be faster than eight individuals who are rowing their own race.” – National Team Rower Matt Muffelman

Cream of the Crop Coxswains

2010-04-05T08:43:00.005-04:00

Today, I stumbled upon what I believe is one of my new favorite rowing websites. Called "Shivspix" it features rowing art by Shivani. A former coxswain, Shivani combines her love of photography, rowing, and the amazing people she has worked with into a first class website featuring stunning photographs, interviews, and advice.

Here are some great advice columns written by the USRowing national team coxswains:

Pete Cipollone - coxswain of the 2004 gold-medal winning U.S. men's 8. Pete also World Championships in the heavyweight men's eight in 1997, 1998, and 1999
Marcus McElhenney - coxswain of the 2008 bronze-medal winning U.S. men's 8
Ned DelGuercio - coxswain of the gold-medal lightweight eight at the 2008 World Rowing Senior and Junior Championships

Form and Function

2010-03-30T21:37:00.003-04:00

Aristotle once said in Metaphysica that, "the whole is more than the sum of its parts."

Gestalt psychology also follows the principle of totality, that "the conscious experience must be considered globally (by taking into account all the physical and mental aspects of the individual simultaneously) because the nature of the mind demands that each component be considered as part of a system of dynamic relationships."

At Susquehanna, we treat rowing in a very holistic manner. We stretch and lengthen our muscles through yoga and focus on our breathing, we tear apart and build up our muscles through lifting, we push our lungs to their capacity through cardio, we do interval training and sprints to condition our fast twitch muscles, we test our endurance in longer workouts to challenge our slow twitch muscles, we erg on slides to work on ratio and teamwork, and we erg individually to learn how to push ourselves to our personal limits. That's just the physical part.

Mentally, we have the blog to celebrate team accomplishments and disseminate information, we have long talks on bus rides and cafeteria meals, debriefing sessions after rowing, we watch videos of ourselves and others, we send each other reassuring messages through Facebook/campus mail/and on our doors, we psych ourselves up through music and good luck rituals, we make t-shirts that show the world our group identity, we have coaches and coxswains to point out our form and our work ethic, and we have each other.

We don't just do the same lifts every day, the same workouts, the same pep talks, and the same conversations... It is hard to tease a part what actually goes into our "training." The same thing goes with teasing a part the rowing stroke and movement of a boat. Many rowers mistakenly believe that there is some kind of magic automatic fix to issues in a boat.

There are a million tiny details (or dynamic relationships) that go into the physics of rowing a boat that can create the slightest offset or drag. There is often a desire to "call someone out," by pointing out a weakness or a troublesome part of the stroke. The trouble is, sometimes there are so many small things contributing to an overall problem that a lot of things (from a lot of people) need to be fixed to make a noticeable difference.

Most rowers that I see on the Susquehanna team have very predictable issues. No amount of calling attention in the past few months has addressed individual style or action. Here are some general tips about issues I regularly see:

Don't use a problem to fix a problem - Don't shorten the stroke to offset having trouble getting the blade cleanly out of the water. This will not help the boat operate at full efficiency - ultimately you are just slowing it down.
Don't get mad - The tenser you are, the less fluid and dynamic your bladework will become. Use any frustration and channel it through the drive and your breath rather than letting it consume you.
Give yourself permission to have a bad stroke/day/practice - The best of crews don't have perfect rows all of the time (sure their "less than perfect rows" may look differently than ours, but it still happens). We have to "do" to learn in crew and often that means making mistakes. As Coach Steve likes to say, "It's all about the miles," meaning the only way you are going to become a better rower is if you put in the water time -- miles and miles and miles.
Stay FOCUSED - Keep your mental brain and physical head in the boat. You have to be physically and mentally present to be in top form as a rower. Also, "sightseeing" by turning your head around/staring at your oar/or other form of lallygagging is going to offset the boat. Need to get your head in the game? Close your eyes and concentrate on the feeling of the oar through the water and the rhythm of the boat or focus on listening to your breathing or the sounds of the boat/water. Rowing is more of a feeling than a physical product you can see.
Coming up the slide is called the RECOVERY for a reason - Don't rush the slide and expect the boat to fly underneath of you. The minute you feel tension in the undersides of your knees is when you know you are pulling yourself up the slide instead of floating. The recovery (or return) is when the boat is moving underneath of you to gain the maximum amount of water per stroke. When you rush, you can actually send the boat sternward and giving up valuable water. EVERYONE in the boat can do something about rushing - e.g. not contributing to it. Don't get sucked into the rush.
Don't drop the hands over the knees - Time and time again, I see blades skying (e.g. hanging way up high in the air) before the catch because rowers drop the hands once they get past their knees. Maintain even, steady hand levels on the return to ensure a clean and well-timed catch.
Square up early - "Show your colors" by starting to square the blade over the ankles. Showing your colors means that spectators will know exactly who is coming down the course because of the length of time your blade design and colors are shown. The blade will continue to move backward as you square, eventually lining up perfectly for the catch. Quick hands, early square, clean and crisp catch. BOOM, then you are moving!

Although I just spent a great deal of time talking about the need to think of rowing as a whole (from a macro rather than micro perspective), Row2K features just posted a great new article entitled, "Fixing the Set, One Detail at a Time: A non-holistic approach to set," written by Rob Colburn. He identifies a set of symptoms and causes for boat set issues that I think we can all learn a thing or two from.

USA World Championships Team 2004

For me, rowing comes down to attitude, tenacity, perseverance, willingness to learn (and fail), and FIRE! Take what you will from that.

Hola Amigos! Que pasa?

2010-03-28T16:39:00.006-04:00

Hola amigos! I have just returned from an amazing week with friends in Miami, Mexico, and Belize and am ready to get back to work, coaching, and blogging! Just to prove my love and affinity for the water and rowing, I spend 5 nights on a cruise ship, erged three times (on a sweet new Model E!), paddle boated and jumped on a water trampoline in the ocean, went cave tubing, and took a ride on a catamaran. I also got to go ice skating, zip lining through the jungle, and did so many other fun things. Did I mention my old coxswain was on the trip with me?

Yet I am so excited to get back into my launch with the team and to get to row again this summer. Since this marks the end of my exciting Spring Break trips, I thought that I would do a final farewell picture recap of SU Spring Break before moving on to the racing season.

Here I am coxing the BEYOND AWESOME new Vespoli DS V1 on the last day of Spring Break. You can also see the lovely Tess Graham.

Freshmen Chris Ballway(1) and Justin Yedibalian (2)

Chris Chizeck during his first time in the single.

Chris Chidzik once more.

Sarah Hawk (1), Megan Butts (2), Lauren Seamon (3), Christine Magee (4), and coxswain Justin Yedibalian

Stroke Tomas Prestamo and coxswain Rob Penaherrara

Paula Trinchera (1), Erica Mall (2), Lauren Moore (3), Kate Strangfeld (1), and coxswain Chris Chizeck

Here is a time progression of our Men's 8 on the last day of Spring Break. They start out looking pretty good: I saw solid rhythm, early squaring, and nice hand levels...

Then they got a little tired and had to take a nap... Or maybe they were just sunning themselves. Your guess is as good as mine.

Then they turned into bandits or ninjas or some other shirtless band of mercenaries...

Rob Penaherrara (1), Nick Fritz (2), John Adams (3), Devin Thomas (4), Stephen Hyde (5), Tomas Prestamo (6), Joe Klass (7), James Hendershot (8), and coxswain Jon Fellin.

Overall, it was a trip to remember with good friends, good times, and even better water!

Erika Mall

Lauren Seamon and Megan Butts

Our hard working trailer loading team...

Spring Break 2010 Photos Part 3

2010-03-24T12:00:00.001-04:00

Surprise... even more Spring Break photos!

Spring Break 2010 Photos Part 2

2010-03-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Surprise... more Spring Break photos!

Our fearless leader, Head Coach Jim Grose

Coxswain Chris Chizeck, Christine Magee, James Hendershot, Sarah Hawk, and John Adams

Freshman Lauren Moore in the double (Katie Messler not shown)

Blogging Vacation

2010-03-20T11:37:00.002-04:00

SU Crew competed against F&M and Bryn Mawr today - results pending.

I am going on vacation this week, so the blog will be taking a short hiatus. In the meantime, if you'd really like to surprise me upon my return -- LEAVE SOME COMMENTS! Also in my absence, photos may still post during the week I am away.

Also, please enjoy a small selection of Spring Break Training photos - with more on the way!

Novice Kate Strangfeld - her first time in a single. Look at those guns!

Seniors Sarah Hawk (2) and Christine Magee (1) in the double

Sophomore Stephen Hyde as cox, John Adams, Chris Ballway, Justin Yedibalian, and Rob Penaherrera

Sophomore Devin Thomas as cox, Kate Stranfeld, Lauren Season, Meghan Butts, and Jonathan Fellin

Coach Rachael Gebely in the single, sophomores Devin Thomas and Stephen Hyde

Interview: Coxswain Becca Stahl

2010-03-18T22:40:00.000-04:00

Meet Becca Stahl, SU coxswain from 2003-2007. Becca also coxed at Riverside Rowing Center in Boston, MA and the Blood Street Skulls out of Old Lyme, CT. Becca is currently working on her Masters in Early Childhood Education and Child Life from Mills College in California. She has helped the Mills College Crew team as a coxswain coach and recently coxed a race for the Lake Merritt Women's team out of Oakland, CA.

Above: Kim Graham, Jessie Perkins, Becca Stahl, Jaci Vanderhoof, and Michelle Vitaro

Advice for New Coxswains from Becca Stahl ("Chatter Cox"), former SU coxswain:

Just do your best. Some days are going to horrible and you're gonna wanna quit, other days you'll learn why you love being on the water...
Listen to your rowers, because when it comes down to it, it's you and them. As I tell everyone, my boat of boys taught me everything about coxing my first semester.
If you think you're going to hit something, STOP.
Always look at where you are in relationship to shore and the other boats... this may include peeking behind you.
Try and learn the vocab as quick as possible so it just comes out naturally.
Steering the boat everyday will change due to who feels like pulling hard and vice versa.
If your coxbox breaks, heavens sake, just YELL, don't be afraid of being direct, firm but don't shriek/scream/sound panicked...
Find your coxswain voice and learn how to use the intensity in it to get done what you want done...
Last but least, leave your problems on shore and LOVE being in total control.

Above: Knecht Cup medalists Justin Chambers, James Hendershot, Chris Pfaff, Cate Eytel, Zach Ross, Becca Stahl, Kyle Nalls, and Brian Tanis (please let me know if you can identify the eighth rower)

What Becca wishes she knew then:

Some days you'll hate it and other days you'll love it, but it's truly the best feeling in the world when you can get a boat moving perfectly and you have a great practice/race. The point is to leave each practice behind knowing that you put your best out there and that there is always tomorrow.

Above: Brenden Wirth, Brian Nalls, Andrew Addison, Zach Ross, and Becca Stahl

Best Becca quote:

I need to be on the water like I need to breathe.

Dreams of Glass (Water)

2010-03-16T22:07:00.002-04:00

After a fun filled Spring Break, we got a mother of a reality check by returning to a river that was not quite ready to greet us yet. Yesterday the river crested at over 20 feet and was discharging close to 200,000 cubic feet per second of water. In case you are wondering, 12 feet is considered the highest level to safely row on, with a 60,000 cubic feet per second discharge. Even at that level and discharge, you are lucky to make past the intake in 45 minutes in a four.

Want to track the water for yourself, see the USGS Real-Time Wat er Data.

Many people have asked me, "Why travel all the way to Tennessee to row?" Simply put, the best part of the trip is the water. It offers miles and miles of rowable water and rarely do you ever find water that has more than a little disturbance. Particularly in the morning, the water looks like glass and is so calm and flat that you can see everything above it reflected on the water.

As a tribute to better water to come, I thought that I would share some photos of "glass" on the Susquehanna and Sarasota, FL (Spring Break 2005).

Above: Men's Varsity Heavyweight 8 (circa fall 2002). Coxswain Jill (Sands) Martin, stroke Chris Meharg, Ben Theriault, Andy DeBrunner, Pat Johnson, Pat Thumm, Kevin Tedesco, Chris Gatti, and Pete Haberkost.

Above: Women's Light 8. Coxswain Kathy Wulderk, stroke Jess Hibbard, Laura (Lindberg) Johnson, Lindsay Weller, Alison Bankus, Karly, Janice Paulson, Kate Jensen, and Katie Meyer.

Flat water on the Intracostal Waterway in Sarasota, Florida in March 2005.
Pictured below: Rachael Gebely (coxing due to being "benched" by my coach because of illness), Alyssa Russo, Ashley McConnaughhay. Not pictured: Jess Hibbard.

The water might have been perfect in Sarasota if not for the hidden sand bars, large yachts of drunken people yelling at us to row (even though their wake might break our boat in two), and the stranded fish at low tide. I didn't even mind wading the boats into the water two practices a day.

Spring Break 2010 - Eat, Sleep, Row.

2010-03-14T20:01:00.009-04:00

Yesterday we went for one last row, packed the trailer, and headed home. The weather had cleared and the water flattened up for us to give us a good send off, although I think that a lot of people could have done without the mud. When non-rowers thinks of crew, it probably seems so dignified and classy. Real rowers know that there is a lot of dirt, mud, geese poop, sweat, blood, oil, and potentially polluted water involved. But we love it anyway.

In order to accommodate the 22 rowers that traveled with us to Tennessee, we had two 8's, four 4's, one double, one single, and two launches (with motors) on board the trailer with a lot of odds and ends. Thanks to our Trailer Maststress, Christine Magee and the imaginative engineering of Coach Jim Grose, everything fit and arrived home safe and sound late on Saturday night at the boathouse.

The week was full of a lot of great rowing and great memories. I may have mentioned this before, but I laughed so hard that I almost cried many times this week. I learned a lot of new things related to coaching and teamwork, but also about life. On the lighter side, I learned that it is physically possible to get a piece of toast stuck up your nose (and then blow it out), that there are many midwesterners studying abroad in Vienna with thick accents (dontcha knough?), Olympians are confused when you ask them for an autograph in a TN gym (although gracious), oar locks don't work very well when they are backwards, it is possible for a fresh water fish to grow to the size of a large goose, the best way to recuperate from a hard day is to sit in a $4000 Brookstone massage chair, I'm a "nice lady," a bus can have the air conditioner and the heat running at the same time, don't publicly advertise that you have a jacuzzi bathtub in your hotel room when the pool is closed, electric lighting is not natural in a cave, if you tell someone to do something for good luck they may go a little too far, and much more. What was your favorite or funniest Spring Break memory? Don't forget to post it in the comment section. Also, I need photos to post this week on the blog, please send me some at rgebely@gmail.com!

We did a lot of eating, a lot of sleeping, and a lot of rowing. Throw in some Frisbee, team bonding, and checking out other teams and that is the summary of our Spring Break.

When It Rains, It Pours Friday

2010-03-12T22:46:00.005-05:00

This morning we beat the bad weather by getting in three 8 minute racing pieces. All of our boats are progressing well at this point in the week and I had the opportunity to film some more of their rowing. As a little preview as to what is to come, here are some SU boats and part of the Canadian National Team (with a few Olympians and a bronze medalist in there somewhere!).

During our optional 11:30am practice, I got to drive the van by myself and coach by myself. I guess I am moving up in the ranks. Nothing beats a week of intensive launch driving and practicing as a crash course into coaching. I certainly feel more confident with the motor and megaphone than I did last semester. I'm still learning a lot each day, but it feels nice to have something to be challenged by as much as rowing once did for me as a student.

"I think that's why I coach.. I used to get up early every morning with a clear goal in mind of how fast I was going to be. When I stopped rowing, there was a void in my daily routine. Now I go to bed at night and get up morning with a clear goal in mind of how fast you are going to be." -- Chris Allsopp, freshman coach, United States Military Academy

The sky looked ominous on the way over, with a bit of rain, but we were determined to go out anyway. Devin Thomas took out a single after one practice in the double. Nick Fritz and Chris Ballway took out the double with limited experience as well. We stayed on the 2000m course, so that we would be close to the dock. The wind kicked up a bit across the course and just when we thought the storm may have passed, lightening struck. Luckily each boat and the launch made it safely back to the dock in the pouring rain. Kudos to the guys for rowing in adverse conditions and still having a great time.

We spent the rest of the afternoon indoors playing "cards." Each team member was dealt five cards and the sum represented the number of reps or seconds the team had to perform of the exercise of their choosing. We had a wide range of exercises from yoga, burpees, mountain climbers, diamond push ups, air squats, jumping jacks, ab work, jumpees, and much more for a total of over 40 different kinds of exercises. We finished our session with some pilates, yoga, and stretching. We also reviewed our film footage from this morning and watched a great technical breakdown on Row2k regarding front and backsplash. We also got to distribute our sweet Spring Break tshirts.

After cleaning up, we had a spectacular dinner at the Flat Water Grille which overlooks the Oak Ridge 2k race course. The food was excellent, the portions monstrous, and the company divine. You can tell we are a tight knit crew team when we have no problems eating off one anthers' plates! I think that I almost laughed until I cried today and found out that you can actually snort food out of your nose. Luckily I did not personally experience this phenomena. It will be sad to say goodbye to Oak Ridge tomorrow and return to regular life. The good news is that the racing season has just begun and who knows what is in store for us for the rest of the semester!

Put Me In Coach Thursday

2010-03-11T21:19:00.008-05:00

Today we raced North Park University. We fielded a mixed novice/varsity women's eight, varsity men's (almost lightweight) four, and a novice men's four. We also had our double on the water. It's fun to get out and see what the crews are capable of at this point in the week.

It makes me very excited for racing season, as I have been away from Sprint racing for four years. There is just something about head to head/side by side racing that is more intense and captivating than head race season. Sprint race season is when crews race 2000 meters (1.25 miles) in lanes right next to each other. There is a competitiveness and "do or die" mentality about it, unmatched even on the ergs. After all of the practices and preparation, crew's do what they have trained for -- what we live for.

"The feel of a good row stays with you hours afterward. Your muscles glow, your mind wanders from the papers on you desk and goes back, again and again, to that terrific power piece at the end of the workout when it felt as if you and the boat were flying, as if you legs were two cannons and your arms were two oars and the great lateral muscles of your back were pterodactyl wings and the brim of your baseball cap was a harpoon." -- Barry Strauss from Rowing Against the Current

Good rowing is a feeling as much as it is a physical output. A rower will chase the feeling of a good row for the entirety of his or her career -- be it one stroke, one piece, one practice, one race... It feels like sheer perfection when a crew finds itself in sync with one another and at peace with the water itself. A good crew can make racing look good. Peaceful or serene even. However, there is a lot of training, guts, and sheer determination that helps them accomplish that. Outside of the boats it looks like a finely orchestrated ballet, inside however, there is often blood, sweat, and gut wrenching toil.

"The rower need to know technique and has to be in shape. He won't wrong by using strategy. Yet what it takes to win races is the ability to reach inside and pull out something to keep you going -- no, to go faster -- when you have nothing left to give. There's a word for what that takes and the word is not magic, the word is guts." -- Barry Strauss from Rowing Against the Current

Unlike other sports, there are rarely surprises and upsets in rowing. Essentially, you can only be as fast as you practice. Sure the pressure of a race can help you reach a little bit deeper or hold out a little bit longer, but racing is simply proof of how hard you have been working.

"In the early months of training you're thinking 'What the hell is all this for?' Because the race is so far off. There's so much tedium and discipline and brutal effort to hammer through. You have to resist the subconsious desire to put an end to all this self-inflicted hardship. But as the days pass and you feel yourself getting stronger, you begin to live for the next day. You punish yourself if with a will in training, because you know you're facing a race that will suspend your life. Somewhere in the race, you will find out what it is you've been working for. And your asking big questions of your body, and when the right answers are coming back, it's a feeling you know you will never forget." -- Dan Topolski from TRUE BLUE, The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny

Slow But Steady State Wednesday

2010-03-10T20:44:00.007-05:00

It's Wednesday and everyone is starting to drag a little bit. It was obvious today that more than a few of us could use a little more rest. Everyone is experiencing some kind of stiffness, overuse soreness/injury, or being just plain tired. We were a little slower to the bus this morning for practice, but all in all had a great practice. Every day we seem to make it a little bit farther downstream. Despite being tired, I saw some great energy on the water and some boats really starting to move together.

After returning to the hotel, several team members and I did some more yoga and stretching to help combat soreness or just being generally tight. Today we experimented with a little music with our yoga. Rob Penaherrera showed us all how to "move [our] hips like yeah," to Miley Cyrus. It is hard to concentrate on deep breathing when we were laughing so hard! I also showed Katie Messler and Tess Graham how to do the "Single Ladies" attitude hand movements later that day. It's a real shame that we don't have a karaoke machine down here or a crew team dance off! We are a versatile crew in so many ways.

I found my way to the gym afterward, but I hear that there was a fairly intense game of Ultimate Frisbee going on before everyone showered up for our afternoon off. We took the bus to the Lost Sea, America's Largest Underground Lake. Almost everyone tried to catch a snooze and get some much needed rest. Even going to bed early doesn't seem to cut it at this point in the week.

I was convinced that we would see a Fraggle in the cave and was woefully disappointed that no one had ever heard of Fraggle Rock -- Jim Henson's muppets that lived underground and liked to sing a lot.

We did however get to stare down the "Devil's Hole," learn about prehistoric jaguars and moonshine distilerys, touch/hug/kiss the "Bear's Paw" for good luck (again I wish I had some photos downloaded to post!), and take a ride on the lake in a glass bottom boat. Our tour guide gave us a little guff for not rowing on the lake, even giving us two boat paddles. We did however practice our set by rocking the boat back and forth. It was a pretty cool trip.

After that we hit the mall in Knoxville for some food and more fun. Katie, Tess, and I spent about a half hour in Brookstone on their most excellent massage chairs. It's amazing what a little massage can do for tired and achy muscles. I think we could have fallen asleep right there in the store. Even Coach Jim was hooked.

Tomorrow we race. We are going to do some practice racing against North Park University. Bring it on!

Victory Squat Tuesday

2010-03-09T22:16:00.006-05:00

Today we logged a lot of excellent miles on the water. This morning I had an opportunity to cox a mixed four, which is the first time I have been in the John M. Thumm. As a Vespoli DL, the coxswain's seat is nice and roomy to accommodate the snow suit I have been decked out in this week. Although the weather has been fantastic, it always feels colder as a coach or coxswain. While the rowers are dressed in shorts and tshirts, the coaches really layer up and in some cases can be seen sporting brightly colored survival suits. I really do miss being in a boat, and if coxing is what gets me one back into one, I will happily comply!

Speaking of coaches: yesterday Coach Jim dropped his megaphone in the water and I am happy to report after letting it dry out, it is working just fine. My megaphone is still on the fritz, but it usually straightens out after a good bump or two in the launch. Between the megaphones and the motors, there is always something to worry about. It is easy to miss the simplicity of powering your own boat that rowing affords.

"I think that's why I coach... I used to get up early every morning with a clear goal in mind of how fast I was going to be. When I stopped rowing, there was a void in my daily routine. Now I go to bed at night and get up morning with a clear goal in mind of how fast you are going to be." -- Chris Allsopp, freshman coach, United States Military Academy

We have been spending a lot of time in small boats such as the fours and double, in an effort to hone our technique. While the beginning of the week focused primarily on drills, we are now moving into more power pieces. We sent seven rowers, one coxswain, and an observer out during our optional 11:30am pratice. Everyone is itching to try out the double or single and making great progress at that! The afternoon was spent practicing racing starts and longer power pieces.

We finished up with an extended yoga and stretch session, as everyone is starting to really feel the week's efforts. Although some of our teammates thought it looked a little awkward to outsiders, it was much needed. Pictures are definitely to come once they get uploaded! We stuck with the usual -- victory squat, tree, plank, and chair and added some new twists, such as the mermaid and egg. Although thoroughly grass covered, I can say that we all benefited from our poses. A few team members headed to the gym before dinner to get some lifting in.

We ate dinner at Olive Garden and went through many baskets of breadsticks and bowls of salad. Everyone was full and tired by the ride home. Wednesday is our "fun day," which means that we will row in the morning and then take the afternoon off in favor of a fun activity. Until then, SLEEP!

Sounds Like Somebody has a Case of the Mondays

2010-03-08T20:48:00.006-05:00

On Sunday we finished the day with a team pizza party and videotape viewing in the hotel banquet room. It gave us a great opportunity to step back and see the coach's perspective from a launch and focus on the improvements we can make in the coming days. Already today I noticed rowers making small changes and adjustments based on the feedback they received yesterday. Our goal is to videotape one more time and compare/contrast our performance once they week is through. I will post videos once I return to a better internet connection.

We completed our second full day on the water today. You might ask, what does a typical day look like?

6:30am: Wake up, get dressed, and eat breakfast at the hotel
7:00am-9:30am: Load the bus to drive to the river. Rowers take oars down to the docks and return to carry the boats while the coaches fire up the launches. Practice drills by pairs and full boats. Watch coaches' motors die (several times) and hope they can get started back up.
9:30am: Load the bus to drive to the hotel. Eat second breakfast. Thank our hostess who always makes sure we have plenty to eat. Play Frisbee/take a nap/work on homework.
Optional 11:30am: Drive in the van to the river to take out small sculling boats (double and single). Stay out until 1:15pm, dock, and return to the hotel for a quick change or snack.
2:00pm-5:30pm: Load the bus and get ready for a second (or third) row of the day. Fill the launch gas tanks. Change line ups. Begin by practicing drills and get into racing pieces. Watch coaches' motors die (several times). Watch coach's megaphone die and have to shout over the motor roar. Stop to observe a large dead fish. Turn, race some more and then dock. Strap all of the gear down, secure the launches for the day.
5:30pm: Return to the hotel, shower up and get ready for dinner.
7:00pm: Eat dinner as a team. Copious amounts of food are always appreciated and expected. Congregate in the lobby to play cards, games, or just hang out. Have coaches check hands for blisters. Sleep.

We take rowing, eating, and sleeping very seriously. Often times in that order. Even if we are serious on the water we also always try to have a good time. That is usually accomplished through humor. Rower Chris Chizeck wants to share a joke with you that he created today. What do motorboats and coffee have in common? They wake you. The only down side to rowing on a beautiful stretch of water is that others find it attractive too -- such as fishermen and recreational boaters. Traveling a great speeds, they create large wakes that can make it difficult (or sometimes impossible) to row through.

Back to the eating part. We ate at Ryan's Steakhouse this evening which is an all-you-can-eat buffet. As a crew team, the restaurant presented us with a boat paddle (like the kind the coaches use when their motors die) to sign as a team and hang on the wall. "Ryan's Appreciates Rowers" and proudly displays a paddle of each team that eats there.

Sunday Morning Row

2010-03-07T11:06:00.005-05:00

We just completed our first row of Spring Break 2010. We wanted to send a message to all of you out there, so check out the video below:

We spent the morning exploring the water and video taping. Tonight we will dissect it to see what improvements we can make as the week and season go on.

Safe and Sound

2010-03-06T21:42:00.003-05:00

To our friends and families: SU Crew arrived at 10:30am in Oak Ridge, TN --- safe and sound. After a long bus ride (we left PA at midnight on Friday) and quite a few rest stops, we had some lunch, set up our boat site, got together for Ultimate Frisbee, and had a gut busting Mexican dinner. We plan to row at least two times each day and will leave on Saturday stronger, fitter, and more technically proficient.

Finally, off the ergs and back onto the water!

If you are interested in keeping up with us this week, try checking out the Oak Ridge Rowing Association marina web cams. You will undoubtedly see many teams out looking to capitalize on the great weather and water Oak Ridge has to offer.

Spring Break - HERE WE COME!

2010-03-04T22:00:00.005-05:00

Watch out Oak Ridge, SU Crew is coming to town on Saturday!

For those of you unfamiliar, Oak Ridge, TN is like a rower's mecca. Plenty of reasonable accommodations, affordable and delicious places to eat, as well as miles and miles of gorgeous water!

So the weather may be a little unpredictable -- snow last year anyone?

But we are ready to hit the road and then get out on the water. More pictures and hilarity to ensue. Stay tuned!

Keep Up the Good Work: EXERCISE!

2010-03-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

Practice Schedule for the week:

Monday: Meet in Classroom 1 at 4:15pm for a meeting to discuss our transition from the indoor season to the water. Several team members will be needed to go with Coach Jim to the river to load the big launch so plan your attire accordingly.
Tuesday: Loading the boats on the trailer at the river. Meet at 4:15pm to get a ride.
Remainder of the week: exercise on your own

Here are some suggestions for alternative exercises this week:

Swimming
Swimming is a great way to benefit your heart and lungs. It gets your heart rate up, but takes some of the impact stress off of your body. Regular swimming builds muscle, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. Lap swimming can be very meditative, and can help rowers focus on establishing good rhythm that is needed in a boat.

If you are lap swimming, make sure you give yourself a good push at every turn. Pushing off the wall engages your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and abs. It will also give you the momentum needed to establish good rhythm later that will let you glide through the water. Focus on stretching your stroke out so that you can maintain the flexibility we have established through yoga so far.

Open Swim Hours:

Activity	Days	Times
Lap Swimming	Monday and Wednesday	7 to 8 a.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Monday through Friday	11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Monday through Thursday	8:30 to 10 p.m.
Lap & Recreation Swimming	Saturday and Sunday	2 to 4 p.m.

Running
Looking for a real challenge? Try running the stadium. Please do not attempt this if you have knee problems or if there is snow or water on the steps! Stadium running is one of the best workouts for a rower to increase mental toughness. As a high intensity physical activity, you will find that running the stadium will fatigue your muscles and the build up of lactic acid will become present (muscles may feel like they are burning and breathing may be labored). This mimics physiological effects that we feel during a rowing race, and can help us work on our concentration and technique through the pain.

I suggest focusing your energy on one motion (either running up or running down). If you choose to focus on the accent, run as fast as you can to the top and give yourself time to recover by jogging or walking down the steps -- repeat. You can even add a jog between stadium sets and run the other side, giving yourself a brief flat recovery on the track. Remember though that when you start to fatigue, take extra care in your steps so that you don't fall or slip. This is a very demanding physical activity and can be stressful on the body, so it is not to be used as a regular work out. Give yourself adequate time to recover (until soreness dissipates), otherwise you will regress and diminish your progress by doing too much too fast.

My favorite flat running course near Susquehanna is the "River Run." Starting at the gym, turn right onto Pine Street. Continue straight until Water Street (Keller's Beer Distributor) and turn left. At the fire station, turn right. Cross the bridge onto the Isle of Que and turn right at the river. Travel straight until you hit the farm with cows and turn around. For an extra challenge, you can keep going. There is a house with lots of lawn ornamentation on it that has a water fountain in the front for runners during warmer weather that you can stop at if you are thirsty. Challenge yourself to sprint back to campus once you get to President Lemon's house. This can be anywhere between a 4-6 mile run, depending on your desired length. It offers the most peaceful and serene views, is very safe (although be on the look out for cars), and provides a nice surface to run on. You may prefer a more hilly run out by the prison, an indoor run on the treadmills or track, or something else entirely -- but the possibilities are endless.

Other Exercises
Pilates or yoga are great ways to stay limber and loose. You may choose to do a program like PX90 that focuses on cross training or something more specific like kickboxing or step. If you are at home over break and have access to a fitness club that offers aerobics classes, programs like "Step & Sculpt," "BOSU," and interval weight training (like "Cardio Pump") are all great ways to improve upon your fitness level by emphasizing good form, balance, and strength development.

Remember, the important thing is that you keep doing something!

A Congratulations in Order

2010-02-28T21:11:00.011-05:00

Jump for joy...

Congratulations to the SU Crew team for an outstanding performance at the 2010 Bucknell Erg Armageddon. If Coach Jim's calculations are correct, each team member reached a new personal record (PR) for their 2k yesterday! It is proof positive that the time we have spent preparing this winter has taken us to new and perhaps unimaginable places. The progress made between the end of the fall season and now is incredible.

What makes a difference?

Regular practice attendance
Commitment to lifting and exercise outside of practices
Increased flexibility and focus from daily yoga poses
Attention paid to individualized race plans
Proper hydration
Selecting a motivating and involved coxswain
Team support and LOVE

As soon as the results are posted online, I will link them here.

Spring Break Planning

2010-02-25T22:00:00.001-05:00

Spring Break is quickly approaching. Here are a few reminders:

We will be traveling to Oak Ridge via bus. Unlike our race buses, this one will not have a bathroom, however we will be stopping at rest stops or gas stations as needed through out the night for gas. There is plenty of storage for luggage underneath of the bus.

Don't forget to bring:

Refillable water bottle
Sneakers (for running or other activities)
Swim Suit (to utilize the hotel's pool)
Medications and Inhalers
Insurance card
Clothing appropriate for different types of weather

As far as weather goes, the lows are expected to be in the mid to upper 30's. The later parts of the day are expected to be in the mid-50s. There could be rain, snow, or some other form of freak weather, so be prepared! My freshman year we started out in snowsuits and ended up in t-shirts and tank tops. Remember that we will be rowing two times a day and you may be asked to cox at some point. You will want clean clothes the evening for dinner. Also, sage traveling wisdom states that you can never pack enough pairs of socks or underwear.

Additional items to consider:

Blanket or pillow for the bus ride
Board Games for the hotel
Cellphone (don't forget the charger!)

There will be three Canadian preparatory schools and four colleges joining us at Spring Training in Oak Ridge. The rowing venue is quite large, but be prepared to experience boat traffic, especially if the local crews are out as well.

More info to follow about our fun day!

They Call It the Mid-Winter Blues

2010-02-21T22:01:00.011-05:00

Spring must be coming. The Erg Armageddon always signals the end of the indoor rowing season and the transition to the great outdoors. If only it were that easy. In some years, our docks have made it onto the water in mid-February. While offering a mid-winter reprieve from the doldrums of the gym basement, it opens up a whole host of new issues, like water freezing the oarlocks shut or having towels freeze to the boats when you try to wipe them down.

Despite the stale air and heat of the windowless green room, I love the camaraderie of the indoor season. To me, it offers the very best opportunity to solidify the team as one, rather than a series of distinct boats. Sure this is accomplished through Spring Break and our races, but nothing says teamwork and bonding like sharing an erg doing 500m pieces. You can see that the picture above shows what you can do on a nice day (when the winds are too high to be on the river). Yes, that is a photo of eight ergs on slides together!

So let's talk about the 500m. Since Susquehanna will be testing the 500m dash tomorrow, I know that it doesn't give you a lot of preparation time, but to be honest, none of the information I am going to supply should be surprising. Work as hard as you can for less than 2 minutes. Whereas the 2k race is primarily an aerobic competition, the 500m sprint is completely anaerobic in nature. Aerobic activities involve large muscle groups performing rhythmic, prolonged activities and use oxygen. Anaerobic activities are done without oxygen, meaning that the fuels your body uses are processed without the need for oxygen. These types of activities are intense and cannot be sustained for more than a minute or two. And I don't have to tell you that it hurts.

Just because the 500m sprint is a sprint, does not mean that you should hold your breath. You are definitely going to need that oxygen later! Get your breathing under control and ready before you start. Get yourself (and your heart rate) pumped up and psyched about going all out. Every stroke of the 500m sprint counts, so it is important that you are revved up and ready from the very start. Remember that high stroke ratings (SPM = strokes per minute) can help you bring your splits down, but you need to be able to maintain that rating in order for it to be effective. Maintaining a high stroke rating is achieved through practice, practice, and more practice (and some more working out on top of that!).

I preface this by saying that my math skills are not great, but that I found breaking down my pieces into smaller chunks helped me better understand my race plan an allocate my energy:

As an openweight man (for 500m), if you race at 30spm with a 1:35 split, that is 47.5 strokes for the entirety of the piece. That means you would average 10.5m per stroke -- a power 10 at the 100m mark would see you through to the end.
As an openweight woman, if you race at 30spm with a 1:55 split, that is 58 strokes for the piece. That means you would average 8.6m per stroke -- a power 12 at the 100m mark would be a great sprint.

Trying to calculate how many strokes you will take? Estimate your SPM and desired 500m average (calculated in seconds, e.g. 1:35 = 95 seconds). Take the total time and divide by 60 and multiply by SPM:

95 / 60 = 1.58 x 30 = 47.5 strokes per piece

Trying to calculate how many meters for stroke you can row? Divide 500 by your total number of strokes:

500 / 47.5 = 10.5 meters per stroke

Good luck and break some records!

Secrets

2010-02-16T22:15:00.001-05:00

I was not at practice today because I had tickets to a lecture at Bucknell for Frank Warren, the creator of the community art project known as Post Secret. In case you are unfamiliar, Post Secret is a project that asks people to write a secret on a post card and anonymously send it to Frank at his home in Maryland. Frank reads each post card (he gets 100-200 a day from all over the country and world) and then posts them on his blog, publishes them in books, or puts them on display at two traveling art exhibits. He also has a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account.

I have been an avid reader of Post Secret since graduate school, which is about five years now. Every Sunday, Frank loads new postcards onto the blog and I am reminded that everyone has secret fears, desires, wishes, dreams, regrets, and confessions. Whenever I feel lonely or alone, the postcards help remind me that I am not.

Why am I bringing this up on a blog that is about the Susquehanna University crew team? At the end of the lecture, audience members were invited to share their own secrets. They were profoundly moving and deeply emotional. I am reminded (much like I am often reminded in my job with students) that so many people are carrying around burdens, insecurities, hidden struggles (be it emotional, academic, or something else entirely).

"Every single person has at least one secret that would break your heart. If we could just remember this, I think there would be a lot more compassion and tolerance in the world." - Frank Warren

I just want to remind you that you are not alone. Remember that our team is here for each other. That includes coaches too. Coach Jim and I are always willing to lend an ear if you are experiencing difficulty, need someone to talk to, or want advice. In addition to us, there are a ton of great resources that a school like Susquehanna has to offer. Don't forget that most academic departments offer tutoring hours and definitely take up your professors on study sessions or office hours. Don't forget about the Career Center or Academic Support and Success:

Math Center
Writing Center - awesome if you need a proof reader, help with professional formatting (APA, MLA, ASA), and overall a great resource to help you write papers clearly and concisely
Modern Language Resource Center
Academic Skills Center - great resource to learn more about time management, test anxiety and preparation, study skills, and organization

Susquehanna also has a great Counseling Center where appointments can be made Monday through Fridays by calling 570-372-4751. Appointments are free, confidential, and just because you go once does not mean that you the obligation to go again. It is something that I took advantage of as a Susquehanna student and felt stronger and more balanced because of it. Honestly, I can't think of one resource that I just named that I didn't take advantage of.

So, as we are hunkering down preparing for our 2k races and racing season, don't forget to concentrate on your academics, personal well being, and health too!

Preparing for the Races

2010-02-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Row2K just posted an awesome video of the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships. Originally started in 1980 by several former US Olympic Rowers, the "Charles River All Star Has-Beens" are still the official governing body of indoor rowing.

We see the SU records almost every day, but have you ever been curious about the world records in our sport? The current record holder for the fastest 2k time is Rob Waddell of New Zealand, who posted a 5:36.6 and he won the CRASH B Sprints 3 times.

Category	Time	Split	Nation	Year	Name
Open Men	5:36.6	1:24.1	NZL	2007	Rob Waddell
Lwt Men	5:58.5	1:29.6	DEN	2009	Henrik Stephansen
Open Women	6:28.4	1:37.1	FRA	2005	Sophie Balmary
Lwt Women	6:56.7	1:44.1	USA	2000	Lisa Schlenker

This year, the talk of the town was 18 year-old Felix Bach of Germany who broke his erg during the start of his heat with the junior men. He broke the chain and his machine was lifting off the ground, so he was forced to join a later heat with the lightweight junior women. He ultimately posted a 5:51.8, which was 25 seconds faster than the second place Junior Men's finisher. It looks nearly effortless. (Please note that the lightweight woman in the green shirt and pink shorts next to Felix is dipping her hands after she gets past the knees and it becomes particularly pronounced toward the end of the video.)

You can also see from the video that Felix has chosen a coach or friend to motivate him through the piece, especially in the last 300m or so. As you are thinking about Erg Armageddon, think about who you would like your coxswain or motivator to be. It can be a fellow rower, coxswain, or coach. Just remember that the heats quickly follow one another, so it would not be wise to choose someone in a heat before or directly after yours. Think about the key points in your piece that you need extra encouragement, share your race plan with that person, and also think about words or phrases that you really want to hear.

Everyone gets their motivation from a different place. Maybe you just want your iPod. Maybe you just want someone to sit quietly behind you saying encouraging words every now and then. Maybe you want someone to sit there an be quiet until the sprint. Maybe you want someone there shouting in you ear every second of the way. Maybe you want a whole bunch of people cheering for you. Think about what you need and don't be afraid to communicate that with your teammates, family, friends, or others attending the race.

Also, don't forget that our friendly neighborhood rowing association, the CPRA (Central Pennsylvania Rowing Association) is sending members to race. Please be sure to cheer them on as you would your own teammates! They still say glowing things about SU crew since we raced with them at Navy Day in Philly.

Yoga for Rowers

2010-02-14T22:00:00.002-05:00

"We win. We lose. We Victory Squat." - Paula Trinchera

SU Crew has added a new section to our warm ups and cool downs for each practice. It's called, "Yoga for Rowers" by Chrys Kozak and focuses on the four phases of the rowing stroke: the recovery (balance), catch (connection), drive (power), and finish (control). It has increased our focus, balance, and flexibility.

Lauren Seamon is practicing good "victory squat" form in the snow on the photo at the side -- one of the moves taught in the book. A side benefit of the stretches and moves provided by the book is the ability to perform wicked awesome Twister moves.

You can also check out this article from the Los Angeles Rowing Blog about yoga breathing. For those of you who might not have our book, you can find some yoga poses on the page as well.

Music as Motivation

2010-02-11T20:19:00.008-05:00

I know that I have told some of you that I went to college "before there were iPods." I remember many afternoons in college running on the Isle of Que, on the "farm run," with my clunky portable CD player. I had mix CDs with Moby, Maroon Five, Britney Spears, Pink, Sum 41, LIT, and more. I remember many practices in the Green Room* with our stereo blasting, being educated in heavy metal, old school rock, blue grass, German techno, and the worst idea ever -- School House Rock Conjunction Junction. Thanks to Greg Giuntini and Brian Card, I got pretty schooled on Pantera, Coal Chamber, Soulfly, and other really angry metal songs. The upside to said songs are that the anger really does channel well into an erg piece. Thankfully Pete Haberkost was always able to lighten the mood with a little OAR, Jack Johnson, and always knew what was going to be popular way before it became mainstream.

My favorite song to play during erg tests was this crazy German techno song of Coach's that counted down in German. I also remember erging to Bill Joel's "Pressure" remix at Erg Armageddon one year. It seemed like an appropriate song at the time. Music has always and still does have a huge impact on me when I exercise.

Music is an awesome training tool that can help us more sharply tune our ability to focus, help us transcend pain, and push us further than we thought we could go. At the end of a long run, I always have go-to songs that I know will help me pick up the pace and finish strong. Equally, when I take an aerobics class at the gym, the instructor puts on a slower more mellow song at the end to help our heart rates slow down and to help us focus our breathing. These are some of my favorite erging songs (with enough energy to keep you moving!):

Body in Motion - Wise Guys
Just Gotta Get Through This - Daniel Bedingfield
Jump (For My Love) - The Pointer Sisters

I'd like to make an SU Crew Spring 2010 mix CD for the erg room. What songs would you like to add? Comment below!!

*The Green Room was comprised of where the ergs currently are and the section of the weight room next door. That section had fake green grass outdoor carpeting, which smelled pretty badly and pieces always got stuck on the back of your shirt -- thus the term Green Room.

SU Crew Spring 2010 Racing Schedule

2010-02-10T18:00:00.003-05:00

Racing season is just around the corner. In case you or your family/friends are wondering, below is the spring racing schedule.

Erg Armageddon - Lewisburg, PA
Saturday, February 27th

Spring Break Training Trip - Oak Ridge, TN
Friday, March 5th through Saturday, March 13th

Dual Meet with Bryn Mawr and F&M - Conshohocken, PA
Saturday, March 20th

Knecht Cup - Camden, NJ
Saturday, April 10th through Sunday, April 11th

Busfield Regatta - Oswego, NY
Saturday, April 17th

Home Meet with University of Scranton - at the Boathouse - Shamokin Dam, PA
Saturday, April 24th

Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships -Occoquan, VA
Sunday, May 2nd

Inspiration and Inches

2010-02-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

In need of a little inspirational speech? In honor of Superbowl Sunday, here is a video about rowing for "inches" based on Al Pacino's speech in Any Given Sunday. Erging and rowing are about fighting for inches, and on the water every inch can translate into a foot. It is about trusting your teammates enough to know that they are with you every second of the way.

On this team, we fight for that inch
On this team, we tear ourselves, and everyone around us
to pieces for that inch.
We CLAW with our finger nails for that inch.
Cause we know
when we add up all those inches
that's going to make the f'ing difference
between WINNING and LOSING
between LIVING and DYING.

I'll tell you this
in any fight
it is the guy who is willing to die
who is going to win that inch.
And I know
if I am going to have any life anymore
it is because, I am still willing to fight, and die for that inch
because that is what LIVING is.
The six inches in front of your face.

Now I can't make you do it.
You gotta look at the guy next to you.
Look into his eyes.
Now I think you are going to see a guy who will go that inch with you.
You are going to see a guy
who will sacrifice himself for this team
because he knows when it comes down to it,
you are gonna do the same thing for him.

That's a team, gentlemen
and either we heal now, as a team,
or we will die as individuals.

Strong competitors prepare as if they are going into battle. They trust in themselves and trust in their teammates. They have the desire and the fire to leave everything out there, to not save an ounce of energy, to not question their ability in the moment, and commit relentlessly to their goal.

"Give them nothing, but take from them everything." - King Leonidas from 300

Some Friendly Reminders

2010-02-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Hydration Needs for Exercising

2010-02-04T15:31:00.004-05:00

Are you staying hydrated enough? The average person needs to consume 8-12 eight ounce glasses of water per day.

What happens if you don't get enough water?

Your brain won’t work properly – you’ll be groggy, slow, and feel out of it
You’ll lose muscle tone
Your kidneys won’t be able to function; toxins and wastes will back up in your body, making you feel generally crummy
You’ll have trouble regulating your body temperature; you make feel overheated, or you may feel chronically cold and unable to get warm.
You’ll get constipated
Fats stored in your body won’t get used up or metabolized
You’ll think you’re hungry all the time, and so you’ll be likely to eat more
Your skin will get dry, itchy, and saggy

Working hard on the ergs in a stuffy basement room can produce a lot of sweat, which means that you are losing a lot of water while exercising. Get in the routine of carrying a water bottle in the afternoons before practice. Make sure that you consume at least 16 oz. (half a Nalgene bottle or 2 cups) of water about two hours before practice.

Use breaks between pieces to get a drink from the water fountain or bring your own water bottle. This does not mean that you need to drink so much that water sloshes around in your stomach, but rather than you are drinking enough that you don't feel parched after practice. By the time you start to feel thirsty, your body has already starting experiencing dehydration. Also, remember to replentish fluids 5-15 minutes after you exercise. Remember to have at least one glass of water (if not more) at dinner!

Drinks with caffeine do not count toward your water requirement. They actually cause you to lose water by increasing your urine output. You may need to drink more water to counterbalance drinks such as coffee, tea, or soda. Also, you will not get bloated from drinking a lot of water, because your body will only retain the amount of water you need.

The Legend of the Ergman

2010-02-01T19:04:00.016-05:00

In the summer of 2004, something strange blew in from the Pacific Northwest. Many did not know what it was. Some feared the river would never be the same. Low and behold, it was "ERGMAN!"

You may not be familiar with the legend of the Ergman, but you have certainly met the man behind the cape, Mr. Steve Loaiza (if you spell his last name incorrectly, he might threaten to take away your Bow Certification). The cape first debuted on the East Coast at the Spring 2005 Erg Armageddon at Bucknell University. He claimed second place in the Master's 1000m competition.

Our fearless coach is currently recuperating from an ankle operation, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him out on the water as soon as possible!

Since I've just rejoined the team in the Fall of '09, someone will have to explain the significance of the Ergman cape being passed down to a new generation.

Speaking of medals, Susquehanna University has a long history of greatness when it comes to competing at Erg Armageddon. Chris Meharg '03 and Cait Eytel '07 routinely smashed records in both the 2k and 500m dash -- which can still be seen on the Erg Record Board in the Susquehanna Green Room.

Alumni medalists include Jen Brunnet '03, Brian Card '04, Jen Murphy '04, Elaine Wood '05, Laura Jagielski '06, Jasmine Wright '06, Andy DeBrunner '06, Marissa Chamberlain '07, Brad Biondi '07, Brendan Wirth '07, Chris Pfaff '07, Brian Nalls '07, Josh Gregoire '08, Rachel Fetrow '08, and Coach Brian Tomko.

Some of our more recent medalists include James Hendershot, Zach Ross, and coxswain Sarah McGill.

I wanted to take some time to recognize some of the amazing accomplishments of our team in the past, but am looking forward to what the future holds. The most important goal that you as a rower can concentrate on at this point in the season is working toward a personal record at each time you test!

Eating Well

2010-01-28T20:52:00.013-05:00

We all know that the Susquehanna Crew Team likes to eat.

Judging by the pasta dinners, celebratory cakes, Thanksgiving Dinner, the Chinese buffet, and the mounds of food available at races, this is no question in my mind.

Row2K just featured a great article about University of Wisconsin's varsity women's crew team learning to prepare healthy and quick meals to fuel their active lifestyles.
Healthy Cooking 101: A lesson for student athletes

Sports Nutritionist Leslie Bonci came to speak at Susquehanna several years ago and provided student athletes with excellent tips and information. This can still be found on the Susquehanna athletic site.

You can also find information through Susquehanna Dining's Fresh and Healthy website.

Do you have any nutrition websites, books, or advice you'd like to share? Feel free to comment!

When the Flood Waters Cometh

2010-01-26T21:00:00.003-05:00

On Monday, some of you had the delightful pleasure of participating in a minor boathouse evacuation. As the waters of the Susquehanna River rise, it can sometimes put our equipment in danger. Moving items to higher racks or higher ground is an absolute must.

The call can come in the middle of the day or the wee hours of the morning. In more extreme circumstances, the entire boathouse area must be evacuated -- port-o-potties and all. Anything not securely cemented into the ground (like the boathouse pylons) or tethered down (like the sheds) are in danger of floating away or being damaged.

As you can see from the photo above, circa Fall of 2004, the river crested at such a high level that the top racks of the boathouse were under water.

After such an event, there is a lot of clean up to be done. The shed needs to be mucked out and refilled, the boathouse has to be scraped of mud, large debris needs to be removed, the parking lot needs to be re-stoned, and the dock needs to be realigned. Add to that the rigging and placement of the boats, as well as any other odd job that pops up.

Coxswain Shortage

2010-01-26T19:56:00.008-05:00

Winter Training is that time of year where we log more meters on the ergs than we care to remember, and make those nice, warm afternoons on the water seem like more than a distant memory. One thing that we can also forget is the need for coxswains!

I encourage you to talk to your friends, hall mates, and classmates about joining the Susquehanna Crew Team. Being a coxswain is an excellent way to practice public speaking and leadership skills, gain coaching experience and first hand observation of psychological principles, and so much more! And don't forget that joining crew is like getting a new family too.

A cautionary tale...

Having too few coxswains can result in your 200+lb, ex-elite rower of a coach trying to squeeze himself into a lightweight women's coxswain seat!

Talk about check! You have no idea...

Keeping an Exercise Log

2010-01-23T20:11:00.006-05:00

On Friday at 4:15pm practice, Nick and I mentioned the importance of a workout log. I really encourage each of you to start bringing a notebook, agenda, calendar, or specialized workout log to practice to record your splits, times, and distances. Xeno says so too.

I have used all four types of tracking tools. I like workout logs specifically because they help you keep track of your cardio, strength training, stretching, nutrition, and goals. I have used two editions of the same log, The Ultimate Workout Log by Suzanne Schlossberg which I really recommend. For about 10 bucks, you can keep track of your workouts for 6 months. You can also keep track in a 10 cent notebook or the agenda that you use to keep track of your school work. Microsoft Word also has exercise templates that you can print out.

Keeping track of your progress over time will help you to set better goals, see improvements, and the ability share the information with others.

Example:
January 24, 2003
(12) 500m pieces
1:56.6, 1:56.4, 1:57.6, 1:56.3, 1:57.7, 1:57.6, 1:58.2, 1:55.7, 1:57.0, 1:57.8, 1:57.9, 1:52.8

A Story of my Life...

2010-01-23T18:45:00.021-05:00

I am the maintainer of this blog, Rachael Gebely. Ever since I was a small child, I have been terribly klutzy. My Mom says that given an opportunity to take a clear path or a cluttered one, I would always choose the one with the most toys in the way, inevitably tumble, pick myself back up, and continue on my way. I quit dance lessons as a kindergartner because I was an awful dancer and always got stuck in the back of the line. I couldn't master the "step-ball-change" and I had the wrong color shoes (totally different story). I played soccer starting in third grade, the only goal that I can claim was in our indoor season, where I scored in my own goal due to a slick floor. I almost made a goal later in my career, but took a tumble on a breakaway right before I could get the shot off. After spraining my ankle at the end of my sophomore year in high school, I quit soccer to spend time on other interests.

During my search for college, I fell in love with Susquehanna and was drawn to crew, despite being uncoordinated and being a bit out of shape. It was something that challenged me, but that I always came back to. I can remember my first 2k test after my freshman winter break, where I went out too fast and died, posting terrible numbers (9:05). I still soldiered on, and came back to post an 8:20.0 a month later. Hitting 8:01.5 in the fall of my sophomore year, I was more determined than ever to go sub-8. It happened that Spring when I hit 7:57.1 and I was so ecstatic! The reason that I can tell you all of these numbers, is that I kept a workout log with my erg times, lifting weights, and general comments. It is something that I always encourage rowers to do.

Sub-8 (or sub 7 for guys) seemed like this special club, and with a little bit of hard work, I became a member. I lifted, I worked out, and I had a great support system (thanks to my coach, my boyfriend, and teammates) but I can't say that there was anything special I had to do to be fast. I suppose my own personal experience has led me to believe that with enough effort, anyone can be fast, and that doesn't mean living at the gym or abandoning all of your other priorities. I ended my senior year at 7:49.8 and 1.46.5 as a lightweight. Trust me, it is all about the mental toughness.

I have rowed with many different boats and in many different seats. My junior year I decided that I wanted to compete as a lightweight for Erg Armageddon and just continued on that way for the rest of my career. I like to tell people that it was the best decision that I ever made, mainly because I got to row with the most INCREDIBLE women, whom I owe so much to. The picture below is the original "Lite 8," who I feel taught me how to be a true teammate. Our erg scores were wildly varied, but we could really move a boat. I was connected to my crew and started to feel an overwhelming sense of trust and commitment like never before.

This was us racing at the 2004 Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Crew Championships. It was easily one of the most exhilarating races of my career.

We took home the gold and had recently been recognized on US Rowing's Best Lightweight Eights poll. We worked hard, but we had so much fun!

We worked hard enough to earn a new boat, Annalia. Annalia's namesake is the African Goddess of the River. She was delivered in the wrapper, with that fresh new boat smell, to Head of the Charles, where she had her inaugural row.

Racing at Head of the Charles was where I felt we finally "made it." After years of equipment malfunctions, boat disasters, being yelled at by officials, almost missing races, and so much more, it did not feel out of place to be sitting on the Charles surrounded by Ivy and Olympic crews in millions of dollars worth of equipment. We may have placed second to last, but we could not have been prouder. That was also the day that our neighborhood rival school's Mens' and Women's teams had lost their skegs in the race.

I get the impression that most people think that the races you win or the medals you collect are the most memorable. My deepest and fondest memories are these sheer seconds or moments of perfection that I have ever since been chasing. One such memory is of my Freshman four and one amazing practice were I never wanted to leave the water. The second such memory was one of the last of my career, my lightweight four in a meet against the heavies of Bucknell, Loyola, and George Mason. It was a rainy Saturday on Spring Weekend. It was damp and chilly with just enough misty rain to make gripping the oar a nightmare. I was in a mixed kind of mood that day. Our race false started and we had to row up and around the intake to restart. It just seemed like a bad omen, or a nice morning to stay in bed. Our second start was a miracle. Strong words, yes, but we jumped off the block like none other, leaving all three boats in our wake. There was just enough exposed shore for our coach (the only "Coach" I know), Brian Tomko to sprint alongside of the boat with the most enormous grin on his face just cheering us on. In the middle of the race, I had a transcendental experience, which seems too personal to share on a blog, but not unheard of in the rowing world. We ended up taking third, but this was my favorite race EVER.

The love I have for rowing and Susquehanna Crew is immeasurable.

One of the saddest things I will ever have to do was to say goodbye to rowing to attend graduate school.

The Susquehanna team was my family and crew is always a part of my life. Special thanks to Liz Remmel, Robin Atkins, Stacie Naugle, Kristen Hoar, Chris Meharg, Greg Giuntini, Pete Habercost, Brian Card, Pat Johnson, Jill "Jilly" Sands (Martin), Kathy Wulderk, Jess "J" Hibbard, Allison Bankus, Erica Garland, Erin Toenebohen (Haberkost), Alyssa Russo, Dawn Raszcewski, Katie Meyer, Kate Jensen, Ashley McConnaughhay, Sara Jane Luley (Baublitz), Coach Jim Grose, and "Coach" Brian Tomko.

Monday, January 18, 2009

2010-01-17T21:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome back!

Sunday, January 17, 2009

2010-01-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

Nine Different Steps for Improving an Erg Score
Remember to eat breakfast on Tuesday, stay hydrated, get positive, and know your plan!

Saturday, January 16, 2009

2010-01-15T21:00:00.001-05:00

I hope that you have safe travels back to SU! Coach Jim and I are eagerly awaiting your return!

Friday, January 15, 2009

2010-01-14T21:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! What's your workout?

Thursday, January 14, 2009

2010-01-13T21:00:00.002-05:00

Stuck in an office over break -- here is a little distraction...

Wednesday, January 13, 2009

2010-01-12T21:00:00.001-05:00

Erg Score Calculator
Erg Weight Adjustment Calculator - what does this mean?

Tuesday, January 12, 2009

2010-01-11T21:00:00.004-05:00

Pinsent versus Cracknell - erg surge

Great job on the workouts Ali and welcome to our team! Thanks to Lauren M., Nick, Jaime P., Colleen, Joe, Devin, Rob, Angel of Death, Paula, Chris C., Stephen, and Coach Jim for keeping us all updated on your winter workouts! - Coach Rachael

Monday, January 11, 2009

2010-01-10T21:00:00.002-05:00

T-Minus 9 days and counting...

What was your workout today? Don't forget to post on each day you exercise!

Sunday, January 10, 2009

2010-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Is anyone working out?

Saturday, January 9, 2009

2010-01-08T21:00:00.004-05:00

2008 Erg Armageddon Results
2009 Erg Armageddon Results

What are you going to do this year?

Friday, January 8, 2009

2010-01-07T21:00:00.004-05:00

Our hard working team...

In a room we are sure to be spending a lot of time in this winter!

Are you ready to push yourself farther than you thought you could go?

Thursday, January 7, 2009

2010-01-06T21:00:00.004-05:00

Don't forget to add your name when you post your workout each time!

A few online resources:
CrossFit - WOD
Concept2 Workout of the Day - great suggestions to vary your erg routine
eHow Fitness Training Videos - simulate rowing with an exercise band

No weights for the WOD or access to an erg?
My favorite exercise DVDs are by Ellen Barrett. She teaches "All Star Workouts" on FIT TV, has several DVDs through CRUNCH Gym, and just released new workouts that focus on cardio and toning. Most of the DVDs require no extra equiptment. You can usually find them online, at bookstores (such as Barnes & Noble), or stores such as Walmart or Target.

Wednesday, January 6, 2009

2010-01-05T18:49:00.002-05:00

"Shoulder-to-shoulder, swing to the work, we must - just two as we are - if we hope to make some headway. The worst cowards, banded together, have their power, but you and I have got the skill to fight their best." -- Homer from Iliad

Winning races starts in the off season!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

2010-01-05T18:47:00.004-05:00

"Although logging workouts seems to be a very simple action, it is often forgotten. Once several days go by, it is hard to remember what was done on a particular day. After working out for several months, you will feel an unbelievable sense of achievement when flipping through the pages of the log book. You should also notice a sign of improvement. 'Material proof' can be great motivation and will encourage you to keep on going." -- Xeno Muller

Monday, January 5, 2009

2010-01-05T18:47:00.001-05:00

Post your workout for Monday, January 5, 2009!