Good Luck Charms and Rowing Unity

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

Form and Function

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.

Put Me In Coach Thursday

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

Keep Up the Good Work: EXERCISE!

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!

Secrets

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!