Spring Break 2010 - Eat, Sleep, Row.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!