Blisters.

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

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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

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

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.