Hello again Reader Disasters happen – do you feel that they happen often? I don’t need to define the scale of what happens – you are already thinking about the last thing that happened to you which felt disastrous. And yet….. I was listening to a wise person talking about how they coached their children to face the ups and downs of life. They asked the child “Was it burnt toast or death?”. Meaning what was the scale of the crisis. And that allowed them to put some perspective around what had happened. Our discussion topic below is about safety – this may help set c ..read more

Transporting your single scull on a car roof rack can be a convenient way to get your boat to the water especially if you can’t get a rack at your rowing club. Transporting to regattas and that important first drive after buying a new boat means you may have safety concerns and challenges. From ensuring stability to adhering to road safety measures, here are some tips to help you transport your single scull with confidence . 1. Securing Your Single Scull One common concern among rowers is whether it’s necessary to tie a bowball down when car topping a single scull on a roof rack. The answer? I ..read more

I heard today that Jimmy Joy the legendary coach and founder of the Joy of Sculling conference died. Today’s podcast is my reflections and memories of his work. Timestamps 01:00 I never met Jimmy Joy We corresponded for years. His drive to share what he learned shaped what he gave back to the sport. He emphasised sculling as part of the need to become a well-rounded athlete. The Joy of Sculling Conference was Jim’s conduit to educate others in the sport. 03:00 My rowing blog contained articles by Jim. His perspective was unusual – he focused on the blend of mind and body and how these come tog ..read more

What is a rowing mindset? Do you need one? And can it be trained? Timestamps 01:00 Rowing for life Welcome Jack Burns from Edge Rowing who has an interesting backstory. He enjoyed the process of learning to row rather than the external competitions and winning. His struggles were around injury and mindset. He learned the systems and tactics for mindset improvement in a systemised way. 03:45 What is performance mindset? Ability to handle external factors, to perform to the limit and ability to visualise what you want to achieve. Where is your attention going, how to handle distractions and nerv ..read more

Hello again Reader Sometimes I’m amazed by how many people go rowing, how those folks get into rowing, and what it does for them. ​Wonder woman rows on the Potomac. Lynda Carter (actor) sculls She aligns the learning to scull process with balance – both in her life and in her boat. Getting high profile people to talk about their rowing is great for our sport – have you seen any others? I found a video about a bunch of ex-rugby players in New Zealand, including an All Black, taking up eights rowing. The humour is quirky! Boat phone mounts Ellen Braun replie ..read more

What changes are needed when doing big or small boats – length / inboard. Timestamps 01:00 It’s all about gearing. How long are your oars and what is the ratio for the outboard to the inboard? Small boats versus large boats. You have to carry your share of the total mass of the hull, riggers and oars. In a single scull you are carrying around 14-17kg. As the boat gets bigger, you carry less mass because it’s shared between more people. If you have a bigger boat – you can afford a heavier gearing on the oars. Coaches try to give each athlete a consistent load to move the boat so you don’t have ..read more

Hello again Reader Are you getting back on the water after the winter freeze? Time for a quiet refresher course in bladework skills and ways to mitigate the “erg effects” on your boat technique. Many people row somewhat differently on the indoor rowing machine. And the lack of water means we lose our skill handling the oars. Coach Carlos Dinares told me that he recalls being forced off the water in Bellingham, WA, USA by bad weather. After three days of indoor rowing the weather cleared and he was able to get back into his single scull. He was surprised at how slop ..read more

The masters rowing cohort is the most physically diverse of all the groups of athletes in our sport. Think about juniors – yes they may start rowing aged 13 or 10 but most are on a clear pathway of physical growth as they mature through puberty up to age 18. Similarly with under 23 or open athletes. They may be physically mature, and with training most are getting fitter and stronger over time. Masters are different.  There are two types of masters athlete – those who return to the sport after learning in their youth and those who are new to the sport. The first group’s mobility and stren ..read more

Ways to use your boat rig to get a longer arc for the oar. Simplifying why it works and some key principles. Timestamps 00:30 Rebecca’s new shiny object is a wing rigger mounted gadget to mount a stroke coach and water bottle over your rigger. Check out the 3Drow website for 3D printed rowing accessories. 01:45 Rigging a longer stroke Having the oar in the water longer (distance rather than time). Taking the tip of the blade through a greater distance each stroke. Use the principle of the lever to understand how rowing oars and sculls work to propel the boat. Inboard and Outboard ratio is impo ..read more

Hello again Reader Do you remember the advertising for “The Bug”? It destroyed the prevailing narrative of American car ownership which until that point was all about gaining status by driving a Cadillac. For us foreigners, the steps up the ladder started with Chevrolet, then rose through Buick and Oldsmobile before the pinnacle, Cadillac. It was a classic case of inadequacy marketing. Until Volkswagen came along with the VW Beetle. As masters rowers we are very aware that our sport and our culture celebrates youth. Yet we know that an active life can be w ..read more