Women’s Rowing

After watching them for two hours, I just had to ask:

“Let me see if I understand you correctly.  You are a group of nine, grown, adult women,  who pay good money to come down here before dawn in order to work to the point of exhaustion and have some man yell at you.  Is that correct?”

With a quick laugh, the 53 year old athlete wiped her forehead, and told me I understood perfectly.  Such is the world of women’s rowing, a fairly unusual endurance sport that is popular in some parts of America.  (As always, be sure to click on the picture to see a larger version.)

Americans love sports.  The oft-repeated complaint is that Americans just love to watch sports, but I’m not so sure.  There are many who participate – and some participate in difficult sports.  Rowing (often known as crew) is one of them.

Their practice session began before the sun rose over the glass-smooth lake in Central Florida.  They carried their shell (what rowers call their craft) out of its boat house, waded into the water, and waited for their coach.  This “pleasant” gentleman rode in his power boat yelling instructions, criticisms, and encouragement at the crew.  He emphasized hard work in the present so races could be won in the future.  His coaching was directed towards the mind and the body – how to concentrate when the body wants to quit.

And work hard they did.  After some warm-up drills intended to improve technique and loosen up muscle, they began parts of the practice intended to simulate race conditions.  The coach called these parts “pieces”, and he would instruct the coxswain (the non-rower in the back of the boat who steers and coordinates the rowers’ strokes) on how he wanted the next piece done.  Sometimes he wanted them to work on their mental focus when the body is tired and the mind wanders.  Other times he wanted them to work on that last sprint to the finish line.  These intense sessions were interspersed with short periods of rest – but the coach also used those times to analyze and critique their efforts.

The morning shadows were still long when the two hour practice was over and they carried their boat back to storage.  These women have a lot invested in their sport:  they own the boat (which costs somewhere around $15-20,000), they practice two days a week, and they work out  four days a week as well.   Oh yes – when they enter a race, they pay their own way, tow the boat on a trailer, and pay for their own lodging and food.  Remember the guy who yells at them?  The coach?  They pay him too.  But they love to compete – and love to win, no matter the coast.  I spotted this paraphrase of Nietzsche painted on the side of the coach’s megaphone.

They want to be strong.

Comments

This sounds like a very good way to keep a healthy lifestyle. Having a goal and working as a team provides a lot more incentive than just working out on your own.

My dean at the College of Charleston may be coming around. She wants to talk to me and all of my study abroad students. She is also willing to explore how international education can benefit future teachers. We're working on next summer's trip to Viet Nam and Hue.

Tom Murray