 Ferrer as a junior coxswain winning the petite final at Junior Nationals in 2009 while wearing pink unisuits with his teammates At SRA, we often talk about how many lifelong friendships are forged in our boathouse. Whether it’s juniors navigating their high school years together or masters finding a community outside their home and workplace, we have been grateful to see many wonderful relationships form. We have also been lucky enough to be the catalyst for love stories too— one of which began on our Evening Competitive Masters squad (ECM). Sarah Blake and Dennis Ferrer are easily recognizable members of the SRA community. Ferrer got his start on the junior team in high school. He was apprehensive about joining his freshman year, because he thought the coaches would make him a coxswain. After two months on the team, he realized coxing was where he could truly have an impact. Years later, Blake was introduced to SRA as an adult by her co-worker, Trisha Miller, from the 5am squad. Both teachers, they shared a classroom and Miller had photos from her time at SRA on her wall. She encouraged Blake to give Learn to Row a try in 2017 and she has been hooked ever since! Believe it or not, Ferrer described himself as a shy kid before he joined the rowing team. “I really found myself as a junior rower,” Ferrer said. “Through my experience on the team, I found my confidence which built the foundation of who I am today.” He credits the junior team with creating some of his best high school memories and friends. One of his favorite memories during his time as a junior coxswain was winning the petite final at Junior Nationals in 2009 while wearing pink unisuits with his teammates! Ferrer has stayed with the sport of rowing, primarily at SRA, for nearly 20 years and considers that tenure his greatest rowing related accomplishment. Following his high school graduation, Ferrer attended the University of Washington where he had the opportunity to cox on the men’s rowing team and earn a silver medal at the IRA National Championships. It was after college that he made the transition from coxswain to coach for the ECM Masters (2013 to present day), Junior Boys (2013-2017) and Junior Girls (2018-2020).  Blake and Ferrer getting married with Lee Henderson officiating “There were many challenges adjusting to leading a team instead of a crew, but nothing prepares you for being a coach like coxing does,” Ferrer said about the transition from coxing to coaching. He fondly remembers coaching the junior boys when the Boys Varsity 8+ and Lightweight 8+ won gold at Junior Regionals and making the Grand Final in both boats at Youth Nationals in 2015. After leaving his full time coaching gig, he couldn’t stay away from SRA for long and continued part time coaching with the ECM team where he eventually met Blake. Since she began rowing in 2017, Blake has had a deep appreciation for being a part of a group of adults that are all learning something new together. “Most of our ECM team are rowers that learned to row at SRA, or later in their adult life,” Blake said. “This creates a culture of learning and pursuit of mastery as we are all working toward a common goal of skill development on the water, camaraderie, and building fast boats!” ECM has taken their teambuilding and training seriously by doing an annual Winter Rowing Camp at Lake Samish, and sticking to “Third Thursday” evenings at JJ Mahoney’s Pub where they bond over refreshing drinks. JJ Mahoney’s Pub is where Ferrer and Blake eventually got to know each other better. “We discovered we lived nearby each other in Capitol Hill in Seattle, and started talking during many Third Thursday outings at JJ Mahoney’s in Redmond after ECM practice,” Ferrer explained. One rainy Thursday in March, Sarah asked Dennis.to check out the new burrito spot in their neighborhood, and the rest is history! “It has been so fun to have our relationship grow alongside the SRA community,” Ferrer continued. “A huge highlight for us personally was to have ECM coach, Lee Henderson, officiate our wedding and celebrate with so many people from SRA.”  Ferrer standing with former SRA Executive Director, Steven Freygang (left) Many who live in or move to the Greater Seattle Area hear the term “Seattle Freeze” that describes the difficult time people have making connections with others. SRA stands in stark contrast to this assumption that the gloomy tech mecca we live near is quite difficult to create connections in. Ferrer and Blake, along with the SRA community as a whole, are a testament to the welcoming nature of our organization. Blake thinks often about the open hospitality and welcoming attitude her team members have. “When I was teaching middle school in Redmond, Susan Cameron would open up her house to me in the afternoons so I could nap before practice! I can think of so many examples of the generosity and community-first mindset SRA members have,” Blake added. Ferrer also credits SRA with creating the foundation of his closest relationships. “Most of my friends, as well as my wife, are connected to the Sammamish community. As I transitioned out of coaching full time, I’ve had numerous job opportunities based on connections and relationships I’ve formed through Sammamish. To me, the Sammamish community is a critical part of my life,” he reflected. When asked if they intend to keep rowing a part of their lives for the foreseeable future, Blake joked, “Dennis has “left” nearly a half-dozen times, and never seems to really get away! There are no intentions of leaving SRA in the near future!”  Ferrer (left) and Blake (right) When they are not at the boathouse in a shell or coaching launch, you can find Blake and Ferrer exploring the PNW by bike. “At the velodrome, up and down the Washington coast, or up 5000 feet of elevation, cycling has been a great addition to my life. I love that this is something I’ve been able to share with Dennis and other ECM teammates— thanks to Spencer and Patty for being great biking friends!” Sarah said. Ferrer added that they really enjoy exploring new restaurants in the area and they make an effort to travel near and far as often as possible.
It is hard to find a part of SRA that this rowing couple hasn’t touched. From being a part of the junior program, masters team, and coaching staff, they’ve certainly made their mark on our organization. Blake has also volunteered her time to help coordinate SRA events such as this year’s 30th Anniversary Celebration that brought so many members of our community together to celebrate what SRA has accomplished these past three decades and what we hope to achieve moving forward. Not that it is a competition (though, isn’t it always in the rowing world?), but it would be hard to find another couple who are as much of a well-rounded embodiment of SRA as Ferrer and Blake are. We are certainly grateful that our practices on Lake Sammamish and the ECM teams’ Third Thursdays paved the way for these two to meet and eventually get married. Please join us in giving these two “cheers” and a thank you for the positive light they’ve brought and continue to bring to the Hod Fowler Boathouse! Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) has been developing a rich community for 30 years. We have individuals at our boathouse now who have been with us through those transformative decades or who are brand new to us as of this fall season. We have been fortunate to have made an impact on so many individuals coming into our boathouse, one of which is Ruslan Bagaveev.  Bagaveev got involved in rowing when he had a free fall schedule while attending Interlake High School in 2011. He was deeply curious about the sport of rowing and had always wanted to try something new so joining the high school junior team seemed like the perfect way to spend his free time. When asked about his experience on the junior team, Bagaveev said, “It was amazing. I felt that the coaching staff had my back. I felt included in all of the fun activities and got to attend the Brentwood regatta in British Columbia. We didn't have much money at that period in time, yet the folks at SRA shouldered the burden and made sure I remained a part of the team.” SRA has had a deep commitment to providing rowing experiences for all regardless of financial ability. Every year we raise tens of thousands of dollars for our scholarship fund and in 2025 we have already awarded over $50,000 in scholarships. By supporting our membership when they need assistance, we can continue to provide incredible rowing experiences, make the sport more accessible, and establish a welcoming place for all within our community. For one year, Bagaveev rowed on the Junior Boys Team, considered a few offers to row in college, but decided to settle into his studies instead. During his year on the team, Bagaveev formed great memories. He distinctly remembered catching a crab (the act of a rower’s blade getting trapped in the water by momentum of the shell and then striking the rower or pushing them out of the boat) in September on a brutally cold and wet day. Coach Simon was quick to assist him back in the boat, make sure he was okay, and then gave him some pointers on how to improve his chances of staying in the boat in the future. “Rowing taught me patience and to be in tune with the team,” Bagaveev said. “Flow and rhythm of the sport applies to more than just the shell. It is applicable to the ebbs and flows of life. I found myself thinking more about life in terms of rowing after being exposed to it. It was formative to my behavior then and now as an adult. I would absolutely recommend this sport to my kids and young adults in general.” Bagaveev still ergs to this day and it has become a staple in his gym workouts.  Bagaveev earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management in 2017 from the University of Washington. Like his desire to try new things in high school, Bagaveev’s professional journey involved sampling different experiences. “I tried working at an electrical construction company as a project engineer,” Bagaveev commented. “I really liked it at the time. I worked for Prime and Cochran. I worked for several GC companies like Corti, Skanska, and WALSH. Eventually I got recruited by Amazon to build out their last mile delivery stations. Then COVID hit and I was stuck at home like everyone else in endless meetings. Although I enjoyed the technical design of the charging standards for the Rivian EV vans, I did not like the corporate world. I decided to leave and focused on trying several smaller companies with a more narrow focus in the residential building industry. Eventually, I founded Dryout which focuses on the residential and light commercial sector serving customers who experience a flood or a burst pipe. We mitigate and rebuild affected properties and work with insurance companies to find coverage for the affected clients.” Corporate life lacked the personal connection Bagaveev craved, but now as the founder of Dryout, he has been able to merge his professional life with his desire to help people in need. That need for personal connection is often what drives people to join rowing! Eventually these two worlds collided when SRA discovered a leak from one of the drains in the mechanical room of the Hod Fowler Boathouse. Bagaveev carefully assessed the situation and proposed a plan to Simon Williams, SRA’s Director of Equipment and Facilities. He removed the affected drywall, cleaned, sanitized and dried the structure while also rebuilding the affected area.  “It was incredible coming back,” Bagaveev said. “It was my first time seeing the new and improved boathouse from the inside. I could feel the energy in the building. I couldn't help myself and offered to do the work for free in order to give back to the organization. SRA and most importantly Coach Simon had an immense impact on my life.” These are incredibly kind words from a wonderful young man who we feel lucky to have as part of the SRA family.
In just one year at SRA, Bagaveev formed a deep appreciation for our sport and it will always hold a special place in his heart. He fondly remembers running with his teammates to Marymoor after practice and picking up McDonalds or Taco Bell after particularly cold hard rows in the winter. That camaraderie has left a lasting impression on Bagaveev who returned to aid SRA in much needed restoration work this year. We are immensely grateful for the services he provided us through his company, Dryout, and we hope to see more of him in the future. Bagaveev mentioned that he credits SRA with where he is today. SRA is strengthened by individuals like Bagaveev who come seeking new experiences, friendships, and are willing to put in some work to discover the benefits of our beloved sport. Thank you, Ruslan!  Addi at her high school graduation with her family Humans are programmed to find the simplest way to do something— the path of least resistance. Some might call this trait laziness, but really it’s just programming in our brain trying to do the least amount of effort for the greatest reward. However, humans are complicated. Many of us often exert a lot of energy doing extremely hard things that are not necessary for survival. Take marathon runners, IronMan competitors, master pianists, or professors with several degrees for example. Training to put your body through unfathomable challenges or practicing for years of your life to be an expert in a subject or a craft is by no means our brain looking to do the least amount of effort. People constantly strive to enrich their lives through the pursuit of hard things— and rowing is certainly no exception. Addi DerGarabedian was first introduced to the sport the summer before her freshman year of high school. She took part in the Learn-To-Row program, but between cheer and soccer, she did not have time to continue to row. Just a short time later, unfortunately a few concussions meant she was no longer able to cheer. One of Addi’s friends, Hailey, rowed at SRA and urged Addi to try becoming a coxswain. Curious about what a coxswain was, Addi had her parents email the coaches to see if she could join mid-season and they welcomed her to cox on the junior girls team. Later, she moved to the junior boys team and has not looked back since.  “Rowing has taught me so much about myself and prepared me for life so well,” Addi said. “I don’t think there is anything else that teaches you as much about accountability, adaptability, time management, teamwork, or connections as rowing.” Addi quickly felt as if the boathouse was a second home— a place to grow, learn, have fun, and push herself. The consistency of practices, shared goals, and supportive teammates made SRA a palace where Addi could truly tune out the rest of the world. “No matter what was going on in my life, whether it was something hectic with school or something with family, I knew that when I was at the boathouse, I got to contribute to something greater than myself. You can tune out anything else going on in your life and focus on greater goals,” she reflected. The coaching staff was a great sort of mentorship for Addi, who listed Executive Director Sarah Low as one of her greatest role models. She also gave special thanks to Coach Liza Dickson, Ethan Currie, and Sierra Williams and said she would always be grateful for their guidance. “All of our coaches can push you as an athlete while also caring about you as a person first,” she said. Addi added that Simon Williams, Director of Equipment and Facilities, was one of the kindest people she ever met and she was grateful for the many things he does behind the scenes to facilitate effective practices.  Addi with SRA's Junior Boys V8+ holding their trophy after winning Regionals Her coaches helped her secure her greatest rowing accomplishment at Northwest Regionals her senior year of high school. At Northwest Regionals, the SRA junior boys won the U19 Men’s Varsity 8+ by open water and placed second in the U19 Varsity 4+ after a tight race. They took that 4+ to Youth Nationals, where they finished eighth, marking SRA’s first A Final appearance in a decade. “It was surreal to be part of that moment in our club’s history, and the fact that I was leaving that legacy as I graduated high school was something I am super proud of,” Addi remarked. Another standout memory for Addi was coxing SRA’s Mid-Morning Women’s 4+ 60+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta during her senior year. “Being surrounded by women who were moms, had full-time jobs, and still were just as dedicated to rowing as I was—that was incredibly inspiring,” Addi said. “They showed me what it means to make time for something you love and take time for yourself, no matter how busy life gets. I still keep in touch with many of them; they made a huge impact on me.” During the summer of 2024, she had the opportunity to cox at Penn AC Gold, a high-performance team based in Philadelphia. Addi coxed the Women’s Varsity 8+ and 4+ and went on to medal in both events at the Independence Day Regatta in Philadelphia and Summer Nationals in Oklahoma City. “It was amazing how quickly we bonded, and that experience was extremely positive for me. Penn AC did a fantastic job developing me as an athlete and I got to be coached by Coach Sarah Low and Coach Sierra Williams, who are now at SRA and have become huge mentors for me,” she said. Racing and training with some of the best junior athletes in the country made Addi unequivocally clear that she wanted to try and compete at the highest level in college.  Addi with her Penn AC boat Addi’s rowing career has continued at Clemson University where she was recruited to the Division I Women’s Rowing team. Clemson ended their 2025 season ranked 22nd in the country, and Addi looks forward to being part of the program’s growth as they have welcomed a new coaching staff. Addi told us, “One of my biggest goals is to eventually cox the U23 team for Team USA after building a successful college career.” Many of Addi’s rowing goals also connect to her career goals. At Clemson University, she is majoring in Sports Communications with a minor in Business Administration. She hopes to one day become a rowing coach and eventually serve as an athletic director. “Rowing has given me so much—it’s something I want to stay connected to for the rest of my life, whether that’s through coaching, mentoring, or competing.” Rowing has completely transformed Addi’s life. “As a coxswain,” Addi said, “I learned to make quick, confident decisions while staying calm, motivate people with different personalities, and balance accountability with empathy. These are all skills that now help me excel in day-to-day life and school. Rowing gave me a strong sense of purpose when I needed one most. It helped me find confidence in my voice and taught me that leadership isn’t about being the loudest person in the boat, but about bringing out the best in others. It also gave me a community that feels like family and some of my best memories and friends— things I’ll always be grateful for.”  Addi (far right) with her Clemson coaches This brings us back to our earlier point about humans doing hard things despite our natural disposition to seek the easiest path forward. Rowing is full of difficult practices, grueling workouts, complex racing strategies, and more. Addi added, “Rowing has taught me that growth happens when things get uncomfortable— and that mindset will guide me through college, my career, and life.”
For novices, Addi recommends being a “sponge”. She encourages novices to ask questions, stay curious, and soak up everything you can. “Additionally, to quote Coach Liza, “Control the controllables.” Meaning focus on controlling what you CAN control: how you show up every day, your attitude, how hard you push yourself, what type of teammate you are,” she advised. When she is not at practice 20+ hours a week, Addi loves to be outside. You can find her hiking, walking, or hanging out at the lake. Addi also loves to be involved in the Clemson community. She spends her free time serving on Clemson's student body government on Freshman Council and volunteers weekly at Clemson's local elementary school mentoring students there. Addi shared her immense gratitude for all the people who have gotten her to where she is today. “I truly have the most supportive family on the planet and I would be nowhere without them,” Addi said. “Many of my goals would not have been able to be achieved without the support of my family and friends, as well as trusting God's plan” Addi shared with us that she is very happy with her decision to attend Clemson University and is a proud student athlete. “Go Tigers!” She exclaimed proudly. We can’t help but thank Addi for bringing such a positive light to our community. Addi— thank you for choosing to challenge yourself at SRA. Our community would not be the same without you!  High school is portrayed quite frequently through movies, novels, and television show adaptations. Often, our main character is a young adult trying to find where they fit in and who they want to become. In real life, high school mirrors those dramatizations quite closely as youths enter the transition from child to young adult. In the United States especially, it can seem like these kids are thrown directly into a pit of responsibility as their grades and extracurriculars are heavily scrutinized before and during the college admissions process. Trying to figure out who you are, what you want to be, and how you’re going to get there all while your prefrontal cortex is still not fully developed can be incredibly overwhelming. Luckily for SRA Junior Program alumni Justin Buckley, he had Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA) to anchor him during this time. During the summer following 8th grade, Buckley was encouraged to give rowing a try by his friends and family. “I realized how much more dedicated my teammates at rowing were than my teammates in my other sports. I was smitten pretty quickly,” Buckley said. In 9th and 10th grade, Buckley split his time between rowing and soccer, but before long, “rippin’ watts on the erg” was all he could think about. “SRA was the first place I felt like I was truly with my people,” Buckley commented. “My teammates had the same ambitions as me, and the team dynamic reinforced a culture of hard work and commitment to the craft. In a lot of ways, SRA was my high school experience. Rowing was the highlight of my day. It occupied a good chunk of my thoughts during the school day, and it was an area where I could make tangible, consistent improvements that made me feel like I was actually going somewhere with my life. During those periods in high school when nothing else was going right, I could reliably pour my energy into my rowing and get a positive ROI. The more I invested in rowing, the better I got, and the more I wanted to invest further.” Most juniors who row at SRA echo Buckley’s thoughts or have a similar experience. Like anything, rowing takes some getting used to. Rowers find that their coaches and teammates are incredibly supportive of the journey and they gain confidence in the boat and in their life outside the boathouse. Rowing is a constant teacher. One of the greatest lessons it teaches is teamwork. During his junior year in the Varsity 8+, Buckley experienced the power of teamwork firsthand. He and his boat had lost their race to Rose City at Regionals by one second even though they had been beating them at regattas all year. Determined not to be defeated by Rose City again, Buckley and his teammates trained hard during his senior year. “The entire team had a hellacious winter that year where we put in a crazy amount of mileage on the erg and in the freezing cold on the water,” he remembered. “Everyone was pushing. The 4V pushed the 3V, the 3V pushed the 2V, and the 2V pushed the 1V. The result that year was everything we could have dreamed of. Not only did we stick it to Rose City and win gold in the 1V 8+, but every 8+, 1V through 4V, won gold, and Sammamish swept Regionals for the first time in history!”  Buckley, far right, with his teammates from the SRA Junior Boys squad. Despite such a historic Regionals his senior year, Buckley said his greatest rowing accomplishment was breaking 6:00 on a 2k erg in 2024. Buckley is a private rowing coach (@rowrecruit on Instagram) helping high school student-athletes get recruited to row in college. It is important for him to practice what he preaches to his high school clients so he continues to train on the erg. It was his goal to break 6:00 on the 2k since May 2023 and he finally accomplished it in early 2024. “It was the culmination of so much work and even despite a great career at SRA and the Yale Lightweights, breaking six minutes is the happiest rowing memory for me,” he said.
While his days in a shell on the water are in the past for him, he still routinely trains on the erg and plans to continue incorporating it into his workouts for the foreseeable future. “My goals in rowing have shifted from me to my athletes,” Buckley admitted. “I've helped my athletes get recruited to every Ivy League school and earn over four million dollars in scholarship money. Being a part of young ambitious rowers' journeys is the most rewarding thing to me, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to make my passion my job.” We asked Buckley what his best advice for novice rowers is and he had plenty to say. He encourages novices to fall in love with the process, not the scoreboard. “Rowing rewards discipline over talent. You won't see progress day to day, but if you show up early, listen to your coaches, and give your full effort every practice, you'll quietly build the kind of foundation that almost nobody else has the patience for. The athletes I've seen go furthest aren't always the most gifted, they're just the ones who learned to enjoy the grind before it ever paid off,” he emphasized. Buckley added that it was hard to find a way rowing has not transformed his life. “Rowing gave me direction in high school, got me into Yale, is the foundation of my thriving college recruiting business, and has taught me a resilience and dedication that makes me proud of myself,” he reflected. There is a long line of people for him to thank throughout his rowing journey and admitted he did not know of any sport that would have been more beneficial for his high school self. Like Buckley, many of our high school student-athletes are looking to grow into a more confident version of themselves but often lack the structure or mentors to help them navigate this uncertain period of their lives. Fortunately, the coaching staff at SRA have decades of experience in developing well-rounded rowers. Our coaches teach our juniors about sportsmanship, time-management, perseverance, teamwork, accountability, and so much more. Aside from his life as a rowing coach and mentor, Buckley has been playing the piano for almost 20 years and is almost a National Master in chess. In his spare time, he is also learning how to be a DJ! In whatever he does, Buckley puts forth his full effort just like he did during his junior days at SRA. We are thrilled to have him as part of our community and look forward to seeing the incredible impact he makes in the lives of other high school rowers.  Laurel Case, 2 seat at the Tail of the Lake Regatta Until the 1980’s, there was little opportunity for adult women to row. In the Northwest, the few adult women who did row were likely graduates of the University of Washington Women’s Crew or Eastern College programs. There was very little local competition and no small rowing centers besides Lake Washington Rowing Club. The tide began to turn when Dick Erickson, the University of Washington’s Head Men’s Coach and Rowing Director, returned from the Henley Royal Regatta and was challenged by two women at the Seattle Yacht Club to teach them to row. In late March of 1982, a small group of determined women from Seattle, Meydenbauer Bay and Rainier Yacht Club showed up at the University of Washington for six weeks of training. These women acquired the name “Dick’s Chicks”, a name this group of women were given by the parking attendant at the UW. Shortly after the creation of Dick’s Chicks, they became the Conibear Rowing Club. Among the members of Dick’s Chicks was Laurel Case, who was asked by a group of women at the Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club in 1985 if she wanted to learn to row. Case had recently left her job in public accounting and joined the yacht club with her husband and 9-month-old daughter. She gladly accepted the invite and was coached by Dick Erickson where he prepared her and her teammates for the Opening Day Regatta. If you think being coached by rowing icon Dick Erickson is impressive, Case has also had the honor of being coached by a long list of icons throughout her rowing career including Stan Pocock, Charlie MacIntyre, Frank Cunningham, and SRA’s own Tom Woodman! She fondly remembers rowing for an hour in a coxed pair with Stan Pocock as the coxswain. In her 40 years of rowing, she has also had the privilege of rowing with many local clubs including Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club, Conibear Rowing Club, Seattle Yacht Club, Lake Washington Rowing Club, Charley McIntyre Rowing Club, the Pocock Rowing Center, and Sammamish Rowing Association where she has rowed for the past 16 years. She joined SRA in 2009 and has loved rowing on the combined men’s and women’s team under Tom Woodman’s leadership.  Laurel Case, top left, with 5am teammates. One of her favorite rowing memories came from her 5am teammates who honored her by naming a new single the “Laurel”. “I think some of them thought this would entice me to at least try rowing a single… hasn’t happened!” Case joked. In her 40 years engaged in this sport, Laurel has an impressive rowing resume. Thinking back, she said her biggest accomplishments had to be winning a gold medal at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 1991 in the Women’s Master 4+. The Head of the Charles is a globally recognized regatta that dates back to 1965. Hundreds of thousands of athletes have dreamed of racing down the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts to victory, but only a small percentage of those athletes have been able to secure a gold medal. In 1993, Case worked with Stan Pocock to open the Pocock Rowing Center, another one of her favorite memories. This center was completed in 1994 by the founders of the George Pocock Rowing Foundation to honor the legacy of George Pocock by ensuring access to the incredible sport of rowing.  Laurel Case, far right, at HOCR. Having benefitting from decades of coaching by local legends, Case has some simple yet impactful advice for novice rowers. “Sit up, breathe, keep your head in the boat, relax and enjoy,” she said. “I love being on the water early in the morning,” Case mentioned when thinking about how rowing has enhanced her life. “The wildlife, sunrises, plus the great full body workout and wonderful teammates and friends are all the ways my life is better because of rowing.” Sammamish Rowing Association sits at the north end of Lake Sammamish in a protected wetlands area. Rowers are treated to a beautiful natural environment with flourishing biodiversity. From wildlife to native plants, there’s always something for the eye to enjoy during practice. For the past 8 years, Case has been a snowbird and has spent 6 months of the year in Palm Desert and the other 6 months here in Washington state. She always looks forward to her 6 months of rowing with SRA. No matter where she is, Case loves being outdoors and exercising. You can often find her hiking or on daily walks with her two chocolate labradors, at Pure Barre classes, tearing it up on the pickleball court, or riding her bike in Palm Desert. When she isn’t outside or on the move, Case loves to treat her friends and family to her cooking or baked goods. It is not often you meet rowers who have decades of experience in the sport and have experienced as many local milestones as Laurel Case has. From being coached by legends to being involved in the formation of different clubs or rowing centers, Case has a rowing background that is rich and our local rowing scene is better with her having been a part of it. We feel fortunate and grateful to have her as part of the SRA family for 16 years and counting!
 At Sammamish Rowing Association, we often say that rowing is a lifelong sport. As long as you are big enough to help carry a boat, rowing is a sport you can enjoy from middle school well into your senior years. While many of our adult (masters) rowers have begun rowing as adults through our Learn to Row programs, Patrick Eames is one of our masters who found his passion for rowing early on. In Kirkland, Washington, Patrick’s parents signed him up for a summer camp on Lake Washington when he was around 16 years old. The camp was meant to be both a rowing and sailing camp, but the sailboats were out of commission so Patrick found himself thrown in a single. “It was very large with a red deck and I remember thinking it was impossibly unstable,” Patrick said. “I never looked back from there and have been rowing since.” His novice year was spent largely in that single where he recalls flipping many times. “Sometimes, it is a wonder coaches ever kept after me,” he joked. He remembers his first racing experience as a novice was at Junior Regionals where despite not recalling how they finished, he knows it was that moment that had him hooked on racing. Throughout high school, Patrick rowed and attended the typical local regattas— Brentwood, Greenlake and Regionals. He attended the University of Washington, but sculled out of his old boathouse instead of joining the team. This allowed him to be a highly proficient sculler. Following college, Patrick worked on the eastside and it made sense for him to join Sammamish Rowing Association (SRA). He started out as an independent rower, but gravitated towards the team structure joining what was known at the time as Rowing 2 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. He credits the camaraderie as one of the main reasons he has continued to row alongside the opportunity to compete in regattas.  Patrick helps Coach Liza and Coach Ethan rig a boat at Masters Regionals “While I have spent a lot of time in a single, rowing at its core (to me) is a team sport. I enjoy the team aspect of rowing— working with teammates toward the common goal,” Patrick commented. Racing with his teammates has created some of his best memories at the club. From winning the 2- with Marc McGinnis, the 2x with Jess Pare at regionals, the San Diego Crew Classic in the Men’s 8+, and placing 5th in the Men’s 8+ at the Head of the Charles Regatta— the memories and lessons learned are endless. “If I had to pick one memory it would be medaling at the Head of the Charles Regatta in the Men’s 40+ 4+,” he added. The team had been racing in the Men’s Club 4+ for a few years and despite not winning, they kept qualifying to come back. Eventually they aged up into the Men’s 40+ 4+ category and drew bow number 24 of 24— starting in the back of the pack. “Once racing, our coxswain, Jess Pare, was able to steer a superb course. Every boat moved out of our way. One boat yielded, allowing us to pass, and then moved right back into our waking for the ideal line. We later found out we had taken 3rd place. We were ecstatic with this result having never medaled at the Head of the Charles Regatta.” With years of experience racing in highly competitive local and national regattas, you would think Patrick would be completely comfortable and relaxed at every competition. That is not the case! “It is alright to be nervous before a race,” Patrick said when asked about his best advice for novice rowers. “I have been racing for more than 25 years. I am still sick to my stomach with nerves before a race. It is completely normal. Once you are racing, nervousness goes away.” He also added that novices should “enjoy the process”— that process being working towards getting better and faster with your teammates.  Patrick, bow seat, at a past Opening Day Regatta Competition and the camaraderie of being on a team are the best parts of rowing in Patrick’s mind, but he added that the sport itself is a great option for those looking to exercise with less risk of injury. You can row as intensely or recreationally as desired. In fact, SRA’s masters teams offer those varying rowing experiences. Many of our adult rowers race, but others are just as happy to enjoy time with friends, get in some exercise in a beautiful natural setting, and cheer on their teammates who do choose to compete. In his 25+ years of rowing, Patrick said that one thing SRA has done that has stood out to him the most has been the improvement of equipment. From boats to launches, SRA has made a huge effort to provide the best equipment possible for its rowers. Looking back on his earlier days at SRA, Patrick said, “I recall being at a race and running across a broken seat. It had almost literally split in half. We didn’t have a spare seat available and in an effort to get the boat racing a coach and I found a spare skeg and taped it to the seat to provide enough rigidity to allow it to be raced. Our rowing equipment has dramatically transformed since this time.” Before SRA hired Coach Matt Lundberg, who manages our launches and other equipment, Patrick had assumed the responsibility of repairing the launch fleet. Once Matt was hired, that responsibility was transferred to him, but Patrick continues to help when the launches need work. Rowing clubs are hard on launches, and at SRA, most launches are used at least twice a day between masters and junior practices. There was one summer where Patrick recalled he and Matt would fix one launch only for another to go out of service the next day. “Launches require constant maintenance from changing steering cables that snap, to replacing batteries, to putting on new propellers because one just fell off, or replacing a whole flywheel. These are just a few of the things that happen behind the scenes.” One might think Patrick is a mechanical engineer, but he has been a software engineer for The Boeing Company for over 25 years. He supports Boeing Commercial Aircraft building software to design, build, and support airplanes.  Patrick shakes hand with one of his 5am rowing teammates When he isn’t rowing, racing, or fixing launches, Patrick enjoys road biking. He will ride in any conditions, and while he does not do cycling races, he does enjoy cycling events. He has done the Seattle to Portland ride multiple times (a 200+ mile journey!) and enjoys riding with one of his daughters who shares his biking interest. In fact, Eames has twice ridden his bike back home from Northwest Masters Regionals in Eugene, Oregon!
Patrick has three children with his wife, Ellen. Michelle (19), Nicole (17), and Erik (15) do not row, but they keep themselves plenty busy with a plethora of other activities and interests. Ellen rowed for a short time awhile ago, but Patrick remains the primary rower of the family. We are immensely grateful to have him as part of our community and for all the many hours he has volunteered to help fix our launches or other items needing an extra hand. He is an outstanding teammate and our SRA family always looks forward to seeing him— either at our 5:00am practices, regattas, or various community events. “SRA is a fantastic rowing program,” Patrick reflected. “Our size, our sharing of equipment across teams, our desire to include people but also go out and race. SRA is a wonderful place to row.” We look forward to many more wonderful years of rowing with Patrick Eames!  Waltar rowing as a junior on the SRA Junior Girls team Gretchen Frederick, the former Executive Director of Sammamish Rowing Association, spotted a young Kenzie Waltar with her sister, Shelley, at church one morning. She approached Waltar, who was then a high school basketball player, and said, “Hey, you're tall! You should try rowing!” Whether it was divine intervention or a stroke of luck, this fateful interaction led Waltar down to the Hod Fowler Boathouse for a Row for a Day session. Ever since then, she was hooked. Rowing was a completely different experience for Waltar. She credits the tough training for making her the person she is today. With cold weather, gloomy skies, and sometimes rough water, you would think a high schooler would easily choose an indoor sport over rowing, but Waltar truly enjoyed the whole new level of challenge. On top of that, Waltar admired the junior and senior girls who she said were kind, smart, strong, and incredible leaders and teammates. A great example of the challenges Waltar faced came on a day where she had to stay on land due to there not being enough seats in the boats for a water practice. That meant she was joining the boys team for their land training. Waltar said, “they were erging, so I erged with them. It was a partner erg, and I was partnered up with Sam Goertz (who later became a teammate of mine at the University of Washington and a fellow 5am coach at SRA!) and he pushed me to be at a 2:00 split or below. At that point in my career, a 2:00 flat was unheard of, but when he pushed me, I did it! I think it was that day that first taught me that I am capable of more!” Following her time on the Junior Girls Team at SRA, Waltar joined the women’s team at the University of Washington. “It was my time at UW that taught me to love hard work, how to trust my teammates, and how to push beyond my limits,” she said. “As we say often on the team, we learned how to ‘embrace the grind.’” She put that phrase to the test when during her Sophomore year, she was cut from the team due to the decision to decrease the roster size by the current coach at the time. She was crushed. “It was at that moment I felt like my whole identity was ripped away from me,” Waltar admitted. “If I wasn't "Kenzie the rower," who was I?”  Waltar, stroke seat, rowing at the University of Washington Waltar said that the period following her cut from the UW women’s team was a dark time in her life. She added, “I started training at Seattle Rowing Center (SRC) because I wanted to make it back on the team. Practices were early, dark, and brutal, but I just didn't think my time on the team was over. I wanted to fight for it. When my motivation was low and I didn't think I could do another early practice or hard workout, I relied on my faith. That gave me strength. And it reminded me that no matter if I make it back on the team or not, I am more than just ‘Kenzie the rower’." After months of training, Waltar’s erg scores finally met the standards for her to return back to the team. “I came back not only stronger and grittier,” she said, “but more grateful and humble. I knew the work it took to get on such an incredible team, and I knew it was a gift to be there. I didn't race in any top boats that year, but it didn't matter. Being cut from the team was both the worst thing to ever happen to me and also the best thing.”  Waltar holding an NCAA trophy Shortly after, a coaching change was made and Yaz Farooq became the head coach of the University of Washington Women’s Rowing Team. Farooq transformed the team for the better and Waltar experienced some of the best moments of her rowing career. “The environment she [Farooq] created was intense, but empowering and awesome,” Waltar said, reminiscing on her junior and senior year. “That year (2017) our team went on to sweep both PAC-12s and NCAAs which still brings tears to my eyes. Then in my senior year, I had the opportunity to bow the 2x at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) and honestly this was the highlight of my career. Yes, we won--by a tight margin! After graduation, I got to race another bucket-list regatta— Henley Royal Regatta! This was a race I had never even dreamt of, but it was a very cool experience. The atmosphere over there was absolutely wild.”  Waltar providing some coaching wisdom to her crew While winning gold in the 2x at HOCR was Waltar’s favorite competitive accomplishment, she felt that the experience of rowing itself has been a greater overall achievement in her life. “I am really proud of how I am able to use my experience in this sport to bring others joy and to teach them to love hard work. Rowing has changed my life and I get to be a part of that for so many people,” she said. Following her collegiate career, Kenzie became a coach at SRA for the 5am team, an assistant coach at Seattle Pacific University (SPU), and still does the occasional private lesson at SRA. She was recently promoted to the Head Coach position at SPU. “I'm loving my job,” she added. “I've always felt a calling to mentor the next generation and this is such a special way to do that. I have been blessed by my predecessor, Caitlin McClain, who is not only a coaching legend, but a mentor and true friend of mine. The culture she has built on this team is something that I am excited to step into as Head Coach.” While Waltar has admitted to feeling both excited and overwhelmed to be in a head coaching position before the age of 30, she feels confident in receiving support from the community around her. Waltar has not been a stranger to self doubt. During her early days of coaching, she often felt unsure of her abilities as she struggled to translate what she felt as an athlete in the boat to the rowers she was coaching. Additionally, coaching masters, many of whom were her parents' age, felt weird and led to further feeling like an imposter. With time, faith, and support, she has honed her coaching skills and proven her abilities time and time again. Speaking of coaching masters, Waltar had the opportunity to coach her parents! Suzy and Steve Waltar began rowing after Kenzie and her sister joined the junior team. They thought it looked cool (we agree!) and since then they have become one of the many beloved rowing families at the boathouse. They even have their name on some SRA boats and took the Waltar Legacy 4+ out for a fun family row. “I've gotten to row with my sister, coach my parents, and race the parent/child 2x at HOCR with my dad. Rowing definitely keeps us close!”  Waltar and her Atlas Free climbing crew celebrating a recent summit It seems impossible to be more impressed with Kenzie Waltar, but her story doesn’t end here. When she isn’t coaching, Waltar is climbing and hiking to fight sex trafficking. It began in 2021 with an invite to hike the Enchantments and fundraise for Atlas Free. “I didn't know much about the injustice of sex trafficking or the organization, but I knew I liked hiking and I figured it was a good enough cause,” Waltar said about Atlas Free. “Since then, I've fallen in love with the community of adventure philanthropists who do hard things to fight for freedom! In total, I've through-hiked the Enchantments four times, summited Adams, Baker, and, most recently, Rainier, and I have raised over $15,000 to fight human trafficking and sexual exploitation. I firmly believe we are all made to be free and if this is how I can make a difference, I will continue to fight!” We could keep telling her story, but chances are, Kenzie would love to tell you herself over a cup of coffee, during a hike, or after a good practice on the lake. Her dedication to the sport and seemingly endless positive energy make her an incredible rower, coach, and friend to have. We feel blessed to have her as part of our community at Sammamish Rowing Association and look forward to everything she will accomplish. As we finished the interview, she said, “This club taught me how to row, how to coach, and I am so grateful for this community!” Kenzie— we are so grateful for you!
 Anne rowing a single around her 80th birthday Anne Wangeman was raised on the water with the hum of boats and the spray of water skiers a constant presence in her life. Being raised on Mercer Island, she always loved to be on the water, and seeing the University of Washington crews out on Lake Washington was a special occasion. She remembered fondly a time when the UW crew passed right by their home— an incredibly special sight so far from their boathouse. For a short time her family lived in Madison, Wisconsin and she distinctly remembered her mother talking about the Wisconsin crew practicing on Lake Mendota. A spark of interest began to grow. Later on, an article in the Seattle Times about the growth of the women's masters rowing movement added intrigue. Additionally, a good friend rowed for Seattle Yacht Club and mentioned it was the hardest thing she had ever done. Anne was interested, but the early practice times certainly were not her cup of tea. She eventually heard about a rowing club on the east side called Sammamish Rowing Association that was hosting an open house so she decided to drop by. That was the beginning of her passion for rowing! Anne started her rowing journey in 2003 right before her 60th birthday and has now been rowing for over 20 years. When she visited the open house at SRA’s old boathouse, she wasn’t yet convinced rowing was for her. “I wasn’t sure I could do it starting at my age and with little consistent exercise during all my working years, but Gretchen Frederick, the Director at that time, told me I could, so I believed her,” Anne said. She found a good fit with the Evening Masters team and fell in love after just a few sessions. She had great coaches and a great group of rowers— all who were trying to perfect their stroke and timing together. “Rowing at night during the winter months when the water was calm and the lights and stars were out was perfection,” Anne said. Anne retired after a 40+ year career with Boeing and continued to row in the evening. Once some of the other rowers retired, they decided to row independently in the morning. She looks forward to seeing those friends weekly. When asked what made her stay with the sport, Anne had plenty to say. “Being on the water is peaceful, beautiful and calming (unless it is gale-force winds). Rowing is rhythmic and I like repetition. I count almost every stroke- it’s a great meditation. One of the articles I read 20 years ago quoted a woman rower who said that even after several years rowing a single, she was still trying to string 3 perfect strokes together. I remember that every row and it’s my challenge too. Sometimes I get several more, sometimes not,” she said. Anne also loves the local wildlife. Lake Sammamish is home to herons, bald eagles, osprey, kingfishers, red-wing blackbirds, beavers, otters, and other waterfowl. We have even had deer, bobcats, coyotes, and the rare black bear around the boathouse! As the seasons pass by, she likes to watch the transformation around the lake through the change in color from spring to summer to fall and winter.  Betsey and Anne in a double Her community is strong here too. She credits the friends she has made rowing as being encouraging, supportive, kind, loving, and lifelong. What is extra special is that her sister, Betsey, rows at SRA too. Betsey joined SRA in 2005 following a similar path as her sister in her rowing journey. The sisters find support in each other through their rowing and feel grateful to share this experience with one another. When Anne reflected on her favorite SRA rowing memories, she said, “the best thing is being able to share an activity with my sister, one that we both love. And seeing the same and new friends every week doing something we all love.” In the winter you can find the sisters rowing a double together, and in the summer they enjoy each other’s company in singles. Anne said some of her greatest rowing accomplishments is that she still sticks to it three times a week and her sister still talks to her! Love of the sport, her close friends, and being a part of an organization that helps shape youth into responsible, caring, considerate, hard working individuals and leaders keeps Anne returning to the Hod Fowler Boathouse week after week. She has found a special home here at a boathouse nestled in the wetlands on the north end of Lake Sammamish. In this boathouse, along this slough, and on the lake she has formed lifelong bonds and discovered her personal potential. She has learned the values of patience, repetition, friendships, and discipline. When she isn’t rowing, you can find her knitting, learning to play the ukulele, engaging in her book club, volunteering for the non-profit Community Loaves by baking bread and breakfast cookies, and spending plenty of time outdoors and with loved ones. At just over 80 years old, Anne has no plans of slowing down. “I plan to row until I can’t,” she stated.  Anne and Betsey have been a consistent and wonderful presence at the boathouse for many years. They were active volunteers with the annual gala for years and were familiar faces at the check-in table. Coach Simon Williams has coached them in private lessons and enjoys their commitment to the sport. Rowers like Anne and Betsey are what make our community truly so special. Their passion for rowing, their appreciation of our natural environment, and their cultivation of friendships reminds us that this sport is much more than a single workout or race. Rowing is so much more than that.
 Stevens winning the first gold medal in the brand new Jeff Young 8+ at Green Lake in 1997 In April of 1996, Tamara Stevens was browsing the newspaper when she spotted an article about Sammamish Rowing Association. She and a friend thought the sessions being offered looked fun so they signed up for the class starting in May at Idylwood Park. While her friend only lasted one session, Stevens has stayed with it ever since. “I started at 9am, tried one evening session, moved to 5am for 10 years while my kids were small, and now I’m back at mid-morning which I think is the best time to row,” Stevens said. “I rowed in singles during the pandemic in 2020. I didn’t think I would like it since I had never really learned to scull, but I loved the new lightweight Hudson single enough to get a few of my lightweight racing friends together and name the Light Speed.” Stevens is a third generation Washingtonian. She grew up in Lake Hills in Bellevue and her father was a park ranger on the Olympic Peninsula. She attended Sammamish High School (in Bellevue), went to college at Western Washington University in Bellingham, and raised her children in Redmond before moving to Seattle in 2023 after her kids went off to university. Stevens had never considered herself an athlete. She never made the cut on high school sports teams, but once she found rowing she finally felt at home. “I loved the community, the fitness, and being outside. I liked the technical aspect of the sport and being able to follow and not have to make decisions (I’m a lifelong starboard.) Once I started getting the chances to row competitive boats like Opening Day and the Head of the Charles Regatta– a competitive streak took over. I like pushing myself to row in races with the best rowers from around the world,” she said.  Stevens with her family in Chicago in 2023 Since Stevens moved to Seattle, she still comes back to row for the mid-morning team at Sammamish. “There are many Seattle crews I could choose instead,” Stevens commented. “I have a lot of history and many long-time friendships at SRA and the commute isn’t any worse than Eastside traffic. I am inspired by our older mid-morning rowers and hope to follow in their footsteps to keep active later in life. It’s really exciting to me to see people get addicted to the sport. Anyone can row as long as you want. There is no age limit. Our 70- and 80-year-old rowers inspire me every day. I feel like in our class, everyone is welcome and has a place and a chance to row how they want to, whether it’s recreational, for fitness, or for competition. It’s not an elite clique you have to earn a place in.” The friendships made at SRA are strong and lifelong. Stevens has made many incredible friends in her years at Sammamish Rowing Association and credits them for getting her through both the good times and the bad. In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, Stevens was feeling down about her 50th birthday happening during lockdowns and social distancing. She expressed her sadness to her rowing friends over a zoom call only to realize they were all on her lawn when she noticed her car in the video background! While sitting on her lawn, they celebrated her birthday with cupcakes and presents. Stevens added, “I love that community feeling that I’ve had at SRA and that’s what keeps me coming back.”  Stevens racing at the Head of the Charles Regatta in 2017 in the Women's 50+ 8+ that placed 6th! Stevens has been to HOCR six times. The friends Stevens has made during her years rowing at SRA have also been amazing teammates— providing her with the opportunity to row in some of the nation’s most prestigious regattas. Stevens remembered her first experience at the Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR) in Boston. As one of the best known regattas in the world, the excitement in the city was palpable. “My dad took me to lunch after the race and I was still in my uniform and sweats at a white tablecloth restaurant and they didn't blink an eye. They asked if I had raced, where I came from, and how we did. That was really validating for all the hard work I had put in to get there,” Stevens shared. Experiencing that regatta and rowing among athletes from all over the world made it one of her favorite rowing memories. Stevens had returned to the HOCR many times including 2016 when she stroked SRA’s 50+ 8+ to 7th place— a huge accomplishment for a world renowned regatta. “Everyone in the boat had learned to row at SRA, there were no high school or collegiate rowers in our crew. Plus everyone except me had been rowing 5 years or less. We were so excited to pass former Olympians in our race. That was an amazing accomplishment for SRA,” Stevens said proudly.  Stevens summiting Mount Fuji with her son, Pascal, in 2023 For novice rowers, Stevens has some excellent advice. “Row with experienced rowers any time you can and learn from them,” she said. “Join the off day workouts to meet people and be pushed to improve. Try out for competitive boats to get experience and have fun!”
In 2002, Stevens left her Digital Imaging job at Wizards of the Coast to raise her two boys. Since she grew up camping and hiking, her kids now enjoy sharing those hobbies with her too. She and her son, Pascal, summited Mount Fuji together in 2023— an endeavor her rowing friends helped her train for. Stevens loves traveling around the world and takes photos of her adventures which she then scrapbooks. Her scrapbooking hobby turned into an Etsy business, Paper Hedgehog, where she has been selling journals and scrapbooks for 12 years. From her very first session at SRA back in May 1996, Stevens has found a home where she can truly thrive. With friends who push her to be her best or show up for her when she needs their support, it is not surprising that Stevens has kept coming back to the Hod Fowler boathouse for nearly 30 years. Who knew that reading the newspaper could alter your life in such amazing ways? Many rowers are familiar with the struggle of finding balance between all the things they want to do and need to do in life. For our junior rowers, balancing practice with school, homework, family time, hanging out with friends, tutoring, and other activities teaches them how to manage their time really quickly. Additionally, our adult rowers need to manage even more with work, childcare, vacations, chores, appointments, friends, family, and other hobbies as well. Sammamish Rowing Association has a strong desire to expand the sport to young adults. Statistically, most of our master rowers who have children either have children currently in high school or who have moved out as young adults. This has left very little representation for young parents on our masters teams, but one 5am rower is absolutely crushing it as a young mom.
She credits discipline and preparation as keys to balancing her early morning rows, taking care of her kids, and working her full time job. “The key is being disciplined about being prepped and ready for the next day and getting to bed early. Plus, when you have kids, they go to bed early and I’m not too far behind them! I couldn’t do it without the support of my husband, Jeff, and our family that is close by,” she added. The boathouse was basically a shack when Postlewait began rowing in 2006. Portable bathrooms were outside and rowers changed behind sheets strung up on the ceiling. Weight training was completed with concrete filled paint cans. Nevertheless, incredible coaching by her coach at the time, Courtney Moeller, and the amazing friendships she made and memories shared at the Hod Fowler Boathouse solidified rowing as a passion for Postlewait. After a gap in her rowing career, she met up with an old friend, Dennis Ferrer, and got the scoop on masters rowing. In 2019, she joined the 5am team and the rest is history!
 Since the inception of The Head of the Charles Regatta in 1965, the event has attracted hundreds of thousands of rowers to Boston and the Charles River. SRA has had the opportunity to attend this regatta for years and to compete against top crews. This year, all our competing crews qualified for entires in 2023. HOCR was back up to full capacity with top crews from across the country as well as numerous international crews. Rowers were lucky to have some of the best weather ever for this year’s races. SRA's top finish was a silver medal for the 5AM’s women’s 40+ 4+. They overcame multiple challenges to bring home SRA’s first medal since 2019. Coach Kenzie Waltar of the 5am team competed with her dad, Steve Waltar, in the Directors Challenge Parent/Child 2x category. Waltar said, "It was an honor to race the Head of the Charles with my dad. The two of us have been training together for a couple of months and to have it pay off with some fun on the Charles was such a gift! We passed a few boats, we were cheered on by many UW and SRA friends, and we competed with heart. I'm so glad we got to do something so special! SRA, thank you for making this possible. It's something we'll never forget!" In addition to current SRA rowers, we were fortunate enough to see several alumni from our junior program competing this past weekend. Brooke Caragher (U Penn), Grace Sappington (Cornell), Lucy Climer-Kennedy (Northeastern), and Jacob Zelenko (San Diego), all recent SRA Junior Program alumni, were spotted competing this year and we could not be more proud to see them continuing their rowing careers on such a renowned stage. All of our crews did an outstanding job and deserve recognition as well. Below, board member Dale Quigg has compiled our team results along with video links. Please join us in celebrating our incredible rowers, coaches, and coxswains for their amazing performances at The Head of the Charles Regatta! 2022 Head of the Charles Overview for Sammamish Rowing Association Friday, October 21, 2022 W GMV 1X Women's Grand Master/Veteran Singles [50+, 60+] Ann Creighton Results Top 25% Finish Video: Cambridge Saturday, October 22, 2022 M SM 8+ Men's Senior Master Eights [50+] C: Jessica Pare 8: Sohier Hall 7: Tyler Simpson 6: William Senenko 5: Brett Barton 4: Mike Fitzner 3: Kirby Meyer 2: Marc McGinnis 1: Patrick Eames Results: Top 50% Finish Video: Reunion Village Cambridge W SM 8+ Women's Senior Master Eights [50+] C: Lisa Caldwell 8: Ann Taylor 7: Karen Tollefson 6: Maxine Lee 5: Susannah Pryal 4: Jeana Vasey 3: Arminda Phillips 2: Sue Bailey 1: Paula Sandige Results: Top 50% Finish Video: Reunion Village Cambridge M GM 4+ Men's Grand Master Fours [60+] C: Jamie Moseley 4: Kevin Hansen 3: Scott Winter 2: Charles Turner 1: Scott Merritt Results Video: Reunion Village n/a Cambridge W SM 4+ Women's Senior Master Fours [50+] C: Madison Goertz 4: Tanya Wahl 3: Trisha Miller 2: Jennifer Martin 1: Nancy Johnston Results: Top 25% Finish Video: Reunion Village Cambridge W MSTR 4+ Women's Master Fours [40+] C: Genevieve Carrillo 4: Jennifer Teschke 3: Christen Kartaltepe 2: Rebecca Rowe 1: Yulia Poltorak Results: Silver Medal Video: Reunion Village Cambridge n/a W MSTR 4+ Women's Master Fours [40+] C: Amy Shotwell 4: Celine Suzzarini 3: Beverley Ashton 2: Summer Taylor 1: Susan Cameron Results: Top 50% Finish Video: Reunion Village Cambridge n/a Sunday, October 23, 2022 DC PC 2X Directors' Challenge Parent/Child Doubles 2: Stephen Waltar 1: Kenzie Waltar Results Video: Riverside Reunion Village Cambridge
Thank you to Sammamish Independent for this incredible feature of our organization! It's no secret that SRA provides a welcoming experience for new and returning rowers. At SRA we invite everyone to discover a passion for rowing, explore personal potential, and celebrate team success! Read the article here: https://sammamishindependent.com/2022/10/a-local-rowing-club-welcomes-anyone-willing-to-learn/?fbclid=IwAR3ini60ghXLkwHoVs82QyGfBXvbiwlK7WGVTg2NPtaHObJGXLfGF11_cZM   Nearly everyone is affected by breast cancer in some way. Maybe a co-worker, a friend, or family member has had to fight against it. Maybe you yourself have been diagnosed. Millions of people are affected by this disease and millions more are joining in the fight against it through awareness, fundraising, and general support.
Sammamish Rowing Association has had members diagnosed with this disease so this fight is a personal one. In recent years we have had incredible members who have gotten our club more involved in the local Seattle Row for the Cure event. This event is a regatta and fundraiser committed to raising awareness and funds for breast cancer screenings, research, and support. Over the years we've sent countless rowers to participate in the regatta, and we've gotten more serious about fundraising. With about a week until the regatta this September, SRA had passed the $10,000 fundraising mark, hitting out initial goal and earning a pink erg for our erg room. Mid-Morning rower, Birgit Bertram, had set up SRA's overall fundraising page and members could create their own sub-pages to solicit donations from friends, family, and colleagues. As we surpassed the $10,000 mark, the RFTC team came to us with a new goal. If we raised $20,000, we could have two pink ergs! We accepted their challenge and in the end we raised a total of $23,728! This was an incredible show of support in the fight against breast cancer and it was truly a team effort. Our top fundraiser was junior rower, Andreas Giakoumakis, who raised $4,002. Andreas began rowing in 6th grade and currently rows with the Experienced Junior Boys Team. He loves his friends and coaches who make SRA an amazing place to be. When asked why he decided to fundraise for RFTC, Andreas said, "My mom, who is a two-time breast cancer survivor, mainly inspired me to raise money for RFTC, and at first I didn’t think I would raise more than 500 dollars, but everyone exceeded my expectations. I think it is important to raise money for breast cancer research so it can be detected early, and less people and families can be affected." "I love how my mom is very understanding and kind," he added. We have to admit, we appreciate how kind and understanding Andreas is and our staff members are so proud of his hard work and dedication to the cause. To everyone who helped us reach this milestone, and for all those committed to the cause of defeating breast cancer- thank you for your incredible support this year. Get ready to break more records in 2023!  This month, SRA added a familiar face to our full-time staff. Many rowers from our junior and masters teams will remember learning the basics of rowing with Sydney Colburn. Sydney spent many summers coaching our middle school programs, Row for a Day classes, and Learn to Row sessions. Sydney has a wealth of knowledge for building a strong rowing foundation for rowers and has supported several SRA teams.
Sydney joined SRA in the spring of 2014 looking for a new activity outside of soccer and karate. After checking out SRA because a friend rowed, Sydney instantly fell in love with the sport, eventually graduating from the junior rowing program. “My favorite memory at SRA is my first year on the experienced high school team. I was in the 3V (our lowest boat at the time), but we were completely undefeated over the course of the season. It was such a fun boat and I still think about those races and how much fun they were.” Sydney recently graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Linguistics and History, with a minor in American Sign Language. During their time at UC San Diego, Sydney also rowed for four years with the Women's Rowing team. When asked what they love about the sport and what they’re looking forward to with SRA, Sydney said, "I love everything about rowing. I love how much effort you have to put into the sport. I love how unique and specialized it is. I love being out on the water early in the morning when everything is calm and you can hear the birds. I love the sounds of the slides and the oarlocks and the blade slipping out of the water. I love how close a group of people gets when preparing to race together, and how rowing requires the entire boat to work as one – it's the ultimate team sport. Now, as a coach, I love teaching the sport and watching people fall in love with rowing just like I did." We couldn’t agree more! Sydney joins as our Learn to Row Coordinator and as an assistant coach for our junior girls and masters teams. Having worked with many first-time rowers, they offered some advice. "My best piece of advice for a new rower would be to have patience – in themselves, their teammates, and their coaches. Rowing is a very difficult sport and it takes a long time to get good at it, so don't expect to figure everything out right away." Join us in welcoming Sydney back to our community! We look forward to many wonderful rowing sessions on the lake and the joy of rowers falling in love with the sport thanks to Sydney’s guidance.
The Henley Royal Regatta dates back almost 200 years, and they firmly hold to tradition. High on the list of British social events, formal attire is required to enter the Stewards Enclosure viewing area. Racing is a single elimination match on a course slightly longer than 2 kilometers.
Woodman’s boat was sidelined from Olympic competition when the U.S. and other countries boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Tom notes that his crew is often remembered for what they weren't able to do. However, his team defines their legacy with their ample accomplishments. Evidence of their success is visible at the National Team Training Center in Princeton; CRI in Boston; Newport Aquatic Center in California; Sammamish Rowing Association; and even facilities in New Zealand and Australia. Tom shares the reunion was a success and a time to celebrate. After the Henley, a couple of Woodman's boat mates traveled to Lucerne, Switzerland where they also raced in 1980. The Rotsee course there is the best rowing course in the world, and they were able to watch World Rowing Cup III on a beautiful summer weekend before heading their separate ways. When asked what problems the Greater Seattle area faces, what comes to mind? For some, the issue of homelessness will pop up. Knowing that many of our fellow citizens are without housing is distressing, and one SRA member wanted to do something about it. Aimee Woolwine of the Masters Mid-Morning Team decided to make a positive change by giving back to the community. After running across Sound Foundations NW on social media, Aimee began volunteering at The Hope Factory, their building facility in SODO. The goal of Sound Foundations NW is to end homelessness in Seattle and share what they learn to communities with the same intent. "Getting folks out of unsafe living conditions and into a safe place of their own changes their lives. Every person is worthy of that feeling of peace and safety. These homes and the villages they are placed in are a highly effective conduit to a healthier life for so many people," says Woolwine. Working with other SFNW volunteers on a weekly basis, she saw volunteering as a great experience to share with her teammates.
A huge congratulations and thank you to Aimee and the Mid-Morning team for an amazing feat and doing great work for our local communities. Interested in getting involved? Reach out to SRA staff to connect with Aimee or click the link below to see how you can improve people's lives by providing homes!
By Coach Liza Dickson This is a companion article to the video. If you haven't watched the video, check it out below: A common question I get regarding technique revolves around layback - how much should a rower have? I think my rowers want a simple answer to this, but as usual with me, there isn’t a simple answer. For this discussion, I’m going to explain a bit about how I coach and my style. Every coach has their own style - there is room for all of them, your coach has one and you should listen to it. But never be afraid to ask them “why?” they coach anything the way that they do.
The style of rowing that I coach is based upon the optimal utilization of both a rowers body and the equipment. Basically, trying to use those two things the way they were intended on being used and in tandem. Focusing on these two things prevents injury and promotes optimal boat speed. Each rower is different, so my style revolves around trying to find the optimum use of their body. That’s why if you watch my crews row down the Montlake Cut on Opening Day, they are not perfectly matched with the bodies. Unfortunately, in Junior Rowing I have not had the luxury of a matched set of 8 rowers that were all 6’5! Instead of making them all look the same (when their bodies seldom are the same), I work on helping each athlete attain their most effective and efficient stroke based on the biomechanics of their body first and foremost. That is step 1. Oversimplifying an entire year of coaching, the next step is looking at oars: catch angles, and stroke lengths making sure they are matched (and yes, sometimes that means making the short guy row with extra layback - but only if he is capable of it physically). None of the above works if you are not set up properly in relation to the equipment, but here again we border on the different rowing styles, so I’m going to leave it to your coaches to set you up the way they want you in the boat. Now that you have some understanding on my approach, on to that pesky layback question. Of course all rowers want to be as long as possible, but there are limitations with their body (individual anatomy) and the setup of the equipment (physics). For each athlete to find the layback that is appropriate to them, I have my rowers row feet out. It’s important to make sure you are on the seat properly on the front of the ischial tuberosities (bottom of the pelvis, aka sit bones). Once feet are out, I am asking our athletes to find the layback that THEIR core can support with the feet out of the shoes. So on the drive, athletes are pressing into the feet and as the blade comes out of the water, the pressure on the bottom of the feet must cease. Rowers are in the layback position and without their feet in the shoe, they can not rely on the top of the shoe to hold them in the layback position. Rowers MUST rely on the strength of their core. It takes some strokes each day with feet out to find that perfect layback where the rower is relying on their core strength to end the drive and make the turn to the recovery learning NOT to rely on the tops of their feet. When rowers pull excessively on the top of the shoes in the layback position they are not in control of their body - the body is able to FALL to the bow. That is not optimal for boat speed. Additionally, pulling excessively on the top of the shoes means you don’t have to use your core. If you go back further than the strength of your core will allow, you are putting your back at risk. A few things go into this core strength and it goes beyond doing a core workout every day. (though you still do need to do that work!) The next thing is physical development. For instance, a teen boy is still growing rapidly and while we can strengthen the core muscles, the connections through ligaments and tendons remain loose within the whole body. Therefore, they are likely not going to be capable of a longer layback solely because they are still growing. Often my junior boats do not have very much layback for this reason. As that rower enters his early 20’s his core will be capable of a longer layback. Take a look at a college crew and you’ll see that. The final thing is length of time rowing. So many times you hear your coaches say things like : “ you just need to take more rowing strokes to be good at this!” This is true for developing your core strength - the longer you row, the stronger those muscles get from rowing and the more efficient you are, therefore making you capable of having some longer layback. As my sculling coach always said, “The best core workout for rowing is using your core while rowing!” I’ll pick up on that topic next time. Feel free to reach out with any questions at [email protected]. I spent one year intensively studying anatomy, physiology and biomechanics in massage therapy school. That knowledge changed how I coached. The outboard hand has two main functions: leverage and control. On the drive, the outboard hand is the most direct part of your body that applies power to the oar. Around the release and on the recovery, the outboard hand gives you the best control over the path of the handle (and blade), and the height of the blade over the water. That means we’re asking a lot of our outboard hand: within a single stroke they have to be powerful and aggressive, but also delicate, dexterous, and careful. That’s quite the task! In this article, we’ll break down the role of the outboard hand through the back half of the stroke, from arm draw, to extraction, to the beginning of the recovery. Applying Downward Pressure The first thing to recognize about the outboard hand is how it contributes to the height of the blade. A squared blade naturally wants to sit at about the right height for the drive (almost entirely submerged underwater). Let the equipment do most of the work for you: think of this squared and buried position as the default resting place for the blade. You don’t have to do anything to keep it in this position. That means you don’t need to do anything to keep the blade in position on the drive. Focus all your energy on the horizontal application of power--the vertical component will take care of itself! When you want to control the height of the blade, keep it simple: all you need to do is apply downward pressure on the handle. You can do this with just one finger if you wanted to. Next time you’re in a boat, try this: sit squared and buried at the release. Take your hands off the oar except for your outboard index finger. Push down on that finger gently and lightly: the oar extracts cleanly and easily out of the water. Now relax the downward pressure: the oar returns to the water. And this took very little effort to accomplish. This is what it means when coaches talk about “weighting” and “unweighting” the hands. Anytime the height of the blade changes (i.e. at the catch and at the release) this is the economy of movement you want to strive for. Hand Position at the Release What should the outboard hand look like around the release as you extract the blade by applying downward pressure? Well, here’s a few pictures (this metal bar was the closest I could find to an oar handle in my house).  The final arm draw. In this photo I am finishing the arm draw of the drive. The (theoretical) blade is still fully buried, and I’m squeezing in towards the sternum. Note the outboard wrist is flat. At this point, the outboard hand is focused mainly on a powerful, horizontal draw. There’s not much finessing required at this point.  The very end of the drive. The elbow is away slightly from the body, but not a mile high into the air; it has also not gone past the body. The wrist is still flat, not cocked up. There is a slight lateral twist from the wrist, and the end of the oar has swiveled ever so slightly in my hand. Note that the blade is still in the water, and I am just about to begin the extraction. This is when the power winds down and the finesse takes over.  Where am I holding the handle in my hand? This view shows the main point of contact between hand and handle--where the fingers meet the palm.  The extraction. This part of the stroke should be all about precision and finesse--the drive is over, so you shouldn’t be doing any yanking with that outboard hand. This is where you want to think about “weighting” the outboard hand to apply vertical, downward pressure. It doesn’t take very much force. Properly timed, this will slip the blade out of the water cleanly and easily. At this point, the inboard hand does the feathering (but that’s a topic for another article). Make sure the outboard wrist doesn’t bend here--you want to stay ON TOP of the handle, and let the handle just rotate underneath your hand as the feathering happens. You want your grip to be just enough to maintain control, but not so much that the handle can’t rotate in your hand. The Recovery The crucial responsibility for the outboard hand on the recovery is just maintaining a level height of the blade above the water. You do this by maintaining just the right amount of downward pressure on the blade, like we previously discussed.  Try this! The karate chop recovery: instead of the usual outboard hand grip, replace it with a karate chop. You can’t lift the oar, or even really hold it in place. It limits you to think about your downward pressure only. All you are doing is counteracting gravity, which wants to drop the blade into the water. As you take the recovery, look out at the blade, and make sure the height of the blade stays consistent above the water. Notice how an inconsistent application of downward pressure means you can’t hold the blade level on the recovery. Conclusion
The outboard hand is a crucial connector between the equipment and the rest of your body. Don’t overthink and don’t overpower it (on the recovery at least!). There’s a time for really powering, and there’s a time for finesse--knowing when to balance these tasks is a crucial skill for getting the most out of the outboard hang. Below is a autobiographical/historical piece I had written up to share with 5am about some of the places I have rowed around the world, and some of the people I have met through rowing. It also contains a couple videos to row along with. Most of the 5am team have their erg set up with these videos running as they do their Monday workouts, mostly at 3/4 pressure range. Tom Woodman First, I have a movie I want you to watch. “Kiss the Joy” is about Joan Lind who is an icon in American rowing. See below for the link to the movie. It ties in with the story that follows:
We were given this link below with encouragement to donate to the her Endowment Fund at the National Rowing Foundation. Let me add that the NRF is legit and the group that supports our national teams. They funded our 1978 effort that we will be following next week (as well as all the other years) so I encourage you to contribute something if you are able to. They have some special challenges this year with the one year delay in the Olympics. "For anyone wanting to contribute to US Rowing and Joan's endowment, just go to: https://natrowing.org/kiss-the-joy/ It'll help some very special people... Regardless - at the end of the day, this film is about the joy of sport and life- and an extraordinary human being. Let me know if you have any problems with the link below- and don't hesitate to send feedback. Enjoy! Take care out there during this very difficult time... Best, Jean" https://vimeo.com/260889888 PASSWORD: JOAN-1976 Oregon State University, 1978After suffering a back injury my Sophomore year, I had walked away from rowing at Connecticut College. My Junior year I transferred out to Oregon State University and the following year, in the fall of 1976 with the encouragement of some rowers I had come to know, decided to join the rowing team. I had looked into it the previous year at OSU but the rowing coach had talked me out of it. In the fall of 1976, Robert Zagunis (just back from racing at the 1976 Olympics in the 4+) coached us. He is the person who inspired me to pursue the level of rowing I did and is a close friend to this day. (He also must have inspired his daughter Mariel Zagunis- she became the first American ever to win a gold medal in fencing and is a 4 time Olympian (2004/2008/2012/2016). Actually she recently had made the 2020 team also. She was the flag bearer for the US team at the 2012 games.) OSU rows on the Willamette River. It is the fastest moving body of water I have ever rowed on, and the higher the water gets in the winter, the faster it moves. Typically the team would come off the water for December and January due to the high water level and amount of debris/logs coming down the river. The video you will row along with shows what it looks like now. Back in the 70’s the boats were kept in a set of WWII barges that floated on the water at either end of the dock you will see. However, there were a couple boats kept in a Quonset hut up by the “barn”. Since I had science labs many afternoons, I was often relegated to the losers who would come to practice late and have to row in one of the “Spirit 4+s”. These boats had been made at OSU during the depression out of about 1/2” plywood. The 4+ easily weighed more than our 8+'s do today, and were about 6’ wider than an 8+ is in the middle. Needless to say it was a workout just getting it into the water, and it didn’t move along very fast. One thing to keep in mind if you ever row in Corvallis is to turn around about 1/3 the way through the practice, because it will take you much longer to come back upstream than it did going downstream! My final year I only had two terms left to complete my coursework. So, as any good rower would do, I decided to work fall term, and then go to school (row) winter and the spring racing term. General rowing goals for the year: #1 compete in the spring racing season at OSU #2 Try out for the national team that summer. (I had thought about it the previous year, but had to work instead.) Beginning of January. Big Problem. I come down with a really bad case of Mono. I laid on the floor for about a month, lost a bunch of weight, and couldn’t go to class. I was so weak that I had to crawl to the bathroom and sit on the toilet because I couldn’t stand up. I was worried about being able to pull off the term and graduate. February. Finally I started to get better. Faster. I gained a pound a day for 3 weeks. My poor roommates appealed me to kick in some extra money to cover the food bill because I was consuming so much. I obliged. I recovered fully and was ready to race by the first race in mid-March. Our first row that day, will be here on the Willamette River in Corvallis. The video below is shot in August when the river is really low and slow. Check out how long and steep the ramp is that they carry the boat down to get to the dock (3:30 in video). Two years ago the water was so high in the winter that it was over the bank and a couple feet deep in the parking lot. Workout Video #1
Philadelphia, 1978After the regular season at OSU my final year there, four of us skipped graduation and went east to race a 4- in the IRA (which was held in Syracuse back then on a huge lake that could have all sorts of wind issues. Years later they finally abandoned this site for holding IRA’s). Winning there helped me make the next step- trying to make the National Team. The Worlds were in New Zealand that year, and not until November (rather than the normal early September timeframe), so there was a lot of club rowing that summer, with National Team selection later than usual, in late summer. I decided to move to Philadelphia to row with Ted Nash who was the U Penn coach. He had rowed for Lake Washington Rowing Club back in their golden years, racing in the ’60 and ’64 Olympics (Gold and Bronze), and eventually went to 11 Olympics as either coach or athlete. Ted was unbelievably driven, resourceful and quite a character. We would always be hearing stories about him, and say “no way, that is true”, but later find out it was. Lots of stories there. I was lucky to land there because Ted put together the best collection of oarsmen in the country that summer and it was a deep/talented group: Chatzky, Otto Stekl, Sean Colgan (and more- from Penn), Ibbetson (UCI and stroke of ’77 US 8+), Hull (Dartmouth), Townsley (and his pet skunk- from Syracuse), Turner (UCLA), Prelou (UC Berkley), a couple from Wisco, UCSD, and many more. A bunch of us lived in a frat house on the Penn campus, paying a dollar a day for a place to sleep. It was a pit. All the dishes from the school year were left unwashed in the kitchen, and never were washed that whole summer. Hardest however was the oppressive heat. I was sharing a room with another guy and I was lucky enough to get a fan that I could point directly on my body, uncovered and wearing just underwear, to sleep. Still I would wake up in the mornings wet from sweat. However, I was thankful I didn’t have the worst room. The guys on the top floor described how on the hottest days, the tar dripped through from the tar roof above melting and seeping through. Or the following year, the two guys who slept in a closet. It was so small that they had to shut the door (which opened inward) to lay down. It was not a pleasant smell in the mornings. I got a lucky break at one point that summer when Anita DeFrantz let me stay at her place while she was out of town for an extended time. It was a nice break, in a quiet neighborhood and the house was much cooler. I had met Anita when we were both rowing back in Connecticut my freshman year. She was a senior, and went to Vesper that summer to row. (I ended up helping to drive their Vesper boats out to Women’s Nationals that June- in Lake Merritt CA, where we rowed for Masters Nationals 2 years ago). Anita went to law school at U Penn, and continued on a successful rowing career. She was in the 8+ in the 1976 Olympics that got the bronze rowing with Harry Parker. In 1980 Anita lead the charge to fight the boycott. She put her skills to work filing a law suit against Carter to try to allow the US team to go. Although the suit was unsuccessful, her efforts caught the attention of many, and a few years later she was elected to the IOC (International Olympic Committee) where she ended up eventually as Vice President and served until recently. I had a bike which I rode to the boathouse. At one point in the summer I was forced to take a big detour for several days. The slum I had to ride through turned out to be where the MOVE headquarters were. They had had a big shootout with the police that week. This was also the summer that the garbage collectors went on strike. So, the garbage just got piled in the middle of the streets. At one point black garbage bags were piled almost one story high, running 100’ down the middle of the blocks in the neighborhoods I rode through. Filthydelphia became the chosen word for the city. During this timeframe there was a big revolution occurring in boat construction and design. Pocock had been the dominant US manufacturer up until the early 70s. They made their boats out of all wood, and the riggers were pretty well fixed with no adjustments possible. In the Penn boathouse and in many others on the east coast the Pococks were being replaced, mostly by Schoenbroad boats. They had riggers that you could make all sorts of adjustments to, and had fiberglass hulls with a wooden interior framework. While the fiberglass was pretty maintenance free, the wood had the same old issues the wood boats had. The varnish got worn off and the wood would start rotting if not refinished. And the framework could break and loosen up over time. This loosening up was the main reason boats only lasted 10 years max back then. If you got in a 10 year old wood boat rigged traditionally, the stroke seat would be down to port all the time, while up in the bow, the boat would be down to starboard all the time. This twisting of the boat was due to the weight of the end oars on the riggers on the recovery over time. Pococks were especially susceptible to this because Pocock built his boats loose/flexible on purpose. And his oars were soft/super flexible too. Stan Pocock stuck with that philosophy through the 70’s and 80s as the market moved away from him, with people looking for stiffer boats and stiffer oars, and as other manufacturers transitioned quickly to synthetic materials. Ted Nash gave me a job that summer so I could earn money to eat. My job was to help the boatman by sanding down the interior wood structure of U Penn’s boats (mostly Schoenbroads), glueing broken pieces, and varnishing the wood). I remember working on their dock slip for endless hours that summer, sanding away, and looking out over the city. On most days you could see about a mile or two, and that was it. I'm not sure if it was humidity, smog, or most likely both, but it was striking how short the visibility was most days. In 1978, as now, one of the best brands in the world were Empachers, made in (West) Germany. That’s what we always raced in at the Worlds, and they were really sweet boats-and all glass/carbon, even in 1978. In these International videos you watch, the light yellow boats are generally Empachers. (The East Germans made their own boats that only East Germans rowed. They had a distinctive look with a much deeper hull, right from the bow of the boat.) Our next virtual row will be a row where we trained, on the Schuykill River. “Boathouse Row” is worth checking out if you ever get to Philadelphia. There are 15 boathouses in a row, all built 100-150 years ago, just above a dam on the river. The boat you will row with is launching from close to the downstream end of Boathouse Row, by the dam (which is next to the Art Museum where Rocky ran up the steps in the movie). So, you will get to see the whole row of boathouses from the water. Note that at 65 seconds in, just a couple strokes off the dock, you will pass the cable device strung across the river. (It was erected prior to when I rowed there so that if you flipped near the dock you have a chance to grab onto it and save yourself (they had lost a gal who flipped and went over the dam before this was installed). The U Penn boathouse that I rowed out of has a bunch of red on the top face of it that you can see as you go by. It is right next to the famous Vesper boathouse (where Jack Kelley Jr. and Sr. rowed and the 1964 Gold Medal Olympic 8 was assembled). Along the shore on this stretch that we will row is Fairmount Park and Kelley Drive (named after Jack Kelley- Google that name, both Jr and Sr.) on one side. The Schuykill Expressway is on the other side. (A couple of the guys worked on a crew replacing guardrails there during the day. It was nicknamed the SureKilll Expressway). Workout Video #2
At 14:30 into the video you go under Columbia Bridge with a slight turn. It is hard to see but right after that bridge on the shore are some grand stands. This is the finish line for the 2k course that is used for races like the Dad Vail, Independence Day. It is the only 2k course I have rowed on that has a curve in the middle of it. Take a break at the top of the island when they turn around, 17:30 into the video. (This is about 500 to go on the race course. The Head of the Schuykill starts further up river). Leave the video running, but get off the machine and stretch for 3 minutes but hop back on and pick it up with them as they go under the Columbia Bridge again at 20:30 into the video, and follow it back to the boathouse. For about the last 2 minutes, the rate and pressure come up together, so build with it, finishing at full pressure @30 SPM. Paddle it back to the dock, stop video at 33 minutes, and go on to the next video.
One of the memories I have most firmly burned into my brain are the endless pieces we did racing our 2+ (Otto/me/Chatzky) against the 2- of Ibbetson/Colgan. Ted was really good at handicapping the boats. We would start first in the 2+, and then Ted would start the 2- after a calculated pause so that, I think every single piece, the 2- would finally catch up and go through us in the last 10 strokes to the Finish Line of this race course you rowed by in the video above. This is where I learned to handicap races and what I try to replicate on our Race Day Fridays. It’s Ted’s fault, so you can blame him! Ted did an unbelievable job of lining up a summer full of races (I am not sure how it was all financed, but the fact we all rowed in U Penn shirts, and I am listed as a U Penn graduate in some of the records may be a clue):
Selection started in Princeton, where they have a buoyed course for seat racing. Later it moved to Dartmouth, NH. Dartmouth was a wonderful place to row. I loved it here. Swimming off the dock after practice, cooler weather with less humidity, and in beautiful northern NH - out of the Filthydelphia urban setting that I disliked so much. (We will row here when I cover 1979 next week.) Because the Worlds were in NZ in 1978, the expense of sending a team was much higher and so the US had decided to take a much smaller team than usual- just a 4+, 2- and 2+. I was trying for the 4+ at this camp. After a long brutal selection process, the boat was announced and I made it! (Vreugdenhill, Otto Stekl, Lubsen, me and cox Jaugstetter). Immediately Vrugedenhill revealed that he had a job teaching in Philadelphia he was committed to, so we had to change plans for the next month+ of training. So we left Dartmouth and went back to Philadelphia to train for the next stretch. That was disappointing, but a patron of US Rowing let us stay in his air-conditioned condo in Philadelphia and we thought we were in heaven. Well, at least as close as you can get to it in Philadelphia. In October we moved to Long Beach CA, trained there for a short stretch and had a scrimmage with the Canadians. Long Beach rows in the LB Marine Stadium, a manmade course constructed for the 1932 Olympics. They had a bunch of old wooden Pococks that we used. If you go back in time far enough, boats used to have much shorter tracks. I am guessing they changed this in the 60’s? These older boats’ short tracks took some getting used to because you would hit the stern stops before you had compressed to your usual spot. I also remember using these old boats because in our scrimmage with the Canadians, we were ahead of them with about 500 to go when the wheel on the seat of the guy in front of me completely disintegrated and I got to watch him attempt to keep rowing (no slide) while the Canadians went by us. Another memory was of doing a long row one day. We left the protected canals there, went out into the Pacific and rowed to the Queen Mary and back.There was just a small gentle roll so it was ok. On that row Chatzky, the cox of the bow loaded 2+, hit a buoy (it was broad daylight, so maybe he fell asleep?). We still give him grief about it to this day. Pete Gardner (Dartmouth coach) was our coach this year. He was a good person, we liked him, but it was concerning how he would start off every morning after practice with a couple beers by the hotel pool. Earnie Arlet was coaching the scullers. He was the guy who had the idea that became the HOCR. Long Beach is where Joan Lind trained- so if you watched the movie I recommended, “Kiss the Joy”, then you have been there! (Joan was on most the teams I was on, including this1978 trip to NZ.). In case you didn’t catch it, back then the women only raced 1k while the men raced 2k. We raced on different days at big regattas so they could make the changes to the starting platforms for the different distances. In 1978, unlike other years, we stayed with the women’s team most of this trip and it was fun to get to know most of them. Next stop for us was Australia for a couple weeks of training in Sydney, and some racing. We trained out of the Sydney Rowing Club. Typical of clubs over there, they had slot machines and bar upstairs (to help finance the club) and the shells were downstairs. We slept in a different boathouse across the bay. We had a couple launches at our disposal to get back and forth. We put the launches to use. I remember some of the guys playing frisbee in the boats, and occasionally making a diving catch into the water. We heard later there were sharks in Sidney harbor. Another day we went to a beach outside of the city and I saw for the first time the shark fences they had to keep sharks out of the swimming area. The launches had a quirky behavior and had a V shaped hull. I remember driving one by myself at full speed, sitting on the right side behind the steering wheel and throttle. Suddenly without warning the launch tipped to my side, putting the gunwale, half my body and part of the steering wheel and throttle in the water- at full speed. It was all I could do to stay in the boat and stop the launch! After that I tried to sit in the middle of the launch and reach over to steer the boat. At the end of our stay, we raced on the Napean River in Penrith, outside of Sydney. Since then, they have built a beautiful manmade course (for the 2000 Olympics) next to the river. So it sounds like everyone rows there now rather than on the river. The thing I remember most about that place were the flies. I have never seen so many. You had to continually wave your hand around your face, etc or it would soon be covered with flies. No good videos here, so we are heading to NZ now. Lake Karapiro, New Zealand, 1978It is now late October and Halloween was celebrated (one of the guys dismantled the toilet in the hotel so he could be that for the costume party). 1978 was the first time the Worlds were held in NZ. It was beautiful and very rural. There are more sheep than people there. However, there were some real challenges. One was getting enough high quality boats there to race in. The guys in the 2+ were to row a boat from NZ. When they got there, they found out it was heavy and had a SitUp cox, rather than a LayDown cox. I had never seen a sit up 2+. Finally a lay down boat was found on the South Island that they were able get and to race in. Our 4+ was shipped in a container from USA. However, the container was about 4’ shorter than the boat. So our boatman Conn Findlay, cut off the bow, and then when he got to New Zealand, glued it back on. (Conn Findlay is another interesting person- google him if you want. He was in the 1956(Gold), 1960 (Bronze), and 1964 Olympics (Gold), all in the 2+. Then, he switched to sailing and won a Bronze in 1976!) In 1978 the facilities at the course were small and primitive. The buildings were all new but thrown up quickly, without insulation or sheetrock. That was no problem back then, but when they held the World Championships again here in 2010 (the video we will row along with) it looked much different. To see what it looks like now row along here: Workout Video #3
I was happy with our results (4th) that year, the top placing by a US men’s boat. After the races a bunch of us crammed into a van and toured around the North Island for about 4 days before heading home. It was a blast. By then it was mid November so I headed back to Corvallis Oregon, worked on a Christmas Tree farm harvesting trees, and tried to figure out how to approach the next year’s racing.
By Liza Dickson
While it isn’t everyone’s favorite thing, it is a huge benefit that taking turns in the coxswain seat is the norm at SRA. I have worked at several clubs that struggled to find coxswains and were not willing to take this on. I ended up coaching A LOT of masters’ practices from the coxswain seat. Here are some basic tips that I think will help everyone out, or at least ease some anxiety the next time you are in the coxswain seat. The first thing I talk about with anyone before they cox is their priority list of responsibilities:
Number 1 and Number 2 are so important to me that I usually do all the commands for my new coxswains when possible. That way they can focus on safety and steering. While that may not be possible as you jump into the seat, don’t worry about complicated commands and motivation until you feel comfortable with safety and steering – especially if it’s dark. Rowers may be rowers, and put some pressure on you otherwise, but remember your first two priorities! Thanks to Matt and Ethan who helped me compile the list. As you all know, every coach is different. We tried to stay with general tips that most coaches feel are important. GENERAL TIPS
SAFETY
STEERING – it takes practice!
COMMANDS
MOTIVATION – once you have a handle on all the above, you can start some motivational calls.
 Photo via Dr. Jessica Reyka Dear Rowers,
Over the past two months, we (human beings) as a collective have experienced a significantly traumatic and ever-changing period of time with COVID-19. You may have noticed that since this has taken place that you are more irritable, hypervigilant, stressed, experiencing more anxiety, less sleep, and a decreased (or increased) appetite. Some of you may have been navigating through these things prior to the pandemic, but for some these sensations and feelings may be relatively new and overwhelming. I just want to encourage all of you who are reading this, that there is no right or wrong way to handle or cope with this experience, there is solely just being in it and trying to move through. “What does that even mean? Just being in this and trying to move through?” Think about the first time you took a stroke on the water, for the majority of you that meant you didn’t drop it in at the right time, or it wasn’t turned to the correct degree and you didn’t catch the water. Remember those emotions and how frustrating it was to be in that position and be unsure of to make your body do what your mind was saying. Fast forward to your 10,000thstroke, you no longer need to think about what you need to do to make your oar drop just right, it just happens, you feel it in your body. That’s what I mean when I say just be in this. Allow yourself to experience the feelings that are coming up, remember they are temporary (just like your inabilities and feelings of frustration in the beginning of this sport), and then express them in a safe way. Unfortunately, I cannot provide answers to when this will “end” and I can acknowledge that at times that thought alone can be overwhelming and terrifying. But here’s another way to look at this pandemic: you’re in a single and you’re halfway through your race when you start to feel like you can’t or won’t make it to the finish line, your aching body screaming that you can’t do it. But somehow you do and you’re a stronger rower and human at the end of the race because you kept going. Although we don’t have a finish line in sight, we do have our own resilience and drive that we can tap into to help us feel like we can make it through. For many of us, rowing brings a sense of community, belonging, love and support; and now, all of those things have been stripped away or feel like they have. Just being we cannot physically be together in a boat or on the ergs, we can still remain connected. Creating a Zoom workout group with the other rowers in your boat or on your team, holding each other accountable like your coaches would, reaching out to one another via text when you start to miss the connection, email your coaches for resources to share with your other team members, utilize the technology you have to keep that community alive! Numerous regattas have been cancelled, events postponed, fundraisers shut down, and so many other aspects of this sport and lifestyle have been impacted. There is an element of grief to having all of these exciting events cancelled, the hope that you had to prove yourself on the water, the medals and awards that were possible, and for the seniors, some of the last moments with your team and as a high school rower. I’m encouraging you to allow yourself to grieve those moments, but to remember that there are still infinite moments in the future that you will have. Just because you couldn’t experience some of these present times, it does not mean that you are not a rower, and it does not make you any less of a rower. Grief doesn’t look the same for everyone, it can manifest as anger, frustration, irritableness, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, etc…So if you are experiencing any of these, there may be a need to allow yourself to recognize that you feel a loss and to work through that. You’ve lost before at regattas, on the erg, on the water, you know how to handle this, you just have to believe that you can. This has allowed time for you to develop more of the mindset of a rower without the physical rowing. Can we use this time as an opportunity to build a stronger mind and body to help us return back to the sport better than ever before? For parents: I just want to acknowledge that I know this is a very challenging time for you as well, but I am going to encourage you all to help provide a space for your children to experience, feel, and process through their emotions during this time. For some of you, you may have lost your job, which is what your child now feels like, they have lost their purpose, their meaning, their routine. Many of you were not prepared for this, which is a place where you can find empathy for your child who also did not have time to prepare. Some ways to help communicate with your child and to encourage them to express themselves: a) setting up a journal system where your children can write in a journal and leave it in a specific place in the house for you to read and respond (if communicating verbally is anxiety provoking or distressing for the child), b) spending time discussing your own worries and fears (to an appropriate extent) to help normalize that they are not alone in their feelings, c) helping them create a flexible routine or schedule where they choose the tasks they want to get done for the day but may not necessarily need a time frame to do it in (less anxiety provoking and defeating if they can’t complete something), d) creating conversation about the present moment and how to stay mindful in that and then practicing those strategies (breathing together, yoga, meditation). Sleep is one of the most important things that we need as a human being to help heal ourselves and to just function on a daily basis, so if you recognize that your child is not sleeping well or just not sleeping in general, this may be an indicator that they are trying to navigate some of the things mentioned above. They are strong but they need you to help guide them through this, and it’s okay to let them know you are also navigating this for the first time. Our mental health is just as important as our physical health. You all know how to work your bodies, let’s use this time to connect with our minds and building an overall stronger self. There is no mandated timeline for your progress, as long as you as continuing to work towards your goals, you are doing it right. Please reach out for support when you need it, you are not alone in this, we are a team! All the light, Dr. Jessica Reyka Bio: Dr. Reyka is a psychologist in the Denver area mainly working with young adults and adults in navigating their healing process through complex trauma, significant anxiety, and attachment issues. She utilizes a holistic integrative approach where she focuses on the mind-body-spirit connection, often referring clients to massage therapy, acupuncture, and yoga to help facilitate a more thorough and comprehensive healing journey. Connection to rowing: She began rowing while pursuing her undergraduate degree and then went on to coach middle school athletes. She has faced some of the same challenges on the water and can understand the intense personal connection to the sport. Check Your Seat Yes, I’m anxious. It’s time to check my seat before the race. I’m anxious because I’ve experienced some lapses of focus thinking more about the race than being in the moment. How about the time we were launching the pair after re-rigging it from a double? Boat’s in the water, teammate hands me my oar and as I go to put it in the open oarlock...”for crying out loud!” It’s a sculling rigger! I’ve got a routine now and this is what I do before every race - because this is what I do before every practice. Check the rigger: • All the nuts and bolts at the boat and all the backstay fasteners. Two fingers tight, great. • Top nut at the top of the pin three fingers tight, perfect. • Bushings at the oarlock seated all the way down? If not I squeeze the oarlock up and down. Then spacers. Is the oarlock too loose, do I need another spacer? Perhaps I can just flip one over and the oarlock will move well enough for Goldilocks.  Check the foot stretcher: • I move it to my customary position. Did I get it perpendicular to the gunwale? Yup. Is it seated right? I push and pull on it and it and it drops into the notch. I tighten the wing nuts again. I hate it when I don’t do that. Just when you jump on the stretcher the whole thing shifts. • Shoes at the right height and secure to the plate? • How are my heel ties? Rules require 3” and boy do I need that with my stiff ankle joints. Oh not again the zip ties have been tightened so much I can barely lift my heels and when I do my heels come out of the shoes or the heel lifts and the sole of the shoe departs from the body of the shoe! I have spare 11” zip ties that should work and I know that at least 3-4 fingers across my hand width is about 3”. Cut replaced and done. Check. • Almost forgot to check the 3 stretcher tracks that are attached to the boat that the foot stretcher slides in. I wiggle them and they’re tight and not missing any sections. Awesome. Thank goodness cuz I don’t have a small adjustable and phillips head screwdriver in my kit. Better get ‘em. Check the tracks: • First I wipe them down. That always calms me down. Hmm, looks like they aren’t even at the front stops and one of them is loose up and down. I reach under the tracks at the front and near the back under the deck and feel for the wing nuts; there are two for each track. Ah, found them and loosen the ones on the out of alignment track, tight little buggers, slide the track in place and tighten them back up. Sweet. Check the seat: • First the wheels. Is the seat rolling smoothly? Cool. Maybe I should push down on it while I roll it; I have put on a few pounds. It’s making a grinding noise. I check the wheels to see first if there is a rusty color around any of them while I’m cleaning them. Are any of them wobbling side to side? Especially the one with rusty color. Yup that’s the culprit. The bushings are failing. Where is that boat guy when you need him? I should have written it on the repair log last time. • I make sure I put the seat back the right way! Ok boat’s ready to go. I’ve already checked my oar, well at least the ones I took down. • The grips are tight and wiped down. • The collars are not broken and they aren’t crooked. I’m ready to row. I can’t blame the equipment now. Oh well there’s always the cox. We’ve shoved off. While I’m setting the boat I reach out and double check that the star nut at the end of the keeper/gate is seated and tight. Nothing like that popping open and the oar coming out of the oarlock – now that’s a very weird feeling! Time to do the work. Oh about that pair race. We swapped out the rigger and made it to the start – pretty frantic, rowed the race at a 39 and that’s about all I recall. -Coach Simon  Pre-Practice Snack Ideas Everyone is different when it comes to what they can digest or tolerate for a pre-practice snack. The key to all of it is timing. Use the guidelines below to select an appropriate pre-practice snack for the amount of time you have before practice to make sure you are fueled for the work ahead. It may take some trial and error to see what works for you. Choosing “real” food instead of overly processed food is preferred. Try to pick things closest to their natural form, or with a short ingredient list.
 Source: USOC/USROWING Sports Nutrition Dept.
Finding Motivation to Train in a Time of Covid
One of the most common frustrations I have heard during this crisis from athletes of all ages, both from SRA and beyond is: “I don’t have the motivation to train without races and without my team. What do I do?” I want to highlight three words in this statement – motivation, races and team and discuss them further. The first thing I want to address- there are races in your future! I know you don’t know exactly when, but you will race again. When that race day arrives, will be you be ready for it? And what does ready look like? Probably a little different for everyone, and maybe different than it used to for you. Yes, your overall focus should be around getting back to racing and being prepared for it, and for some people that may be maintaining the same rigorous training plan that you always do. But that may not be true for everyone. And, if you are guilting yourself for not doing enough, it’s not going to help your motivation. Since we don’t have an exact target date for your next race, it’s ok that racing is not the focal point of your training plan right now. It’s ok to take some time away from structured, metric based workouts and instead find ways to be active that bring you joy. That will help you be more motivated to train seriously when the time comes and to serve your general mental and physical health in a better way. Make sure you give value to whatever workout you do, versus telling yourself you haven’t done enough. Release yourself of the pressure to prove something to anyone other than yourself each day. Second, you still have a Team! Unfortunately, you just don’t get to see them every day. For me, I didn’t need to see my teammates every day to be motivated by them. The main reason for that was the trust that we all had in each other. Success on a rowing team is reliant upon deep trust between all members of the crew. We all must trust that everyone is going as hard as they can always. This trust is forged through countless hours of practice on land and in the water. It comes from suffering side by side. While we can’t do that right now, we DO have all the past experiences that built that trust between our teammates and ourselves. Now is the time to lean on that. When you can’t be with your teammates every day, you must trust they are continuing the work as they are trusting you to do the same. When I had workouts to do on my own, and I wasn’t really motivated, I just would remember that I had a responsibility to my teammates to do the work, whether we were side by side or not! Motivation is a thread woven through having races in the future and having teammates to train with. Both races and teams have something in common – they are external drivers. They are things beyond you that help to motivate you. We all also have internal drivers as motivators. Psychologists used to think that people were one or the other, but the reality is we all rely on both external and internal drivers for motivation. Right now, two major external drivers have been removed as motivators. Now is the time to explore and depend on your internal driver to keep you motivated. This is the time to pause to remember the other reasons that you love to row, especially the very personal reasons that keep you coming back. Rowing is too hard to ONLY pursue because of external reasons. My sculling coach used to say that in order to row everybody has to have a spark inside them. His job was to throw some gasoline on that spark to motivate us further, but we all had to have that internal spark. Now is the time to find out what that spark inside you is, and let that internal driver be your source of motivation to continue to train in whatever capacity that works for you. Connected to why you row is your definition of yourself as an athlete/rower. Whether you think about it or not, we are all doing many things everyday that contribute to our definition of ourselves as a rower. While you aren’t racing or with your team, two things that may be central to your definition of yourself as an athlete, focus on doing things everyday to reinforce your definition of yourself as an athlete. While I would hope this includes some training of some kind, this isn’t JUST training: it’s getting the sleep an athlete needs; focusing on the nutrition you need as an athlete; drinking enough water. You get the idea. Find a way to call yourself an athlete every day so you stay in touch with that version of yourself even as we don’t practice as a team. There is an opportunity here. I know that not everyone can find opportunity in times like these and I certainly can understand that. It’s a hard time. But, with a pause on racing, this is a time we can re-set. We can choose to re-define our goals and objectives, to be a different athlete, to commit to something new. In addition, we can also just choose to be a stronger version of the athlete and teammate we already are, re-affirming the goals and objectives we have set, with just a slightly different timeline. Either way, take advantage of this pause to check in with your goals, and revise or reaffirm. I hope I have given you some ideas to connect with why you row beyond your team and racing, and hopefully some motivation as well. I’m always happy to chat with any rower about goals, why they row and motivation. Coach Liza The quote “Don’t promise when you are happy, don’t reply when you are angry, and don’t decide when you are sad.” -Ziad K. Abdelnour is often thrown around to imply that intelligent and logical people often make unwise decisions based on emotion. I’ll add “Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry and don’t make a race plan in the middle of a race” because no, of course I don’t need the ice cream and the donuts, and no, of course backing off to “save for the sprint” isn’t going to get me to my goal. Why should you have a race plan? What does having a race plan mean? And most commonly, what is the best race plan? Often I’ve gotten these questions just before or even during the warmup on 2k day. It’s a desperate rower’s hail-Mary, the hope that “there must be a key, some secret that if I can learn and execute will unlock the mystical erg test.” By then it’s too late to teach - too late to equip the rowers to answer those questions, so at that point I’ll give an example race plan, and if they’re lucky, they’ll have a relatively recent score to use as a starting point and we can craft a serviceable plan on the fly. But here in writing, when we have the luxuries of ample time and of logical thought, when we’re several stages removed from the heightened, anxious state that exists pre-erg test, here we can go into how and why to build an effective race plan. If there were such thing as a best race plan, then this wouldn’t be much of an article. Alas (or perhaps thankfully?) rowers will encounter different circumstances that require different race plans, and rather than try to prescribe a plan for every eventuality, we’ll lay out how to build your race plan based on your circumstances. “Why” to have a plan is summarized in the first paragraph - if you have no plan, then you’re going to fall back into emotional decision making. In the middle of an erg test or race piece, while the lizard-brain is elbowing in on your logical self with cries of “stop this madness!” is not the time to plan anything at all, let alone how hard you want to keep working for the next couple minutes. Circumstance 1 - “I don’t really know what I should aim for” This happens to novices, athletes coming off a long injury, or rowers who have come back to the sport after years off. If this is you, then, as soon as you can, get out of circumstance 1 - figure out what to aim for! How to do this? There are lots of “predictive workouts” (6x500, dirty dozen, 4x1k, etc), but in Philosophy of Science Norbert Wiener suggests that “The best material model of a cat is… the same cat” and I tend to agree. If you’re prepping for a 5k, do a 5k, if you’re prepping for a 2k, do a 2k. In fact, do several, because that’s the best way to simultaneously find an appropriate pacing and eliminate the foreboding that can accompany the erg test. Bear in mind that doing several 2ks isn’t “training” for a 2k, rather it’s a way of finding your correct pace. If you’re in this category, don’t get bogged down with an intricately detailed race plan, because at this point you’re just turning the coarse adjustment knob to get your pace somewhat in-focus. This is also where the “fly and die” has some value. While fly and die is not a good strategy for athletes who are trying to optimize and shave off 1 more second, for those who don’t know their pacing, it helps to “find your edge” if you’ve seen it from both sides. Circumstance 2 - “I have a goal, but how do I get there?” NOW, we can start building a race plan around something meaningful, and here are some questions to consider. What do you want your pacing to look like? Do you want to just hold steady for the bulk of the piece, or start 1-2 splits higher and work it down to -2/-3? Do you want to break it down by 500s/400s/300s and “castle” around your target average. Any of these are valid, but my usual prescription is to start a little slow, and accelerate throughout the piece. I like to think of it in terms of the percentage of the piece that is uncomfortable - see the charts below for a hypothetical comparison.  The red line is a rower who paced to accelerate throughout the piece and the blue line is a rower who came out too fast (by about 7 splits) and then crashed. Both rowers wind up with the same time, but the blue rower is miserable starting at about 600, while the red rower probably gets uncomfortable around 800, but isn’t truly miserable until about 1200! What a savings! The red and blue examples are hypothetical, but are meant to trace more or less what a well paced, and poorly paced 2k could look like.
In general, the more you know about where you’re aiming, the more precise and tighter your pacing should be, for example: you’ve only done one 2k this season and it was 2 months ago? You could aim for +3/+0/-3/-(6+) over each 500, but if you’ve done several and you’ve got a pretty tight grouping, maybe you go for +1/+0/-1/-2. These are just examples, and I want to emphasize that the details of the plan aren’t as important as committing yourself to it- whatever it is. The Sprint - over the last ~15% or so you want to start committing a little harder, pushing deeper into the hole, so that by the last 20ish strokes, you’re going flat out. Use all the tools at your disposal here - pressure, rate, tech (efficiency). If your last 10 flat out strokes are just a couple splits below your average, or even if you crash in the last 5 and the split starts to climb, then you paced pretty well, but if your last 10 are wildly faster than your average, then you know you underestimated your capabilities, and you’ll want to try again and pace a little faster to home in on your hypothetical potential. Takeaway: build your race plan well in advance, Design it logically based off of previous (ideally recent) scores. If you don’t know where to aim, there’s nothing like the real thing to give you an idea. |
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Sammamish Rowing Association
5022 W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE Redmond, WA 98052 [email protected] 425-653-2583 |
Mailing Address:
Sammamish Rowing Association P.O. Box 3309 Redmond, WA 98073 |
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