Clemson week 1
So far, no drama. We all got down here without much trouble and were able to get things rigged up quickly. The last two years we have had an incident with overnight wind and damaged boats, so we were putting a little more forethought into choosing spots around the Clemson Boathouse that were sheltered from the prevailing wind. This year, with the addition of the lightweight dudes we have a little less lawn space for all of our boats. Our not -so- trusty portable wooden boat rack has proven very useful so far. I try not to remind myself that this same rack was flipped on its side last year in a thunderstorm, damaging two boats.
Not too much to report on the competitive rowing front. Dan, rightly so, is very cautious about us pulling hard too early in the camp given the fact that we have been off the water for so long. As a result, we have done modest mileage in an assortment of boats and rested before we needed to rest. Dan has done a good job the last couple years of holding us back early in the camp to prevent any injuries. I certainly appreciate him doing so because left to our own devices, we would all probably be fighting some sort of overuse injury.
Although the first NSR is in doubles this year, it is still very important for us to have the foundation of our rowing be in the single. I feel strongly that we need to be accountable for our own speed in the single before we can have a hope of moving a team boat. There is no hiding in the single. Your successes are your own and your failures are your own. That is a crucial foundation of a fast team boat. For us, we will need to be fast singles, then fast doubles, then a fast quad. In that order. Speaking of quads, having two quads down here is a major difference between this Clemson camp and the past two years. Our two Filipi quads arrived in the May container last year and before that only rowed singles and doubles. Having the bigger boats around is very helpful to hop into on a rough afternoon when it might be a little too choppy for the single or double.
We have been in the same 2x lineups for the most part. Ben and I, Steve and Willy, and Peter and Tom. Those lineups obviously are all pretty seasoned, with each crew having trained extensively with their respective partners, but I am sure we will mix it up a little bit as we move along. I enjoy rowing with Ben quite a bit, so I am not complaining much. Of course, I am intrigued to play with some different combinations but I am also aware that some things just click better than others. As Coach Larry Gluckman would often remind me, " pairs and doubles are divine." So if it feels good, I don't want to mess with it. The 2x with Ben is a fun boat to row that seems to always be getting a little bit better. Ben does a great job of striking a balance between striving for perfection technically and keeping it very simple. It might just be that perfection in rowing is simple. We keep it light and fun. When its time to throw down, we do, with everything we have and everything we don't have, but when its not, when we are on the dock or even paddling, its all jokes. Mostly self deprecating in nature.
My guess is that over the next few days we will be cranking up the intensity on the water. Thomas Paulsen, former Danish national team coach, is here helping us and the lightweights this week so I am looking forward to picking his brain a little bit. He has been preaching a few technical points that have brought on some heated discussion amongst all of us, but what I really respect about him is his ability to articulate his thoughts. How it feels, how it should feel, and the biomechanics of it all. Certainly we are lucky to have him around but need to be careful not to change too much and to temper what he is saying with technical truths that we know. Here is a short clip of me in the single early last week. This was towards the end of a low intensity 20k row.
March 12 1x
More to come as we start turning the heat up.
Not too much to report on the competitive rowing front. Dan, rightly so, is very cautious about us pulling hard too early in the camp given the fact that we have been off the water for so long. As a result, we have done modest mileage in an assortment of boats and rested before we needed to rest. Dan has done a good job the last couple years of holding us back early in the camp to prevent any injuries. I certainly appreciate him doing so because left to our own devices, we would all probably be fighting some sort of overuse injury.
Although the first NSR is in doubles this year, it is still very important for us to have the foundation of our rowing be in the single. I feel strongly that we need to be accountable for our own speed in the single before we can have a hope of moving a team boat. There is no hiding in the single. Your successes are your own and your failures are your own. That is a crucial foundation of a fast team boat. For us, we will need to be fast singles, then fast doubles, then a fast quad. In that order. Speaking of quads, having two quads down here is a major difference between this Clemson camp and the past two years. Our two Filipi quads arrived in the May container last year and before that only rowed singles and doubles. Having the bigger boats around is very helpful to hop into on a rough afternoon when it might be a little too choppy for the single or double.
We have been in the same 2x lineups for the most part. Ben and I, Steve and Willy, and Peter and Tom. Those lineups obviously are all pretty seasoned, with each crew having trained extensively with their respective partners, but I am sure we will mix it up a little bit as we move along. I enjoy rowing with Ben quite a bit, so I am not complaining much. Of course, I am intrigued to play with some different combinations but I am also aware that some things just click better than others. As Coach Larry Gluckman would often remind me, " pairs and doubles are divine." So if it feels good, I don't want to mess with it. The 2x with Ben is a fun boat to row that seems to always be getting a little bit better. Ben does a great job of striking a balance between striving for perfection technically and keeping it very simple. It might just be that perfection in rowing is simple. We keep it light and fun. When its time to throw down, we do, with everything we have and everything we don't have, but when its not, when we are on the dock or even paddling, its all jokes. Mostly self deprecating in nature.
My guess is that over the next few days we will be cranking up the intensity on the water. Thomas Paulsen, former Danish national team coach, is here helping us and the lightweights this week so I am looking forward to picking his brain a little bit. He has been preaching a few technical points that have brought on some heated discussion amongst all of us, but what I really respect about him is his ability to articulate his thoughts. How it feels, how it should feel, and the biomechanics of it all. Certainly we are lucky to have him around but need to be careful not to change too much and to temper what he is saying with technical truths that we know. Here is a short clip of me in the single early last week. This was towards the end of a low intensity 20k row.
March 12 1x
More to come as we start turning the heat up.
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