Now seems like a good time to post about what we envision for the program, our coaching goals and where we want to get you to. Rowing at Westdale is a competitive sport. As such, the expectation is that you will want to row on the water in the spring. Mike, Peter and I aren’t athletic trainers and this is not a “Get Fit Fast Fitness Class”. We are rowing coaches and this is rowing training. From now on, we expect that everybody who goes to training is there with the intention of trying for a seat in a boat.
There are many different reasons why you are part of our program and each of you have certain goals and expectations. Our task as coaches, is to find the group that best fits what YOU want to achieve and what you’ve proven you are willing to give to make that happen.
We want to push crews off the dock who will be competitive in their races. While we all like to win, the main point for me is that we see you race as well as you can and to create the best racing situations that give you your best chance to succeed.
The two biggest recipes for success in our sport are; 1) fitness and training, and 2) belief in your crew, that it contains athletes who have done as much work as you have. So, while there is no guarantee that ‘if you do the miles you will be a champion’, I can guarantee you that if you DON’T do the miles, you WON’T be a champion!
I don’t know whether there is confusion about what the rowing season is and what leads to success. Is there a feeling that ‘I can take it easy in winter and turn it on for the spring?” Is there a feeling that winter training is optional and everybody makes a boat? I hope not, because in most cases, crews are pretty close to being selected and the winter train is leaving the station.
I’ve been calculating overall mileages that you have done on the erg. These mileages are COMPLETED long ergs (i.e., if you were doing 30 minutes and stopped after 15, that doesn’t count). They also include 2K tests/competitions. They do NOT include speedwork sessions. I LOVE these calculations for two reasons. A) it’s a built in attendance chart; and B), a reason close to my own heart. I was never the fastest person in the group. But I showed up every day and ‘put in the miles’. We have a number of rowers here who fit that bill—not the best raw scores, but working hard, putting in the time to get better and ‘putting in the miles’. WELL DONE!!!
Below are the top five in each of the women’s categories for straight mileage. Well done! I have the numbers for the rest of you in my book–just ask.
NOVICES:
GRACE: 64,713 metres (9 ergs, 4 tests), TAYLOR: 50,074 metres (7 ergs, 3 tests), ZAIGA: 47,764 metres (7 ergs, 4 tests), LIZ: 47,629 metres (7 ergs, 3 tests), KAT: 45,784 metres (6 ergs, 4 tests)
EXPERIENCED
VICTORIA: 99,304 metres (11 ergs, 3 tests), LAUREN: 95,121 metres (10 ergs, 4 tests), SOPHIA: 74,388 metres (9 ergs, 3 tests), MIRIAM: 72,183 metres (9 ergs, 3 tests), ASTARA: 72,091 metres (9 ergs, 3 tests)
Westdale Rowing Community 