What college coaches would prefer

[Oldibtgdy]

Just got back from a reunion at my old prep school upstream on the Charles -- in Dedham, come to think of it. In conversations w current faculty (etc) I was told that the program, almost as old as the school, might be allowed to die because the river was no longer considered safe, a new bridge was low and to launch a mile or so downstream of the (old) boathouse was -- ahem -- "a royal pain in the ass". Oh yes. I was also told that rowing was expensive. In fact, a nice, new track would serve many more students (per dollar invested) than trying to maintain the rowing program. Yikes.

I got out on the river at the (old and only) boathouse in an old 4+ and agreed. In the last 50 years (OMG) the river's a lot less friendly for these boats than I remembered it. And, yes, "dat bridge, she be low". But then I started thinking about 1Xs and 2Xs -- that they'd be fine there and I seemed to recall having to take off on my own when I was there to learn to scull -- so I could sit on either side in a 4+. Which I did. Where I row now (not the Northeast) HS kids row and train in everything from 8s to 1Xs. And I've heard college coaches lamenting their talented, capable and physically amazing rowers who'd never had an oar in each hand -- and needed some remedial work to convert a pulling arm into a feathering arm, while some less gifted kid got the seat simply because he'd trained in sculling boats in high school.

So -- are the NE prep schools shooting themselves in the foot by steadfastly sticking w the 4+ as the ONLY option for a rowing program? To the extent that a school with over a hundred year tradition of rowing would consider letting it go away rather than joining newer, national high school programs that manage to train their kids in sculling boats as part of the program? Seems like a breathtakingly short-sighted position and one that will continue the growing irrelevance of Americans in small boats on the international scene.

Why wouldn't the right move for this school be to start kids in small (1X and 2X) sculling boats launching where the river's not right for 4+s and building a newer boathouse, if they want (don't think money's a real issue), so they can continue competing in 4+s as usual? I bet the kids would move easily from singles and doubles to fours AND be better in the fours than they would've been if they'd started in them. And I bet college coaches would be more interested in well-coached kids capable of jumping in anywhere on an 8. Gotta keep geezers off the water. We think.

[Ralph Earle]

Several college coaches have told me they prefer scullers. Here is a relevant article by Andy Anderson aka "Doctor Rowing" in the April 2015 Rowing News. (I hope this is "fair use"; if not, a moderator can remove it.)

The Great Debate

Sculling vs. sweep. The experts weigh in.

The ink was barely dry on last month's column before I began to get "feedback" from
my loyal readers. As anyone who has ever sat near an amplifier when a guitarist steps
too close to it knows, feedback is rarely a good thing. "A typical, middle of the road
commentary. Come on, Doc, admit it, sculling is superior."

In the rowing world, I'm not sure that this is hotly debated. Neither is better; they are
different. How? Well, don't take my word for it. Here's what three experts have to say:

Jamie Koven's credentials in rowing are impeccable. A member of Brown's national
champion eight in 1995, he rowed in the U.S. eight for four years, including the boat that
won the gold medal at the 1994 world championships. The year after a disappointing
Olympics in the eight, he won the world championships in the single in 1997

"I think the key to success lies not necessarily in sculling but more in rowing small
boats and starting to row in small boats at a young age. The pair is probably the hardest
boat to master but it is also probably the best indicator of speed. It isn't a surprise that [U.S.
national team women's coach] Tom Terhaar selected all his boats last summer-pair, eight,
and quad-based on the pair results. It is more surprising that other
coaches don't do the same."

"I was able to transition from the eight in Atlanta to the single
in Aiguebelette at the 1997 worlds mainly because [U.S. coach] Mike
Y don't more programs put Spracklen had selected the eight for the four years prior based mostly
on pair results. He also had us row singles in '96. Being able to handle
a small boat while also efficiently matching your partner is even more
kids out i n singles o r pairs? important than just handling a small boat. The double also requires
these skills."

Marnie McBean won three Olympic gold medals-in the eight,
pair, and double-and a bronze in the quad. The majority of her training
was in small boats. She switched from sweep to sculling after double
gold in 1992 because, "I needed a change for my brain." Sweep vs. sculling? "The pair is
about coordinating balance because if your timing of power application is off you can see it
as the boat fishtails... the double is about coordinating power application-because if one is
strong catch and the other is strong finish, it has the opposite effect of a strong full stroke.
Otherwise, I feel the two are very similar."

What do you do after stroking the Canadian Olympic men's eight to a gold medal in
1992? If you are Derek Porter, you come back the next year and win the gold medal in the
single.

"I did mess around in a single a handful of times in 1992, but honestly I was not
competent; I would have flipped. I was starting as a novice sculler in the fall after
Barcelona. It was a fresh change from three years of intense sweep training with Spracklen.

"There is a technical difference. It is more difficult to handle two oars than one.
Learning how to move your non-dominant hand/arm independently, but in perfect sync
with your other hand/arm is not easy. Double the difficulty of getting the `perfect' catch
and release of the blades. One could argue that sculling is a more symmetrical motion
and thus less stress on the body, but I always found that this coordination is not naturally
symmetrical, but you have to make it so. It's like trying to throw a ball with your non-
dominant hand. It takes more skill to move a smaller boat in terms of pure boat-moving
ability. The finesse and `feel' for nurturing the run of the boat is of more and more
importance as the boat class gets smaller.

"I was a bit surprised I won in 1993. I knew I had some speed in the single, but
aside from the World University Games, I was pretty inexperienced in sculling. I probably caught [reigning Olympic
champion] Thomas Lange on a less than top form year, but he was coming off a win in
Barcelona. Relative to the pain and intensity of rowing at a 4o stroke rate in the eight, the
single did seem fairly `comfortable' that year.

"Therein lies much of the difference between the single and any other boat class.
Solo training is not for everyone. It takes a certain mentality to want to dedicate all that
time and energy to such a solo pursuit. I would say the single is harder mentally, but
sweep rowing is more intense and difficult physically. In the single, it is very difficult to
maintain focus and quality, even if you think you are. In a race situation, I find the eight
and single similar mentally in that you have to execute the race plan and push physical limits.
However, in the single the race is longer, the plan is drawn out a bit, and the rates are
lower, so the intensity overall is less."

Why don't more programs put kids out in singles or pairs? Lack of time and potential
danger are probably the most significant. But if you have a lot of time and you row in a safe
place, you ought to get into the smallest boat you can. Like I said, sculling and sweeping are
both great.

[Ralph Earle]

Correction to the garbled paragraph:

"I was able to transition from the eight in Atlanta to the single
in Aiguebelette at the 1997 worlds mainly because [U.S. coach] Mike
Spracklen had selected the eight for the four years prior based mostly
on pair results. He also had us row singles in '96. Being able to handle
a small boat while also efficiently matching your partner is even more
important than just handling a small boat. The double also requires
these skills."