The virtues of a rower.

[Byron Drachman]

These are people who have an uncommon willingness to endure dull and joyless activity for some ultimate intangible goal. This is not necessarily a virtue--it is merely a characteristic that, quite reasonably, looks odd to many.

That is very artfully stated. Some of us refer to our rowing club as the Lansing-Asperberger-Photography-Rowing Club. I openly confess that I take some sort of pleasure in repeating the same action over and over. It is especially fun on our river, where sometimes we carry small cameras and stop to take photos of the wild life, sunrise, etc.

Not to make fun of people who do suffer from autism. One of my children works with autistic children. Still, there is something comforting about taking the same stroke over and over and over...

For a nice example of humility, my brother and I once went skating on a river trail. He and I are competitive in a friendly way as brothers are apt to be. I could skate much faster in a straight line, but he was an expert roller skating dancer, so he was much more skillful on his skates. When we got back from skating, the only way we could continue our friendly competition was by talking, telling stories, and bragging as much as we could without going over the line. Right after I finished a story boasting of my skating skills, my brother mentioned that his wife skated. He said, "In fact, Belle got a gold medal. Isn't that right Belle?" Belle said, "Well, actually I won two gold medals." Those were two Olympic gold medals. At one time, roller skating was an Olympic event.

So my sister-in-law won two gold medals, and never mentioned it to anybody in the family.

[mikvan52]

These are people who have an uncommon willingness to endure dull and joyless activity for some ultimate intangible goal. This is not necessarily a virtue--it is merely a characteristic that, quite reasonably, looks odd to many.

That is very artfully stated.

... or arch-fully stated (?)


Can't TomR's dull and joyless activity somehow be good and virtuous at the same time?

I used to live next to a highly accomplished member of a brass quintet.
The endless practicing that I heard coming through the paper-thin walls... was not a pleasure to listen too... Nor, did the musician claim that this practice filled him with joy. Rather, he had to do such work to maintain his virtuosity (if you'll pardon the pun)...

I think you get my drift.

[ranger]

his virtuosity (if you'll pardon the pun)

Nice one.

ranger

[Bob S.]

What is the point of trying to find something virtuous about rowing? It is just a goddamn exercise, neither virtuous nor virtueless.

Bob S.

[aharmer]

What is the point of trying to find something virtuous about rowing? It is just a goddamn exercise, neither virtuous nor virtueless.

Bob S.

Love it, that about sums it up.

[mikvan52]

Compare.

This:

What is the point of trying to find something virtuous about rowing? It is just a goddamn exercise, neither virtuous nor virtueless.

Bob S.

with this

I've rowed a little bit but I was uncomfortable rowing as the bending seemed to cause the stent to irritate my urethra. So I haven't done as much as I would have liked.

I saw the doc this morning and they removed the stent so in a day I should be ready to row again. I'm feeling a little rocky still but at least I don't have the urge to go to the bathroom every hour any more.

gary

Don't push it. If you are on a program, adjust it to the level that fits your comfort zone and then just gradually increase the effort a little at a time. Poco a poco. I had open heart surgery at the end of July, 2003, at age 78, - an aortic valve replacement and a 3x bypass. I didn't have a specific program, but I just tried to keep within my limits and increase the work a bit at a time. Exactly 18 months later, to the day, I entered a satellite regatta and qualified for a free flight to the CRASH-B. The key aspects of this are keeping at it but not overdoing it.

Bob S.

Bob:

TO belabor a point

Is patience a virtue?

[TomR]

Hi Tom:

Feeling a little misanthropic vis-vis rowers this morning, are we?
. . .
aren't there many salutary traits to our admittedly bizarre sport?

I am broadly misanthropic. Rowers just happen to be in the line of sight on this forum.

Salutary traits? Definitely. Rowing is meditative. Rowers must rely on their inner resources. There is much to recommend the activity and the participants, even those who are manorexic lightweights.

When I was a kid, I played games. In tennis, for example, you get to sprint around and bang a ball past your opponent. Then you gloat. In ice hockey, if someone gets lippy, you elbow him in the mouth. Then you gloat. The ref might tell you to sit down for two minutes. That's a fair trade in my view.

One of my brothers was a swimmer. He would return home from training, eyes bloodshot and looking like a rat that barely survived the experience. I didn't understand what he was doing. Now that i row, I'm not sure I understand, but my routine is much like his was.

Somewhere in all this is a clue to the meaning of life. Perhaps.

[mikvan52]

Hi Tom:

Feeling a little misanthropic vis-vis rowers this morning, are we?

I am broadly misanthropic. Rowers just happen to be in the line of sight on this forum.

Salutary traits? Definitely. Rowing is meditative. Rowers must rely on their inner resources. There is much to recommend the activity and the participants, even those who are manorexic lightweights.

When I was a kid, I played games. In tennis, for example, you get to sprint around and bang a ball past your opponent. Then you gloat. In ice hockey, if someone gets lippy, you elbow him in the mouth. Then you gloat. The ref might tell you to sit down for two minutes. That's a fair trade in my view.

One of my brothers was a swimmer. He would return home from training, eyes bloodshot and looking like a rat that barely survived the experience. I didn't understand what he was doing. Now that i row, I'm not sure I understand, but my routine is much like his was.

Somewhere in all this is a clue to the meaning of life.
Perhaps.

I feel it's of great value to always keep one wing in the nut-bird nest.
I know I do!

What did Bill Rogers (the marathoner) used to say: "You gotta go a little crazy!" (to do what needs to be done to max out athletically) "Then you gloat"

[jliddil]

In many ways erging is like running used to be. People used to think I was odd to run marathons. That I would run for hours on end in the Arizona sun. Pure madness. Erging is like that and even less people do it so it is even more esoteric. People at my company gym always ask me how I can row for an hour.

Patience
Perseverance
A certain stoicism
High pain threshold
What does not kill me only makes me stronger

[badocter]

A youtube that I think is related to subject at hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqmt3glnEX4

Each of us was brought up with some expectation of what the ideal man or woman should be. The ideal that I think that many of us strive for is that of the Renaisance man - someone who excels in a wide number of fields. At least in my mind that encompasses not just competency in the academics, but also in the arts and in sport. With the many schedule demands of life it is difficult to get everything worked in as it were. Erging has made it possible for many of us to be in competitive sport in a way that is both schedule flexible and convenient for those of us who have ergs at home. Since I move every three years or so due my job, I also get the benefit that my erg and virtual team go where I go.

[eliotsmith]

A youtube that I think is related to subject at hand:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqmt3glnEX4

Each of us was brought up with some expectation of what the ideal man or woman should be. The ideal that I think that many of us strive for is that of the Renaisance man - someone who excels in a wide number of fields. At least in my mind that encompasses not just competency in the academics, but also in the arts and in sport. With the many schedule demands of life it is difficult to get everything worked in as it were. Erging has made it possible for many of us to be in competitive sport in a way that is both schedule flexible and convenient for those of us who have ergs at home. Since I move every three years or so due my job, I also get the benefit that my erg and virtual team go where I go.

This is great. I think there is a logical reason for engaging in sport and that is to support the goals of the ideal man. In this way, Bob S. was correct to say that it is just a goddamn exercise. But it seems from other responses to this topic that there is more to it than simply pulling a chain. Doing something and doing something well are two different things. The one can by ugly but the other is beautiful.

[Bob S.]

This is great. I think there is a logical reason for engaging in sport and that is to support the goals of the ideal man. In this way, Bob S. was correct to say that it is just a goddamn exercise. But it seems from other responses to this topic that there is more to it than simply pulling a chain. Doing something and doing something well are two different things. The one can by ugly but the other is beautiful.

I guess that the problem is that this crabby old man misses the sweet feel of a well-coordinated eight when the boat actually seems to sing. It has been a long time. My last collegiate season was in 1949-1950 (at age 25, but that was common then, with a lot of us on the GI Bill). I got back into it 40 years later, but that feeling was pretty rare in the usual Masters' crew. There were often a lot on newbies who had just not caught on yet, and it was difficult to get a consistent group of eight to row on any particular day.

I did take up sculling in my 60s and even had my own Maas 26 for a while. That had some great moments, but I never did develop the skill to do it as well as I would have liked.

The erg is a great machine and I certainly owe a lot to the two that I have had for the part that they played in my post-op, cardio rehab. But for me, erging can never replace rowing on the water.

Bob S.