Fun Times in the One Times (or the joy of sculling part 2)

As a follow up to Christian's post about sculling, I thought I'd share some things that I was thinking about when I was sculling today.  And as a coxswain -- and therefore as someone who watches rowing much more than someone who does it -- an hour plus of actual work in a 1x provides ample food for thought.

The main thing I was thinking about when I was out there was all the progress we need to make in a short amount of time.  Slovenia was featured in the NYT today (see Lake Bled picture top left), and before we know it, we're going to be there.  A couple of weeks ago, most people in the camp were thinking about how to make the boat and get named to the US team.  Now we are the US team, and the goal is not to beat other guys for seats in the boat, but rather to beat Italy, Denmark, Germany, Australia, etc. etc. etc.

And to that end, as I was sculling, I was thinking about practicing what I preach technically.  Dan had some words of wisdom for me, and I can attest that not lifting the back at the front end, for example, is easier said than done.

One other thing I was thinking about is: it's nice to have a coxswain -- I would say that -- but seriously: it's a pain to think about rowing well AND steering.

And finally, I thought about the last time I raced the single.  Today I was out in Dan's tub single.  But last time was not dissimilar: Canadian Henley, men's flyweight single, and I was using the single owned by sometime Syracuse coach and fellow Georgetown heavyweight alum Dave Weiss.  I don't know what weight-class Dave's single was, but suffice it to say, at least 90 pounds more than I weighed at the time... (a picture of me riding high in this boat above right).

 - Jack