Learn to Row: Day 2

Day 2 we were supposed to be out on the water, but we got to the boathouse and there was lightening, so we started in the tank.  Good thing as one of the women was late.  The coach was NOT happy.  She really stressed the importance that when you have a seat in the boat, you have to be there to fill it.  Really preaching to the choir, because unless she said something in private to the other woman, that was only said to the people there on time...

In the tank we worked on timing of the stroke again and were shown some common mistakes.  The weather cleared up and we were able to row.  My seat assignment was bow seat, which internet research has told me is for the crappiest rower.  I refuse to believe I was the crappiest of that group (but probably bottom half- I'm weak) and based on the corrections the coxswain gave us out in the boat, I'm holding too this.  I've also since read that shorter rowers often go towards the back, and this makes more sense because the two seat was also my height.  The taller girls were up front.  Anyhow, we learned to adjust the shoes (mine need to go all the way up) and how to "set" the boat - lay your oar flat on the water to balance it.  Half the boat set the boat while the other half rowed.  Each half of the boat was 2 experienced and 2 new rowers, so the new rowers followed the strokes of the experienced ones.  We would pause at different points of the stroke, and then eventually did continual rowing.  It was pretty neat, and easier than in the tank.  The hardest part was rowing really slowly because while I didn't feel I was rushing to the catch, I also just don't have very far to slide before my legs run out, so staying with the tall girl in the 4 seat was tough! 

We came back to dock and switched seats (no one specializes as a port or starboard, everyone does both- the coach said she rowed one side all through college until one day she was asked to switch and then she was so confused she couldn't figure out which way to turn the key in her car door to make it open).  The number 2 seat I liked better, because I feather with my right hand, but I swear there was something wrong with it.  The girl who had been 2 said she couldn't sit in the proper position to set the boat, and I had no problem with that in the bow seat, but then I couldn't in the 2 seat.  You are supposed to rest the oar on your leg, and my achilles tendons don't stretch enough to ever get my legs that high.  It was very odd.  Nothing else felt wrong about it though.  We had a different cox this time (the first was a man) and she was very analytical, breaking down EXACTLY what she wanted.  You sometimes had to guess with the guy (follow the leader with the experienced rowers who knew what he wanted).  This is also when I got to learn to "back" or row backwards to help turn the boat- very hard, way harder than paddling a kayak backwards.

On the next switch I went to the sculling station and that was pretty awesome.  We used a rec shell, so it was wide and stable. This was a lot easier for me because the handles were much smaller, but also a lot harder because my right stroke wasn't as strong as my left and so I couldn't always stay in a straight line.  And, it is just like skating backwards, where you never know what is behind you- very nerve wracking.  We didn't use our legs yet, just arm/body part of the stroke - I tried the legs a few times, and man was that confusing.  Having two oars really means there is a lot to think about.  Still, I'd like to try sculling again.
And then we got the boats out of the water and washed off and that was the end of day 2.