Who were my coaches and what were their success:

This morning at our Indoor Rowing Center I was asked about my teachers and coaches. Below is a small recap.

My coaches were:

Jean Pierre Leroux (France). J.P. coached Anne Marden (USA) to an Olympic silver medal in the women's single scull in 1988.

Harry Mahon. Harry had great success with New Zealand. His medal tally at the Olympic level to the best of my knowledge is: Olympic silver 1988 SUI men's double scull, Olympic gold 2000 U.K. men's eight, and just countless other world and national victories including victories with Cambridge agains Oxford. He also taught Rob Waddell, Olympic Gold, how to row right. Thanks to his ability I got to know Rob and I really enjoy him as a friend. I couldn't have picked out a better man to pass me in the last 500 meters in Sydney 2000.

Marty Aitken. Marty won Olympic medals with me, gold men'single scull 1996 and silver 2000. He was also the head coach of the Gier Brothers who won their Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.
With them I had an incredible time hearing and understanding what it takes to achieve the absolute in the sport of rowing.

On the non Olympic level my coaches were Scott Roop and Steve Gladstone. Scott was my freshman coach. While rowing for Brown in 1992 I was fit enough to qualify for the Swiss Olympic Team in the men's single scull to compete at the Barcelona Olympics. Steve Gladstone went on to win a whole bunch of U.S. university titles including titles at the Henley Royal Regatta. He is currently the head coach at University California Berkley.

There is no doubt in my mind that all of them understood how to get the JOB DONE. They knew how to train and keep the athlete's spirit interested in pursuing life and athletic achievements.

About the Junior Conditioning Program G.E.T. and the power of Indoor Rowing for college admission and scholarship

Here is a comment that is worth publishing about the tremendous university admission potential a great ERGO score has:

DougRow said...
I have a son who rowed with a club in high school and did very well. Was a lightweight and his eight went on to win silver at the season end national championship. He now rows with one of arguably the top three college programs in the country. All perfect, except that he is far down in the ranks due to nothing else than his erg score. It's good, just not exceptional.

My experience through this process has been that if college rowing is the goal, then the priority in high school ought to be erg, and little else. Of course a high school kid needs enough fun mixed in, but when it comes to college rowing, I am convinced that nothing but the erg score matters when getting started. He/she can have the finest technique, but that will almost certainly be different from what the new coach likes, and he/she will need to be de-programmed. A negative in the coaches eyes.

Just thought I'd share our experience (which isn't finished) and point out that Xeno may really be on to something unique here. High school clubs have far more to worry about than individual erg scores, and they languish. Xeno's expertise at developing the raw material that will make coaches jaws drop could mean a huge edge. Where parents these days drop $10,000 to get their kids SAT a little bit higher, Xeno may be onto one very high demand service.

Doug

1/23/2006 7:32 PM

Some truths about Indoor Rowing

An individual does not need to be a skillful athlete in order to pull a great indoor rowing score.

A great erg score is the result of a combination of: Miles rowed, weightlifting, and target heart rate training.

Anybody of any age can achieve improved fitness quickly with indoor rowing.

High school students, athletic or not, may be potential rowing scholarship candidates.

A male heavyweight rower pulling a sub 6'10" is considered a red hot recruit.
A female heavyweight rower pulling a sub 7'10" is considered red hot.

A male lightweight (at or below 155lbs) rower pulling below 6'30" is considered a red hot recruit.
A female lightweight (at or below 125lbs) rower pulling below 7'30" is considered a red hot recruit.

That is it for now.

XENO

Proper Finish Position

There is a proper finish position while rowing.

The handle touches the sternum, right below the chest line. Forearms are parallel to the ground such that two rows of knuckles on each hand, back of hands, wrists and elbows are aligned horizontally. The chest is out, stomach sucked in, and the lower back is supported. You sit on the sitting bones using the first half of the seat closest to the flywheel. Lungs are full of air.

Have a great row!

XENO

Internet racing on a rowing machine

Here is the link to an article that appeared in a Boston Newspaper.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0113/p13s02-stct.html

Indoor rowing the perfect X-training diplomat

I received several emails from different people informing me about their improved atheltic abilities in their primary sport. These sports were skiing, tennis, golf, cycling, running, and swimming. What linked these improvements together was that all individuals have been X-training on either the concept2 or the rowperfect. Occasionally I find articles about athletes who use indoor rowing as a mean to get stronger, fitter and more capable in their main sport. The rowing stroke involves 85% of all muscles in the human body. Since rowing is a zero impact activity joints are gently used during workouts.

Second best to indoor rowing is Nordic Track

I am a stong believer in cross training. Change in workout routine is good for the mind and body. Indoor Rowing on a Concept2 or Rowperfect rowing machine is great and there is no doubt about it. However, if you need a little change of pace, I highly recommend to use the Nordic Track Classic Pro Skier. When combining rowing and cross country as workouts you are likley to be in the highest percentile of people doing the right training for cardio vascular fitness and health.
So, go row and ski to health and fitness! Have a great week.
XENO