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More rowing news that will bore you, but hey, it's my Web site...
I've been asked by several members of my boat if I would be interested in "stroking" the boat (snort snort). The stroke, or "8 seat," sits in front of the coxswain and is the person whom everyone else follows. It requires a good sense of rhythm and concentration, because if the stroke screws up, the other rowers probably will follow.
I'm up to the challenge. I stroked (yes, it's a verb and a noun) a four-rower boat -- surprisingly called a "four" -- in a college race in Melbourne. On a whim, our coach took the biggest four rowers from my eight and entered us in a race. I guess he had me stroke because the other girls were much taller than me (ideally, the bigger, stronger people sit in the middle of the boat). We came in last. But my current crew doesn't need to know that...
The major twist this time is that I'm having to switch sides to row. I've always rowed on the starboard (right) side. Although most boats are rigged so that the stroke is on the port side, some boats allow you to adjust the rigging so that a starboard can stroke.
The lame-ass boat we have doesn't.
For the past few practices, I've rowed on port side but not at stroke. I'm gaining new blisters, aches and pains where I've never had them. Switching sides is no different than learning to bat left-handed when you've always batted right or playing tennis with the other arm. Everything is a mirror-image of what you're used to. Your muscles and mind have to be retrained.
When I explained the logistics to my boyfriend, he amusingly went into man mode: "Oh. I see. So it's like in Rocky, when the coach tied his arm behind his back during workouts so that he would be forced to box with the other arm!"
I'm stroking our boat tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.
Replies: 1 shoutout
Maybe you should eat some raw eggs, too, and chase chickens around the stockyards to improve your skills. And punching some honkin' slabs of meat couldn't hurt.
Posted by ~ @ 01/30/2003 05:26 AM EST