Coach Peter with a team member during a steering clinic
Please excuse the late posting, but a LOT has been happening this season.
Our on-water season got underway in April. The boats were brought out of storage, spruced up, and re-varnished for the season. The operations team tested and installed the floating docks to move us into our new home at Pier 4 Marina in Eastport.
Thanks to our winter fitness programs, many members arrived stronger and more fit. Strength training has prepared team members to be more competitive and helps them maintain their health and form, ready to take to the water again. From this team effort, the boats were prepared, and team members were eager to launch.
The first two months brought the inevitable weather swings. The cold gray days make you wonder if there will be a chance for enough practice before the first race. The hot days make the sport a rigorous workout for everyone. The frustrating days when it starts raining an hour before practice, and it never stops. But all this is erased by the days when the weather shines clear and comfortable. And it’s great to have our first two races under our belt.
Each week, the coaching team prepares a training plan to develop new skills and enhance existing ones. There are two “tracks” in this plan — fundamentals and racing. Twice a week, we focus on the fundamentals of the stroke. In addition, we’ve added videos to help us see our strengths and weaknesses individually and as a team.
And once a week, we devote ourselves exclusively to the strategy of racing. As each festival approaches, the profile of a race is broken down into its independent components. The start is explained and then developed, then tweaked through the practice. The transition from the start to the stretch is tested and nailed down. The finish needs that “little extra in the tank” to close the race strong and stay competitive. It’s a lot to master, and we get better every practice.
While all this has been going on, we’ve added new paddler instruction and steering clinics and expanded our team of coaches. In the coming posts, I’ll update you on these exciting new areas.
I especially want to welcome our new paddlers. We are growing faster than ever, which means we’re doing something right.
