Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Back on the Water

So as you guys know, I really miss rowing and my days on the crew team, well, today I completed two crew related dreams in one  - I tried sculling for the first time and I got back on the water for the first time in over a year.


For those of you who don't know what sculling is, it's basically the kind of rowing you probably think of when you think of rowing as a sport, the kind with two oars per rower. It's a little harder than the sweep rowing (one massive oar) I did in high school since you have to manipulate each oar individually. I met up with Dutch who took out a single while I went out with my friend Less in a double. I stupidly took bow seat knowing I would have to steer since I hate being stroke seat or the person that everyone behind has to follow. We got the shell in the water just fine and we got in and head out.

I was worried I would feel lost the entire time, but wobbliness aside, it was better than I expected. Less had been out quite a few times in a single so she knew the ropes much better than I did so I really appreciated her putting up with my ineptitude. I kept trying to remember "left over right" the entire time, meaning to keep my left hand over my right when doing the stroke and on the recovery afterwards. We were on  the water for about an hour, trying out rowing on my own and eventually both of us giving it a go. I found that steering was a bitch and we spent more time going in zig zags than straight lines but it worked out in the end. Even though I was spending more time worrying about flipping the boat, I still got the "flying" sensation I missed so much, the water was absolutely still which only made things even more amazing for me. I really hope I get a chance to go out again later this summer; I want to practice sculling some more so maybe I can go out in a single on my own in the future.

Grade A day if I do say so myself.

4 comments:

  1. Sounds good. I'm kinda wondering how you steer using two oars. Do you keep one in the water a bit longer than the other?

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's all about pressure and which side you apply it on whether it be port or starboard. In sweep rowing the coxswain tells certain sides or rowers to apply extra pressure but in an uncoxed sculling shell you have to adjust based on looking backwards time to time to make sure you're following traffic on the water and not hitting anything.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Crew is intense! Props for knowing how to row! I bet that if I tried it would just be a horrible massive fail!
    I think its a great idea to row in a single! That way you can have the same feelings you used to have but at the same you are at peace with yourself.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brings back memories of my teen years in the summertime cos we did lots of rowing a big ole flat-bottomed row boat all over the river. It was a good work-out with those two huge oars. Exercise in the big outdoors does wonders for feeling good. - Wayne :)

    ReplyDelete