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2024 PHOTO ANNUAL

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MELVIN TWELAAR (NED)

Photo: Rob Pungello

POWERING CHAMPIONS for over 40 years

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For more than four decades, NK is proud to be the preferred measurement tool of rowers for training and performance, helping them achieve greatness, whether on their local waters or the international stage. We celebrate every dedicated athlete from the juniors pushing their limits for the first time to the elite rowers chasing Olympic dreams.

NK is honored to be a part of these journeys, standing beside those who strive for greatness in every race, every practice, and every quiet, early-morning row.

Here’s to every victory—big or small—that you’ve achieved this year, and to the journeys yet to come.

Thank you and congratulations to the Fluid rowers for a successful 2024 season.

Tina Vandersteel, Women’s Senior Master 2X

Photo credit: Scullingfool Photography

James Dietz, Men’s Senior Veteran II 1X Alexis Sneff-Belakovskiy, Women’s Senior Master 2X

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FEATURES

The images submitted by readers for this year’s Photo Annual show beautiful and inspiring views of our sport from perspectives we’ve never seen before.

READER SUBMITTED

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DEPARTMENTS

25 QUICK CATCHES

New Membership Requirements

USRowing Wins Another DEI Award West Coast IRA Schools’ New Conference

57 TRAINING

Sports Science Negative Voice: Shut Up

Coxing How Ya Gonna Call? Ghost Racing!

Recruiting Choosing the Right University

Fuel Sports Nutrition on a Budget

Training Practicing for Progress

Coach Development Beyond the Boathouse

Editor

FROM THE EDITOR

CHIP DAVIS

Vivid Images, Unclear Future

Even as we’re already working on next year, the 32nd of publishing Rowing News, the images submitted by readers for this year’s Photo Annual show us beautiful and inspiring views of our sport from perspectives we’ve never seen before.

The diversity of viewpoints among our readership is clear. Less clear is how many will remain members of USRowing so they can race in some of the most popular regattas in 2025 (as I report in Big News, page 25). USRowing has announced new membership requirements for organizations and coaches that make sense on paper but are not landing well in the community, mainly because of how they’ve been communicated.

We are stronger together, and our sport needs a national governing body that is well led and well supported.

It’s easy to understand the exasperation of coaches and regatta organizers with USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus and her staff. The new requirements come with new fees and very little flexibility and understanding. Kraus, who took home over $300,000 in compensation from the member-based nonprofit in 2022 (the last year for which USRowing has made required disclosure of tax documents) continues to be successful in raising donations and fees but not winning medals, landing sponsors, or growing membership.

Many current members will vote with their feet, leaving our association that, before Covid, had grown to over 93,000 members. It now has a bit over 77,000, and over the two Olympic Games Kraus has been CEO, has won only a pair of medals.

That’s too bad. If those inclined to flee remain members (as I have), they’d be able to participate in USRowing’s board elections next month. That’s what I plan to do, and I hope you will, too. We are stronger together, and our sport needs a national governing body that is not only well led but also well supported. We’re heading toward having neither, and that’s the wrong direction.

What our sport does have is a passionate, creative community willing and able to share its love for rowing, as evidenced in the pages of this year’s Photo Annual. We received more reader-submitted images this year than ever, and I daresay the overall quality is the highest ever.

Judge for yourself. Enjoy the images in these pages and look for the ones that didn’t make the print edition on RowingNews.com, in our eNewsletters, and on Instagram.Think we selected the wrong ones for the magazine? Let us know. You can always reach us, and we’d love to hear from you.

The Magic of Rowing

Delightful Tribute

Kudos to Rowing News and Amy Wilton for such a delightful tribute to rowers over 60 [“The Magic of Rowing,” December]. Great inspiration to all who are thinking of getting into a boat or on an erg—and the many benefits that await.

We are always trying to get more masters into the sport, and this beautifully written piece will certainly help.

Margot Mayor Newfane, Vt.

The Best Ever

This year’s Photo Annual received the most reader-submitted images in the 31-year history of Rowing News. Additional images appear on pages 34 to 55. Your high-resolution photos are invited for the 2025 edition and can be emailed to photos@rowingnews.com.

PHOTO: LINDA HANNUM

Love That Water

Zoe Feldshon shot the Northeastern Huskies practicing on their Charles River home course with the Boston skyline in the background with a Nikon Z5 camera and NIKKOR Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens.

PHOTO: ZOE FELDSHON

QUICK CATCHES

USRowing Loses IRA, SRAA Members

Two major organizations of school and college rowers have left the sport’s national governing body and will not require USRowing membership to row in their regattas.

Some of the biggest rowing organizations in the U.S. are leaving USRowing because of new membership requirements imposed by the national governing body.

The Scholastic Rowing Association of America, which has run “Scholastic Nationals” since 1935, announced in early December that it will not be renewing its organization membership with USRowing and will not require participating schools and individual athletes to be USRowing members to row in the regatta. Last year, 2,597 rowers competed at the SRAA regatta.

In November, the stewards of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, the

largest collegiate rowing organization and host of the IRA national championships and four other regattas that serve 4,000 collegiate rowers altogether, voted to leave USRowing.

Rowing News has learned that at least six other rowing associations that administer leagues and hold championship regattas— as well as the Head of the Charles, with 11,000 competitors—are considering leaving USRowing over new insurance, membership, and coaching-certification requirements.

USRowing reports a current membership of over 77,000, down from a pre-Covid membership of over 93,000.

Narragansett Boat Club Hires Graham

Willoughby

Narragansett Boat Club has named Graham Willoughby program coordinator and high-performance director. “I’m excited and a little nervous—it’s been a while,” said Willoughby, who will be reunited with Catherine Starr, with whom he served as an assistant coach at Brown University from 2012 to 2021. “I’m grateful that the club even considered me.” Willoughby left coaching for a job with a New York City firm after the birth of his second child.

QUICK CATCHES

BIG

NEWS CON’T >>>

USRowing announced the new requirements in a June enewsletter after most coaches and programs had finished rowing for the school year.

In a statement to Rowing News, USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus said, “We will be implementing universal coaching standards that align with our mission to steward, strengthen, and grow American rowing and meet requirements from both the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the U.S. Center for SafeSport.”

New USRowing requirements for coaches include completing online courses, showing proof of CPR, AED, and firstaid certifications, and completing three continuing-education credits.

As of January 1, 2025, all individuals who coach at USRowing member clubs or attend regattas hosted or sanctioned by USRowing as a coach must have at least Level I certification from USRowing. For Basic members, Level I certification is $99, USRowing.org states; for Championshiplevel members, it’s free. For Level II certification, the website confuses with two fees—$250 and $280.

Rowing programs in scholastic and youth leagues are often run by volunteers whose greatest challenge is attracting and retaining qualified coaches willing and able to do the job for what is often low pay.

Leslie Pfeil, president of the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association, says that every year, for want of a coach, at least one member program either ceases to exist or is saved at the last minute. Many have completed required background checks and complied with local laws and the abuse-prevention policies of their various schools. For them, USRowing’s additional requirements, Pfeil said, are “burdensome.”

“Most scholastic coaches have other full-time jobs and many are teachers,” said Pfeil. “This is unlike many club coaches, and we can see why the new requirements are appropriate for clubs, but not appropriate for schools.”

PSRA’s member organizations come from four different states with four different sets of laws

“They don’t seem to understand we’re all different,” said Pfeil, of the various kinds of organizations that make up youth and scholastic leagues.

Pfeil and her fellow youth and scholastic organizers went to USRowing with their concerns, such as the $30 background-check fee from USRowing’s designated vendor, when many have had other background checks already. Counterproposals made in October by the scholastic groups were rejected by USRowing, Pfeil said.

The Virginia Scholastic Rowing Association (VASRA) follows state laws that differ from those of other states and take precedence over the rules of amateur sport organizations.

“Our school districts found some clauses to exceed what they are willing to cede,” said VASRA president Dorothy Lazor of the SafeSport policy requirements. “It’s a non-starter.”

“We recognize that new standards can be an adjustment and we remain dedicated to supporting our members in this transition,” Kraus said in her statement.

Kraus and USRowing Executive Director Rich Cacioppo have offered additional meetings, said Pfeil. Cacioppo did not return a call seeking comment.

Pfeil, who has spent “so much time researching statutes and talking to lawyers and a judge,” said she does not see the value of further meetings. “We tried to give feedback. We didn’t really get very far with it.

“It’s hard for me, because I’m just trying to convey information to our members and let them make their own decisions about what to do as far as USRowing membership goes.”

In June, in response to the displeasure of college coaches with the new coachingcertification mandate and other requirements for membership, USRowing’s Chris Furlow hosted a webinar in which he spoke and coaches could only listen. Pointed questions posted by viewers went unanswered.

“Feel free to type questions in,” said Furlow during the one-way webinar. “We’ll either answer them as we see them if we think they’re relevant or at the end we’ll answer as many questions as possible.” Furlow did not return a call from Rowing News seeking comment.

Many rowing programs have sufficient safeguards and policies in place, but others do not. Tragedies like the deaths in Orlando of two middle-school boys whose coach reportedly took them out in thunderstorm conditions in 2022 and the

sexual-abuse crimes that sent Kirkland Shipley, a girls’ rowing coach at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., to prison, happen when rowing programs lack adequate safeguarding systems. As the Aspen Institute’s Project Play states, when it comes to youth sports, “the United States is programs-rich and systems-poor,”

“Like many sports, we continue to face safeguarding challenges, including reports of child abuse and neglect, unsafe practices, and negative team cultures,” Kraus said. “As of mid-November this year, USRowing and SafeSport have received 164 allegations filed against 94 organizations–over seven percent of all organizations. An audit conducted this summer also showed nearly 40 percent of youth club and scholastic programs had expired or missing background checks for coaches.”

The U.S. Center for SafeSport is the nonprofit entity established by Congress to address gaps in youth-sports safeguarding and to prevent the abuse that can occur when such gaps exist. It was designed for amateur sports programs that operate independently and lack the resources of school districts and universities.

The rowing community was appalled when Conal Groom, now on the SafeSport suspension list, was able to continue coaching minors when he was believed by many to have abused others.

There have been times, however, when SafeSport has been weaponized by disgruntled athletes and their families to “get back” at coaches. At least one rowing coach was placed on the SafeSport banned list only to be removed after further investigation.

(Rowing News inquired about one such erroneous listing and, after being referred by USRowing staff to SafeSport, and back to USRowing by SafeSport, the coach’s name fell off the list without explanation.)

USRowing’s new requirement that all member organizations adopt SafeSport policies poses a problem for rowing programs that are part of bigger entities that already have comprehensive abuseprevention and reporting policies. SafeSport requires that participating organizations delegate authority to it, but universities have a non-delegable duty to ensure compliance with Title IX and report/resolve instances of misconduct.

>>> CONTINUES ON PAGE 28

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QUICK CATCHES

USRowing Earns Another Award for DEI Efforts

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee honored USRowing with a 2024 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award–the fourth for rowing’s national governing body since the award’s inception.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the USOPC and our fellow national governing bodies for the work we are doing with United We Row,” said USRowing CEO Amanda Kraus, who accepted the award in Colorado Springs in mid-November.

“With the vision of having a seat in the boat for everyone, USRowing strives to eliminate barriers that keep rowers and coaches off the water. This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our community and team. It inspires us to continue our work and to make rowing more diverse and accessible to everyone.”

The USOPC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards recognize national governing bodies (NGBs) for outstanding efforts to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion. The USOPC honors two NGBs annually and presents each a trophy and $5,000.

USRowing won the award when it was introduced in 2015 and also in 2016 and 2022.

CHIP DAVIS

The insistence by USRowing that varsity collegiate programs can adhere to USRowing’s SafeSport requirements for organizational membership, as well as the demand that all coaches be certified, is not playing well with coaches and the universities that employ them (the source of 100 percent of USRowing’s Olympic rowers in Paris, they point out).

An attorney from a university with a varsity rowing program (who was not authorized to give quotes for attribution) told Rowing News, “The schools will certainly not agree,” citing non-delegable duty specifically. The handling and reporting of allegations of sexual misconduct is “a very touchy subject,” the attorney added.

“It’s not that we’re against SafeSport or anything like that, it’s just the way it’s being handled,” said SRAA board member Dennis Smith.

“The arrogance factor is beyond comprehension,” said Gary Caldwell, the now-retired longtime IRA commissioner, rowing coach, and former USRowing board member who has worked on insurance, compliance, and membership issues on behalf of collegiate rowing for decades.

As the national governing body of the sport, USRowing is also the de facto insurance agency for rowing. Because of recent efforts by USRowing to make rowing safer, the association has gone from being

told by its insurance carrier that it might stop offering coverage to having multiple carriers interested in serving USRowing.

Insurance costs have skyrocketed in recent years, and members of small clubs can pay more in insurance—$80 each, in one case—than they do for USRowing membership, which varies from free to $1,000 across 10 categories (Basic is $20, Championship is $65 for new members, $55 for those renewing).

A smaller pool of member organizations participating in USRowing’s insurance program could lead to even higher rates.

“We were very specific about the way we worded it,” said Laura Kunkenmuller, who recently succeeded Caldwell at the IRA, about leaving USRowing.

“We will not require our member organizations to be members of an outside organization to participate in the national championship or the qualifying regattas that we run. Every program needs to decide for itself whether or not being a member of USRowing is beneficial to them or makes sense based on what it is that they are trying to accomplish within their program.”

“Nobody is against USRowing; they just want to make their own decisions,” said Pfeil of the growing discord around USRowing’s new requirements. “I’ve never seen it so widespread, so unified.”

CHIP DAVIS

New West Coast Conference

Eight of the top West Coast men’s varsity rowing programs will race an annual championship under a new affiliation, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

California, Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego, Santa Clara, Stanford, UC San Diego, and Washington will race in the inaugural MPSF Men’s Rowing Championship next May on Lake Natoma in Gold River, Calif.

Most of the programs come to the MPSF, which added men’s rowing as its 15th sport, from the Pac-12, as conference realignments scattered traditional rivals to new leagues. Santa Clara, Gonzaga, and UC San Diego rowed in the Western Sprints.

“Keeping our traditional race schedule allows us to stay true to the history of West Coast rowing and the unique rivalries that make collegiate rowing special,” said Michael Callahan, coach of reigning IRA national champion Washington.

“We are excited to have our conference championship under the MPSF banner and to grow the regatta potentially to include all of the West Coast programs,” said Cal head coach Scott Frandsen, whose Golden Bears won the 2022 and 2023 IRA national championship.

“This will create a very competitive regatta, pitting all the strongest teams in the West together on one stage to cap off the regular season in May,” said Oregon State head coach Gabe Winkler.

“We hold a profound appreciation for the importance of adding one of the original collegiate sports, boasting a rich history of over 130 years of national-championship competition,” said MPSF Executive Director Foti Mellis. “We acknowledge that the governing body of the sport, the Intercollegiate Rowing Association, predates the NCAA and has promoted rowing in the United States since 1894.”

“We’re excited for the inaugural Mountain Pacific Sports Federation regatta,” said IRA Commissioner Laura Kunkenmueller. “All eight IRA West Coast crews will compete. This is a great opportunity for men’s collegiate rowing on the West Coast.”

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2024 PHOTO ANNUAL

Rowing Foundation. Photo: Dmitriy Kim

Racked and ready. Photo: Linda Hannum

Sunset under the moon, San Francisco Bay. Photo: Sandy Armstrong

Fast reaction on a foggy morning captures Maddy Focht and the bird in the background. Photo: Sherri Kline

Catholic University of America rowing: “When faith and perseverance align.”

Cambridge University Boat Club celebrates its 2024 Boat Race win. Photo: Nicola Boys

Redwood Scullers at the Head of the Oklahoma. Photo: Joshua Hoidn

On the water in Connecticut. Photo: Melissa Makris

Photo: Lisa Worthy

Pointed in the right direction. Photo: Linda Hannum

Regatta

Photo: Joshua Hoidn

Telling That Negative Inner Voice to Shut Up

Break down the race into segments rather than focusing on the final result. A good start is the best way to get going, and then tactical goals can be tackled one by one.

Anyone who has undertaken a serious ergometer test or a rowing race longer than 250 meters is familiar with the phenomenon that occurs about halfway in—an inner voice that begins shouting: “What the hell are you doing? Do you really think you can keep going like this?”

By “serious,” I mean that the test or race is really tough. Either you’re trying to achieve a personal best on the ergometer or you’re competing in a race against opponents who are demanding all you’ve got.

In the current ergometer racing season or in preparation for the upcoming spring

racing season, many athletes will face these questions when they push themselves to the max and, even though exhausted, lash themselves to keep going hard.

While it’s essential to prepare physically, equally important is preparing mentally and maintaining a positive attitude. Mental preparation is about gaining confidence and erasing doubts about whether you can start explosively and keep it up.

Let’s assume you’ve prepared well and are feeling optimistic as you approach the start. The goal now is to maintain that positive attitude for the duration of the contest. Otherwise, your performance will

falter.

An athlete in our masters training group had achieved a good result in her first ergometer competition a year ago and wanted to do better. So she asked me how to prepare for the big event. She follows a sound training program, and her physical readiness was beyond question. But she was nervous about her mental preparation and how best to approach the piece tactically. I was happy to offer some ideas.

Begin with positive self-talk— encouraging feedback delivered by you to you, I told her.

Break down the upcoming test or race into segments, each with attainable goals,

SPORT SCIENCE

TRAINING

rather than focusing on the final result. A good start is the best way to get going, of course, and from there tactical goals can be tackled one by one.

Mental affirmations—”I like my first strokes;” “The start went really well;” “Everything is going according to plan”— will boost and sustain your confidence, especially when your muscles begin aching and screaming.

To assess my progress, I use what I call “the traffic-light system.” If I complete a segment as planned, perhaps even exceeding my goal, I say to myself, “You’re in the green zone and you’re doing great!” I give myself a pat on the back after every pre-set stroke sequence or portions of the complete distance—the first 500 meters, for instance

As the race becomes more challenging, I enter the orange zone. Although I can feel the strain of my effort, I know this is normal and proof that I’m working at the expected high intensity. Experience has taught me that I can maintain “orange” for quite a while. So I tell myself everything is OK and that I’m working at the right level.

As the finish approaches, my effort increases, and I enter the red zone. As lactic acid builds in my muscles, I know I’ll experience pain and that I can row at this intensity for a limited time. I also know that to achieve my final goal I must push through. This is what rowing is all about, I tell myself, and I will make it to the finish line.

If the red light begins flashing early because of technical issues or having pushed too hard too soon, I must coach myself how to get my technique back on track or how to re-enter the orange or green zone. Now more than ever, it’s important to talk positively to myself, choosing options that will make things better rather than letting thoughts of doom enter my head.

My masters friend applied my recommendations during her next ergometer test, and the experience was beneficial. Not only did she perform well but also she was more aware of how the race was progressing and how her body was responding.

COXING

How Ya Gonna Call? Ghost Racing!

Calling a race off the water can be a helpful tool. You don’t need to spend hours shouting into a corner. You can do this quietly, and even in your head.

One of the limitations of racerecording review is that coxswains have such limited opportunities to practice an entire race plan on the water. It’s likely that most of your chances to do so are races and therefore not necessarily the time and place where you’re going to be able to make changes easily.

This is where calling a race off the water—also known as a “ghost race”—can be a useful weapon in your arsenal. To do this, you call a race outside of practice and without a boat in sight. You don’t

Challenge yourself and practice different responses.

need to spend hours shouting into a corner somewhere; you can do this quietly— and even in your head, if that’s more comfortable at first.

Run a clock or set a timer to ensure that you’re not getting excited and condensing a 2K race into four minutes. You should know about how long a 2K in neutral conditions takes your crew; thus, you can use time to approximate meter markers and ensure that you’re calling your race plan appropriately. Feel free to use a few written notes at first to give yourself some structure. Call the race a few times, applying different solutions to the weaker parts of your race.

This method can be helpful particularly if you’re struggling to reconcile constructive criticism with your own coxswain voice in a way that feels authentic. This is the perfect place to take risks because the stakes are nil. Get outside your comfort zone and try new things. Borrow some calls from other coxswains and try them on for size. Modify, adjust, and adapt so that you can expand your repertoire of calls.

Cox the imaginary race well. If you make a mistake, practice recovering from

it. If you have a race you felt you did well except for one part, you can listen to your own recording and turn down the volume and call over your own race, giving yourself a do-over on the weaker portions.

Calling these ghost races can help you prepare also for all possible outcomes and every eventuality. This is a good way to practice especially calling a race where you’re either up or down off the field by a large margin.

If you compete in dual races primarily, you can practice racing six boats across (can you call the simulated action of the other boats and also manage your own race plan?). You can also test yourself with unexpected circumstances (what do you do if your boat catches a crab, loses the rhythm, or has an ineffective move during close racing?).

Challenge yourself and practice different responses. You won’t get the reallife feedback of your rowers but you can practice your tone, voice, demeanor, and think through some technical focuses that might help your crew. The real benefit of practicing this way is that you’re compelled to think through your race and envision what tools to call on in the moment.

Plenty of race-day anxiety can be driven by the uncertainty of handling unforeseen circumstances. Calling races this way can give you the confidence that you’ve prepared for a multitude of different scenarios and help you be mentally and emotionally flexible.

Ultimately, this should help diminish anxiety, increase the number and type of calls you make, and build the ability to call a great sprint race—any time and any place.

HANNAH WOODRUFF is an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Radcliffe heavyweight team. She began rowing at Phillips Exeter Academy, was a coxswain at Wellesley College, and has coached college, high-school, and club crews for over 10 years.

VOLKER NOLTE, an internationally recognized expert on the biomechanics of rowing, is the author of Rowing Science, Rowing Faster, and Masters Rowing. He’s a retired professor of biomechanics at the University of Western Ontario, where he coached the men’s rowing team to three Canadian national titles.

RECRUITING

Choosing the Right University

Ask yourself: Would I want to attend this school even if I weren’t part of the rowing team?

Choosing the right university is one of the most important decisions of your academic and athletic career. While the process may feel overwhelming, trust that the right choice often begins with a gut feeling. Ask yourself: Would I want to attend this school even if I weren’t part of the rowing team?

Connect with the team.

When visiting a university, prioritize spending time with the student-athletes on the rowing team. While campus tours led by the university’s staff provide a great overview, getting an insider’s perspective from current team members can be invaluable. Ask if a student-athlete can give you a personal tour of campus. The experiences and insights of student-athletes often reveal aspects of campus life that you won’t find in official brochures.

Consider academic fit.

Loving the campus, team, and coaching staff is important, but does the school offer the academic programs that match your goals? If you’re unsure about your major—as many students in their junior year of high school are—look for schools with a wide range of academic options. Many universities offer more than 100 majors, and athletic academic advisors can be a tremendous resource. In your first year, they can help you select classes that align with multiple potential career paths.

Making the final decision.

When it comes time to make your decision, take a moment to pause. Sleep on it. Discuss your thoughts with your family, coaches, and trusted friends. If, after careful reflection, it still feels like the right fit, you can feel confident of your choice.

What about the transfer portal?

Some athletes may think, “If I don’t like it, I can just transfer.” While the transfer portal is an option, it’s not always the easy solution it might seem. Transferring can disrupt both your academic and athletic progress, and the grass isn’t always greener at another school.

In rowing specifically, the transfer portal is far less active than in other sports, which highlights the importance of making the right decision the first time. Take the time to weigh your options carefully and choose a school that aligns with your personal, academic, and athletic goals.

By approaching this decision thoughtfully, you’ll set yourself up for success both on and off the water.

ROBBIE TENENBAUM coached at the NCAA level for over 30 years and with the U.S. Junior National Team for eight. He now helps rowers and families navigate the university recruiting process.

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TRAINING

Sports Nutrition on a Budget

The easiest way to lower your food bill is to eat less meat and animal protein and more grains. Excess protein displaces the carbs you need to fuel your muscles optimally

Rowers get hungry, and feeding hungry rowers can get expensive. Comments I hear commonly: My teenage rowers are eating me out of house and home.

Protein bars and powders are so expensive. Do I really need them?

I spend way too much money on take-out meals. I’m just too tired to cook after I train hard.

Any way you look at it, rowers can overspend their food budget easily. Here are some practical suggestions to help you get more for your food dollar so you can thrive on a budget-friendly, performanceenhancing sports diet.

FUEL

Good nutrition begins in the supermarket. Add food shopping to your busy schedule. Before shopping, think about a rough menu for the week. The ideal plan will include foods on sale that week at the grocery store. If you want some low-cost food ideas, google “budget-friendly healthy meals.” You’ll find lots of helpful websites, such as BudgetBytes, SpendSmartEatSmart, and $5Dinners.

Don’t overdo protein. The easiest way to lower your food budget is to eat less meat and animal protein and more grains (pasta, rice, oats), beans, breads, and other starches. While you need adequate protein (0.5 to 0.8 gram of protein per pound of body weight; 1.2 to 1.8 gram per kilogram), filling up on excess protein displaces the carbs you need to fuel your muscles optimally. Including some protein-rich food at each meal and snack can provide plenty of protein for the day. A four-ounce serving of chicken (about the size of a deck of cards) offers about 30 grams of protein. It’s common for hungry rowers to eat twice that much! No need for costly protein bars, powders, and supplements.

Budget breakfast suggestion: Eat more oatmeal! It’s much less expensive than dry cereal or eggs. Plus, oats have heart-healthy fiber that helps lower cholesterol. Because oats are carb-rich, they do a good job of fueling muscles. They also offer six grams of protein per half cup of raw oats to build and repair your muscles. Buy the big 42-ounce container (about $8 for Quaker, $4.60 for the store brand). A half-cup uncooked serving costs less than 25 cents. Skip the individual packets (50 cents each) and microwavable tubs ($1.80 each).

To make Oatmeal of Champions, put a half to one cup of raw oats in a microwavable bowl, stir in a cup or more of milk (instead of water, for more protein and calcium), add some salt (enhances flavor) and microwave for two-ish minutes. Swirl in a spoonful of peanut butter and some raisins. Voila! A yummy carb-plus-protein balanced meal that fuels you up for (or refuels you after) your morning workout. Oats plus milk plus peanut butter give you at least 20 grams of protein. That’s the equivalent of the protein in three (more expensive) eggs.

Fruit on a budget: Seasonal fresh fruit is a smart choice— strawberries in spring; apples in fall. Off season, canned and frozen fruits are just as nutritious, but with a lower price tag and no spoilage. A small box of blueberries can cost at least $4 to $6, depending on the season. Frozen blueberries cost about $4 for a 12-ounce bag. Frozen berries (and other fruits) are perfect for adding to oatmeal, smoothies, and yogurt.

Frozen fruit doesn’t spoil. Wasted food equals wasted money. Before it gets too ripe, peel, then freeze, that brown speckled banana (and other produce).

Dried fruit also doesn’t spoil and offers nutritional value similar to fresh. Drying removes water and concentrates the nutrients. Choose dried fruits of different color (orange apricots and mango, yellow pineapple, brown dates) to boost your intake of anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting phytochemicals. Munch on a handful of dates or raisins instead of snacking on ultraprocessed and expensive ($1.50 to $2.50 or more) energy bars. Pair dried fruit with nuts for a handy carb-protein sports snack. Both can be bought in bulk for significant savings at BJ’s and Costco.

Vegetables: Frozen veggies are money savers compared to fresh. Plus, they can be more nutritious. That’s because they’re flashfrozen at peak ripeness. Freezing retains nutrients that otherwise get lost when being transported from, say, California to New York City. A one-pound bag of store-brand frozen green beans costs less than $2; fresh are twice that price. Frozen veggies are simple to cook. They require no prep time, leave no waste, and won’t spoil (like the head of broccoli you bought last week and never quite got around to cooking).

Lunch: A sports sandwich of champions is peanut butter plus banana. For only $1.40*, you can get about 500 satiating calories that cost less than making a turkey cheese wrap ($3.85**) or buying a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder ($6.40)

*two slices of Dave’s Killer Bread (80 cents) plus two tablespoons of Teddie All-Natural peanut butter (30 cents) plus a medium banana (30 cents) = $1.40

**one burrito-size flour tortilla (55 cents) plus four ounces of deli turkey ($2.75) plus one slice of Swiss cheese (55 cents) = $3.85

A grain bowl for lunch is another budget-friendly option. Toss into a bowl last night’s leftover rice, canned beans, shredded cheese, and salsa. Cheaper than buying lunch at Chipotle!

Snacks: Single-serve sports snacks, such as applesauce pouches and yogurt cups, add up in terms of money as well as landfill space. Purchase reusable small containers that you fill with yogurt, trail mix, or pretzels. Prep a week’s worth of grab- andgo snacks so they’ll be ready and waiting. Instead of granola bars, enjoy peanut butter and graham cracker “snack-wishes.” They’re crunchy and tasty—just like a granola bar—but cost less and are better for the environment.

Note: Peanut butter, which is much less expensive than other nut butters, is an anti-inflammatory, nutrient-rich source of protein that fits into many meals, be it PB in oatmeal for breakfast, PB&J for lunch, PB and apple for snacks, and even peanutty pasta for dinner.

Dinner: Canned tuna and salmon are less expensive than fresh fish and offer cookfree options for adding omega-3 fats to your diet. Enjoy eggs for dinner (instead of breakfast). If you’re a die-hard meat eater, stretch out the meat by making stews, stirfries, and casseroles. Vegetarian meals can be more budget-friendly than meat-based meals. Bean burritos, anyone?

The bottom line: By planning ahead, buying store brands, taking advantage of frozen fruit and veggies, buying in bulk the foods that won’t spoil quickly (oats, nuts, dried fruits), and making leftovers into plannedovers to minimize food waste, you can enjoy an effective sports diet despite a tight food budget.

To reduce costly restaurant eating, curb your dinner appetite by enjoying an apple with peanut butter for an afternoon snack. You’ll have energy to cook and will spend far less than succumbing to takeout food.

Give it a try.

Sports nutritionist NANCY CLARK, M.S., R.D., counsels both casual and competitive athletes in the Boston area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her best-selling Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook can help you eat to win. For more information, visit NancyClarkRD.com.

TRAINING

Practicing for Progress

Distance or time with an unlocked rating can be used to practice your race plan. Row through the details of your race to tune your mental discipline and track improvement

Practice trials and control tests improve your racing skill and also give you objective progress checks about your fitness. They should be incorporated into your program throughout the year so you can be certain your speed and tactics are moving in the right direction, especially as your championship approaches.

Determine the types of trials or control tests you need to prepare for your event, taking into account the distance, time, and format. For example: set distance at a set stroke rate recording elapsed time; set time at a set stroke rate and monitor the number of meters rowed; set distance with an open rating for the fastest time; or set time with an open rating for maximum meters.

For stroke power or endurance, set distance/set rate is a good choice—i.e. 10K at 22 strokes per minute, 5K at 28 strokes per minute, or 2K at 32 strokes per minute. Set time/set stroke rate also can help monitor stroke output or fatigue resistance (e.g., 20 minutes at 28 strokes per minute or one minute at 32 strokes per minute for meters covered).

Distance or time with an unlocked

rating can be used for practicing your race plan. Row through the details of your 2,000-meter or 1,000-meter race to tune your mental discipline and track improvement.

Be selective and time your trials correctly, because the stress of too many maximal efforts can take its toll. If you include two hard sessions per week typically, exchange one every two to three weeks for a control test rather than adding another hard session.

During your taper, designate a racesimulation day to be as near to actual competition as possible; row at the same time of day and row the same number of races with the same time gaps between starts.

Watch out for pitfalls. If your results are getting slower with the same or increased perceived effort, you are either starting too fast or not giving yourself enough recovery, or both

COACH DEVELOPMENT

Finding Yourself Beyond the Boathouse

It’s often in the mental space when we’re not actively engaged—a quiet shower, a run without music— that our most innovative ideas emerge.

At winter break, I find myself thinking about identity. Specifically, how easy it is for coaches to forget who we are beyond our role at the boathouse. We become so immersed in our coaching personas that stepping away— even briefly—can feel like leaving part of ourselves behind.

The winter break offers more than just a pause in the training calendar; it’s an opportunity to reconnect with the multifaceted people we are beyond our coaching roles. The person who has interests unrelated to sport. The friend who can talk about topics other than technique and race plans. The family member who is fully present at holiday gatherings rather than mentally reviewing recruiting lists.

Years ago, a more experienced coach shared something that dramatically affected my approach to breaks: “The best ideas I’ve ever had about coaching came when

I wasn’t trying to think about coaching at all.”

He explained how making genuine mental space away from the sport allowed his mind to process challenges differently, leading to creative solutions he might never have discovered while problem-solving actively. He found inspiration in podcasts about musicians and stories his children shared about their experiences in grade school.

It’s often in the mental space when we’re not actively engaged that our most innovative ideas emerge. Think about the ideas that come to you during a quiet shower or a run without music playing.

So, as we enjoy winter break, I have a challenge for you: Instead of taking a forced break just from coaching, try reconnecting actively with all the other parts of who you are. Engage in activities that challenge different parts of your brain. Create

something unrelated to sport. Connect with friends and family who aren’t familiar with rowing. Dare to let yourself be bored.

When you return to the boathouse, not only will you feel refreshed but also you’ll bring fresh energy and creative ideas to practice. You’ll be able to make decisions with the benefit of a broader perspective. You’ll connect with your athletes and fellow coaches on a more human level and model for them the benefits of thoughtful work-life integration.

This holiday season, remember that the boathouse will still be there when you return. But it’s up to you to return to it energized, inspired, and ready to tackle the rest of the year.

MADELINE DAVIS TULLY competed as a lightweight rower at Princeton and on the U-23 national team before coaching at Stanford, Ohio State, Boston University, and the U-23 national team. Now a leadership and executive coach, she is the founder of the Women’s Coaching Conference

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DOCTOR ROWING

“These guys are in training and have agreed not to drink,” he complained, “and now you go and blow the whole thing.”

Like many of his coaching colleagues, he was contemptuous of women rowing, yet he rose for 6 a.m. practices every day so that they could have a rowing experience. How many times did I hear him rail about how slow the lightweights and the women were on the dock? But if you knew Coach, you knew that what lit his fuse was just impatience and excitement about getting out on the water.

After retiring, he came back and was the women’s coach, and, of course, they loved him because he took them seriously and because deep down he was a teddy bear.

His first coaching job was with the Yale lightweights in the late ’50s. I wish I had asked him more about that stint; it wasn’t an especially happy time for him, I suspect. The only time he told me much about Yale, he said, “Jim Rathschmidt, the heavyweight varsity coach, had a rule at the boathouse. No one could get out on the water before the varsity heavyweight eight. I can’t tell you how much time we wasted standing around, waiting for them to get out.”

He was offended by that arrogance.

At big regattas, like the IRAs, Norm didn’t hang out with the other coaches. Instead, he went out for a beer (although he drank wine) with the boatmen, the men who repair and rig boats. I remember being somewhat embarrassed. Shouldn’t he be talking and learning and sharing knowledge with all the other coaches? Gradually, I realized that the boatmen were the salt of the earth—kind, wise, and hilarious. I was embarrassed by my own snobbishness.

He had some crazy ideas; the HELCO purchase was just one of them. It’s a huge building, and with that breakwater, there was a nice calm “harbor” that would be ideal for a rowing dock.

“Andy, what if we could get South Meadow and convert it into a boathouse?”

But Coach Graf wasn’t thinking like I was, putting in racks and using the space like every other boathouse I’ve seen. No, he was a visionary.

“What if we put in cables and suspended the sterns from the ceiling, hanging them vertically, like sides of beef? We could take advantage of the building’s height and hoist them up and down with pulleys.

“It’s never been tried, Andy! We wouldn’t even need the whole building.”

Our fleet of Schoenbrods like sides of beef? Rocky was then the sports movie— an Oscar winner that everyone had seen. The scene of Sylvester Stallone working in a meat freezer, getting in extra bodyshot punches against the hanging beef, was etched in my memory, as it must have been in Norm’s. When I had seen it in the theater, as Rocky battled Apollo Creed in the climactic scene, my friend Murph yelled out, “The meat, Rocky! Hit the meat!”

Every time I drive over the Charter Oak Bridge, I have visions of Norm’s HELCO boathouse, and let me tell you, as impractical as it might have been, in my mind it looks fantastic. In Seattle, Lake Washington Rowing Club converted a warehouse into its boathouse, and Seattle University is in a remodeled fishery.

Dear readers, are there boathouse conversions you know of, spaces that have found second lives as homes for our sport? Has anyone gone vertical with their shells?

Not long ago, a Penn oarsman told me that there was a quotation engraved at the Palestra, the home of the University of Pennsylvania’s storied basketball program, built 99 years ago in 1925, the year of Norman T. Graf’s birth. There’s a plaque that reads, “To play the game is great. To win the game is greater. But to love the game is the greatest of them all.”

Coach Graf, you helped us love rowing. Thank you.

DOCTOR ROWING, a.k.a. Andy Anderson, has been coxing, coaching, and sculling for 55 years. When not writing, coaching, or thinking about rowing, he teaches at Groton School and considers the fact that all three of his children rowed and coxed—and none played lacrosse—his greatest success.

DOCTOR ROWING

ANDY ANDERSON

A Bridge to the Past

Coach Graf could be impatient and gruff, but deep down he was a teddy bear with some wild ideas—like buying an old power plant and hanging boats vertically like sides of beef.

On our way to New York to watch daughter Ella run the marathon, we took the Charter Oak Bridge across the Connecticut River in Hartford.

As I do every time we cross the bridge, I reminded Mrs. Doctor Rowing to take a good look to the left to see the huge empty shell of the former Hartford Electric Light Company building. This now-abandoned power plant, officially known as the South Meadow Power Plant, was key to the city’s electric grid from its construction in 1921 until it went offline in 1962. It’s a massive building on the west bank of the river that hogs acres of shoreline. Throughout my time in Hartford in the ’70s, while coxing at Trinity College and for three years coaching freshmen and women’s crews, it sat quietly about 500 meters upstream of our boathouse, oblivious to the efforts in the sleek shells that sped by it every day.

As we rowed past the swirling backwater coming off the riprap arm that created a sheltered place to give coal barges a dock to unload, I’d think of a secret ambition that our coach, Norm Graf, had shared with me.

When it was rumored that the HELCO plant was going to be sold, Graf dreamed of buying it.

Like everyone who has coached at Trinity, Coach Graf used to worry about the drive to and from the boathouse. The Trinity campus is on the west side of the Connecticut River, but the boathouse is on the east. The drive to practice at 3 p.m., when many of the insurance companies let out their employees, was done usually in heavy traffic at breakneck speed. Can’t be late for practice! When it was rumored that the HELCO plant was going to be sold, Graf dreamed of buying it.

After I departed Hartford and coaching at Trinity in 1979, the South Meadow Power Plant had a second life generating power, not from burning coal, as it had done originally, but from burning municipal garbage.

Its future could have been even brighter: When the New England Patriots began talking about building a new stadium in the ’90s, the governor of Connecticut began courting the team’s owner, Robert Kraft, to move the team to Hartford. It was rumored that the South Meadow site was dangled as a great place for the NFL franchise. The NHL Whalers had recently left for Carolina, and the region could have used the boost.

Plans were drawn, and there was enormous excitement for building a riverfront stadium and welcoming the Patriots. Instead, Massachusetts gave them a sweetheart deal for Gillette Stadium. Connecticut had been played, and Hartford got a garbage-burning facility instead.

As I cross the Charter Oak Bridge, I think back on Norm’s big idea. Norm had a lot of big ideas—he told me that calling 10s wasn’t enough to make a significant impact on a boat’s speed, so he wanted me to call 15s. “But don’t use the word 15; that would sound intimidating. Just call them 10s and keep counting.”

When I was introduced to the man who would be my college coach, I didn’t know what to think. A WW2 vet with close-cropped hair, he seemed suspicious of our long-haired generation. He was impatient, demanding, and a bit of a bully. We got used to hearing “Kevin, Ke-VINNN” as he yelled at our poor overworked manager. “Get over here, NOW! I need you.”

When the Grafs had us over for dinner one Sunday, he ripped his wife in front of us for using wine to cook the beef stew.