After a winter of land work, getting back on the water is a welcome change. Teams are eager to row by sixes and for pause drills, spring seat racing, and the beginning of the competitive season. These early weeks are a time of experimentation as coaches juggle line-ups and tweak race plans with the goal of building the fastest crews for the championship races.
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New boating combinations can render inconsistent results until the right line-ups take shape. The post-race recap of a successful row is far easier than that of a disappointing row. Poor races can and will happen, and the important question is what to do about it.
To help your crew recover from a substandard row, first allow the team to recognize what they’re feeling and take time to process the disappointment, frustration, or anger. Then, reflect on the race and identify what they had control over and what they didn’t. For example, each teammate can control his or her nutrition, sleep, attention level, or ability to follow directions.
They cannot control the lane draw, water conditions, or a delayed start time.
Analyze what the positive points were and give the crew due credit. Analyze the negative points and urge the boat to identify a solution that can be put into action during practice to prepare for the next race. It could be a specific drill, changing the warmup routine, or more practice in rough water to build confidence.
Every race is not going to be perfect, but fostering a collective mindset of continual improvement demonstrates that each member of the crew is valued and able to contribute to what needs to be done to meet the team’s goals and build the confidence to succeed.
