PROVIDED BY THE IRA

BY LUKE REYNOLDS

No one is counting.

…but there are 25 days until the 2022 American Collegiate Rowing Championships, 32 days until the 2022 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships, and 39 days until the 2022 Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships.

Tick. Tock.

Before we get there, though, a look at what happened last weekend.

Lake Wheeler Invitational—
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Duke co-hosted the annual Lake Wheeler Invitational April 21 through April 24. Teams competing included Boston College, Boston University, Bucknell University, Clemson University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Syracuse University, University of Central Florida, University of Kansas, University of Louisville, University of Miami, University of Oklahoma, University of North Carolina, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and the US Naval Academy.

It was 15th-ranked Syracuse who came away with the team points trophy known as the Pocock Cup.

“We had a great team performance,” said Syracuse women’s rowing head coach Luke McGee. “One philosophy we are trying to drive home is that every person, every seat, and every boat matters because it is all about the team. This was a challenging regatta to race back-to-back-to-back against strong competition. What stands out is the consistency of performances across the board. That was really key. As each boat came down the course you could feel the energy and it fueled the entire team.”

11th-ranked Duke wasn’t too far behind the Orange finishing the regatta with 82 points to Syracuse’s 83 points.

“This was another good racing weekend for Duke,” Duke’s women’s rowing head coach Megan Cooke Carcagno said. “There were lots of great competitors and exciting races in what could be one of the best venues in the country. Syracuse and Penn showed tremendous speed, and our crews learned a lot racing next to their boats. We have some work to do to hit our goals, but the team is excited to keep pushing.”

Also putting up a strong performance at the regatta was the University of Pennsylvania that won nine races on the weekend, with their ninth-ranked varsity eight and their varsity four both having a perfect record for the event.

“We had a fantastic weekend of hard racing, and I was really proud of the full team effort,” said Penn women’s rowing head coach Wesley Ng. “The competitive level of the teams at this event was awesome and another big learning experience for us.”

Texas Rowing Championships—
Saturday was Texas State Rowing Championships Day in Dallas, Texas (in case you missed Before the Line) as declared by the good Mayor of Dallas, Eric Johnson, himself. The proclamation was made on account of White Rock Rowing hosting the championships for the first time ever in Dallas on White Rock Lake.

It was Texas Rowing Club that dominated the event, however, picking up first-place finishes in the women’s eight, women’s and men’s novice quad, men’s U17 single, men’s and women’s U17 double, men’s four, men’s and women’s U17 four, and the men’s and women’s U17 quad.

The home squad, White Rock, had several impressive finishes on the first day of the regatta picking up wins in the men’s pair, men’s and women’s straight fours, and the women’s second-varsity four. The host crew also won the women’s U17 eight and men’s novice eight.

Dallas United also had a strong showing at the event winning the men’s eight, women’s four, men’s second-varsity eight, men’s U17 eight, men’s U15 quad, and placing second in the women’s eight.

Lake Stevens Spring Sprints—
In the Pacific Northwest, Lake Stevens Rowing Club hosted its annual spring sprints over the weekend providing some stellar racing opportunities for junior and master’s rowers alike.

Lake Oswego Community Rowing had the most entries (62) in the regatta and picked up several wins including the men’s youth lightweight single, women’s youth four, mixed masters novice double, men’s masters lightweight single, and novice mixed youth octuple (!) / eight. In the mixed master’s eight, Lake Union took the top spot followed by Mount Baker and Pocock.

Florida Scholastic Rowing Association Sweep States—
Sarasota Crew took home the overall points team trophy with 568 points at the FSRA Sweep States this past weekend but fell short of a complete sweep. The women of Crew Boosters of Winter Park crew won the girl’s points trophy preventing the sweep. The men of Sarasota Crew won the boy’s points trophy while Winter Park’s men’s crew took second.

The final moments of the 2022 regular season are quickly approaching with Youth Regional Championships just a few weekends away for most crews and conference champs starting even sooner. Buckle up!

BY NANCY CLARK
PHOTO BY KEVIN WOBLICK

Peanut butter is, without a doubt, one of the most popular sports foods around. Ask rowers what they eat before a regatta, and many will say, “Bagel with peanut butter.” Ask cyclists what they eat during a long ride, and the answer is inevitably “peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” Assuming you are not allergic to peanut butter (PB), you might love it, but you also might have a love-hate relationship with this popular food. You love it so much you can easily end up eating a lot of it. You hate it because you fear it will contribute to fat gain and health problems. Hence, the goal of this article: to erase the hate so you can love eating PB guilt-free, without negative consequences. 

Note: Peanuts grow underground and belong to the legume family, along with beans and peas. They share a nutrition profile similar to that of tree nuts, so we can lump them into the same conversation. Hence, the information in this article relates not just to peanut butter but all nut butters.

Is peanut butter fattening?
PB is not inherently fattening. If anything, people who eat peanuts, nuts, and nut butters tend to be slimmer than nut avoiders. This fact is based on data compiled from about 576,000 people who were followed for, on average, about 18 years. Higher nut and PB intake were associated with lower body weight, a smaller waist, and weight loss. PB eaters did not have a higher BMI or body-fat percentage. If anything, eating PB, nuts, and nut butters seemed to protect against weight gain. 

How can such a high-fat food be slimming? 

The warning we once heard to limit foods high in fat and calories has proven to be unwarranted. The fat in PB is satiating. A PB sandwich keeps you feeling fed for longer than, say, a turkey sandwich. Having fat in each meal also makes the meal taste better. Fat carries flavor. A spoonful of yummy PB pleases the taste buds, so you’ll be less likely to go poking around the kitchen looking for something else to eat, like ice cream. This can spare you from excess calories…

Should I pour off the oil that rises to the top of the all-natural PB jar? 

Pouring off the oil can save you calories, but if you replace those calories with a cookie, you are going down the wrong path. Of the 14 grams of fat in a tablespoon of peanut oil, 10.5 are from “good” health-enhancing fats. Peanut oil is a source of Vitamin E, an antioxidant that knocks down inflammation. People who eat PB, nuts, and other health-promoting oils five or more times a week have a reduced risk of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes. Why suffer through dry, less tasty, less health-protective PB when PB is not “fattening”?  Storing the jar upside down can erase the oil-on-top issue.

Is PB better for pre-exercise fuel or post-exercise recovery? 

PB, being primarily protein and fat, is a slow-to-digest fuel as compared to grains, fruits, and vegetables (carbohydrates). Protein and fat take far longer to digest, so they are a poor choice for quick energy before you exercise. That said, if you’ll be doing a workout that lasts from 60 to 90 minutes, eating PB before you exercise will offer sustained energy. It also can help buffer an influx of sugary gels and sports drinks. 

     After rowing, the fat and protein in peanut butter will refuel your muscles poorly. The best food for recovery offers three times more carbs than protein. That is, a spoonful of PB straight from the jar will fill your tummy but it will not rapidly refuel your muscles. A better choice is a PB & banana sandwich or pasta with a spicy Thai peanut sauce.

What’s the preferred type of peanut butter: organic? unsalted?

• Most long-term health studies have followed typical Americans who eat PB that is processed (hydrogenated) to keep the oil from separating out. Hydrogenation can create a bad trans fat, though the amount is small—less than half a gram per serving. (Negligible amounts show up as zero grams trans fat on the Nutrition Facts label.) The health benefits of any type of PB seem to outweigh any potential negatives, but in general, less processed foods (of any type) are preferable to highly processed versions.

• Organic PB is nutritionally similar to conventional PB but has a higher price tag, jumping from about 20 cents to about 37 cents per serving (two tablespoons). Pesticides in PB are negligible. “They are sprayed on the ground before planting and have a very short half-life. Most have disintegrated by the time the peanut plant sprouts,” reports a Teddie PB spokesperson.

• The amount of sodium (the part of salt attributed to high blood pressure) in Jif is 135 milligrams per serving, similar to the amount in a slice of bread. This is not very much sodium, given that the recommended intake is 2,400 mg. a day. (The average American consumes 3,400 mg./day.) As a fit, healthy, lean rower who likely has low blood pressure, do you need to limit your salt intake, given you lose salt in sweat? High blood pressure tends to be rooted heavily in genes, lack of fitness, and being overweight. 

Is almond butter better than peanut butter? 

Almond butter is far less sustainable than PB and is far more expensive, but it is equally nourishing. The subtle nutritional differences are insignificant in the context of your entire day’s food intake. In terms of planetary health, almonds have a much higher water footprint compared to peanuts (80.4 gallons of water per ounce of almonds versus 4.7 gallons for peanuts).

What about PB with flax?

Some peanut butters contain flax. Flax is among the richest sources of ALA, a plant-based omega-3 fat that is deemed anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy. A tablespoon of flax seeds offers about 2,350 mg. of ALA; a serving of peanut butter with flax might offer only 300 mg. of ALA. Given that the recommended intake of ALA is about 2,000 mg./day, it seems like the addition of flax to peanut butter would have insignificant health benefits—though that depends on how much PB with flax you eat in a day.

How can I keep myself from eating too much peanut butter?

1) Prevent yourself from getting too hungry. Curbing your appetite can keep you from overeating too much of any yummy food. 

2) Eat PB as often as you want. Trying to limit it contributes to binges of peanut butter-by-the-spoonful. Overeating PB typically happens before you put yourself back in diet jail or when you flunk out of diet jail. If you give yourself permission to enjoy PB every day, if not every meal, it will soon lose its power. 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 Sports Nutrition Guidebook can help you eat to win. For more information about her books and online workshop, visit NancyClarkRD.com.

The other day, I received a Facebook link to a brief video from National Geographic Adventure. The accompanying text read, “Interested in rowing? These common phrases will help you get started.” There is footage of rowing to illustrate the vocabulary: coxswain, weigh enough, split, catch and finish, and catch a crab. It’s a fairly random list, but all press is good press, right? I was just happy to see rowing get its due.

However, the spelling of “weigh enough,” led me back to one of my oldest columns, when over 20 years ago I took this on. I can remember as a young cox wondering not only how the phrase was spelled, but even what the words were. I’d swear that one of our coaches used to say, “Way (or weigh) and up.” That made sense to me; we were supposed to stop rowing and balance the blades above the water. Consulting with the other coxes, I learned that one of them even thought the phrase was, “Wayne, nuff!” Yet when I finally got over my embarrassment and asked just what was I supposed to be yelling I was told, “Weigh enough. This comes from the same use of the word weigh as ‘to weigh anchor’ (to lift anchor) or ‘anchors aweigh,’ meaning to raise up the anchor so that the boat can proceed.” Like all high school kids, I took my god-like coach’s word as law. Having pursued this matter beyond ordinary lengths, I spent the next 25 years secure in my knowledge.

Soon after publication, I heard from readers around the globe. The most erudite of them, one Tom Moore of Wayne, Penn., wrote, “My old Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary says, ‘Way, n., advance; progress; headway; as the ship in starting gathers way;’ and in another place, ‘weigh is erroneously used for way.’” Mr. Moore then exceeds the limits of good taste when he adds, “Doctor Rowing has the same spelling problem.” (Emphasis mine)

However, never trust simple explanations. The verb weigh comes into English from the Anglo-Saxon wegan, meaning to lift or to move. Its root words seem to be the Icelandic vega meaning to bear, to lift, or to move, and the Germanic wiegen meaning to rock or move. The Latin vehere, meaning to bear or carry, is a likely source for all of the above. What seems clear is that at some distant point in our linguistic past the sense of motion implied in all of these verbs came to mean lifting, as one does to an anchor when wishing to begin to sail.

Wiegen and wegan are also both roots for way. Our modern sense of way (as in, ‘Do you know the way to San Jose?’) suggests a path or a route and comes from wegan, to move (toward something). The Nautical Dictionary of 1863 goes on to add of under way, “This expression, often used instead of under weigh, seems to be a convenient one for denoting that a ship or boat is making progress through the water, whether by sails or other motive power.”

Is it important which spelling is chosen? In my youth, I thought so. Now, with the wisdom of the ancients, it seems much less critical. As long as we know that whether “to weigh” or “to way” means to move, and you have done enough moving, that’ll do nicely.

Dear Doctor Rowing,

For the sake of branding and identity, wouldn’t it be nice if all our national team blades had a consistent blue color? Our athletes have worked too hard and sacrificed too much to appear to be part of a rag-tag team that can’t even get the same shade of blue on their blades. (Wikipedia references “Old Glory Blue” for the American flag.) The home-soil world Championships are almost upon us!

Mid-Island New York

And wouldn’t it be great if our congressmen could reach across the aisle and pass legislation that wasn’t beholden to special interest groups? And if peace would break out in the Middle East? And the buffalo could return to the range?

Of course, this would be a good thing, but in order for this to happen, you would need to have someone organize the paint purchasing and distribution. A quick review of how oars get painted: American athletes, whether they have been named to the team through a camp process or a trials process, are responsible for having their own oars painted—or nowadays, taped. Typically, this task is left until the last moment so that the blades are as pristine as possible for racing. (You should see what happens to a nice paint job when an oar smacks a floating log.) A coach or team member rushes to the local paint store and purchases whatever is available. Upon return, the paint is applied, sometimes brushed on, sometimes sprayed.

It’s not impossible, of course, for a team manager from USRowing to purchase all of the necessary supplies and wait until the whole team is together before parceling them out for painting. All it takes is planning and getting everyone together in one place with time to paint and let the oars dry. But I agree with you. We put a man on the moon, didn’t we?

BY LUKE REYNOLDS
PHOTO BY ED MORAN

A big weekend of rowing is about to kick off. From Dallas to San Francisco, crews across the country are preparing to take their final strokes before Regional and National Championship training becomes the focus.

1. Texas Rowing Championships – White Rock Rowing will play host to the annual Texas Rowing Championships this weekend for the first time in history. The regatta will take place on White Rock Lake. 11 Texas clubs are competing in the juniors-only event. “Having an event that’s a state championship here, I think really brings attention to, ‘Hey, rowing in Texas is becoming a real thing,’” White Rock Rowing head coach Chris Leonard told WFAA. The Mayor of Dallas will also be naming Saturday, April 23 Texas State Rowing Championship Day.
2. FSRA Sweep Championships – Last weekend the Florida Scholastic Rowing Association hosted its annual sculling championships. This weekend it will host the sweep competition in Sarasota-Bradenton. 38 clubs from Miami to Tallahassee will compete.
3. Mercer Lake/ISA Sculling Championships – Another scholastic championship will take place up the eastern seaboard on Mercer Lake. 60 clubs will compete in the two-day competition at the event hoping to earn championship titles across both sweep and sculling races.
4. USRowing Raises Funds for ODP – USRowing raised more than $39,000 for Olympic Development Program scholarship aid that will be matched 1:1.
5. West Coast Scholastic Championship – In San Francisco, St. Ignatius College Prep will host the West Coast Scholastic Rowing Championships on Lake Merced. Seven clubs will compete in one day of sweep and sculling racing.

BY LUKE REYNOLDS
PHOTO BY ED MORAN

The 2022 Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Regatta is an important regatta. It’s one of the last glimpses of regular-season speed before several crews go into pre-championship season training mode. Here’s what we saw there and across the U.S. in domestic racing.

Colgate Manages Two In A Row—
The Raiders finished SIRA’s with a first-place finish in the men’s varsity eight over Jacksonville and the Florida Institute of Technology with a time of 6:10.823. Their win in Oak Ridge was the second win the crew has managed after they defeated Mercyhurst last weekend during the Knecht Cup. The Raiders aren’t finished with the regular season, though, as they will take to the oars next weekend against Hamilton and Ithaca in Rome, New York.

Wildcats Dominate—
Kansas State University had a stellar weekend in Tennessee finishing first in the women’s first varsity four, third varsity eight, and the first varsity eight.

“Overall, we’re happy to see the team continue to make progress,” KSU head coach Patrick Sweeney said. “Our performance throughout the weekend shows that fitness across the whole team is good. Each boat has made the most of the water time we’ve had, and we’ve continued to see improvement across the season.”

Bronchos Finish Regular Season in Second—
The University of Central Oklahoma tested its speed at the SIRA regatta, finishing fifth in the women’s varsity eight, fourth in the varsity four, and third in the novice four.

“It was a good weekend of racing against some very tough competition,” UCO head rowing coach Brian Ebke said. “We didn’t get all the results we wanted but we got to see some good things and it’s all about getting better as we get into the month of May.”

The Bronchos are currently ranked number two in the CRCA women’s rowing DII polls and are scheduled to compete at the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference Championships in May.

Cougs Crush Collegiate Covered Bridge—
The Washington State Cougars had a successful run at the 2022 Collegiate Covered Bridge Regatta pulling off a first-place finish in the men’s varsity eight and the women’s novice four. Also dominant at the regatta was Oregon State, going one/two/three in the men’s varsity four in addition to winning the second final of the men’s varsity four event with its D entry.

The Beavers fell short in their duel against Stanford in both their varsity and junior varsity men’s eights, however.

“The cliche equation of ‘X in = X out’ in terms of training, where what you put in during the offseason comes out as boat speed in the season is out of whack at the moment,” said Oregon State head coach Gabe Winkler. “They have worked incredibly hard over the last eight months. I’ve seen them go to the well daily and improve all the time, always gunning for more. I believe in them and I believe that they are pretty fast. Stanford is also really fast. Such is life in the Pac-12. So, when you need more boat speed, you need to go X+1.  That’s what we will do for the second half of the season.”

Drexel Dragons Dominate Kerr Cup—
The Dragons did not disappoint at the 2022 Kerr Cup. The event is special for the Dragons, too, as it was created by Drexel University Alumni in 1967 to honor former Drexel coach, Dr. Thomas Kerr, Jr., who passed away in January 1988 at age 78. Drexel swept the women’s eight events winning the Lela H. Kerr Cup for the 14th time in the last 19 years. The Drexel men also pulled out a win in the men’s varsity eight over first-place ranked Yale. The win earned them the Dr. Thomas Kerr Cup for the first time since 2017. The Dragons also came out on top in the men’s third-varsity eight.

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