Taking seats
I dislike seat racing. I haven't yet had the luxury of doing like Washington does - perhaps did? - and run out everyone in pairs. I like the results that it usually gives me and I like finding speed but in general I dislike doing it.
I've run races in fours and eights with neither being ideal in my mind and have used ergs to supplement or give me a base place to start but regardless of how I've gone about it, I still don't like it.
Strip away all the fluff to get down to the nitty gritty, the reason I don't like seat racing is because it means that at the end of the day, someone who works very hard is going to be on the outside looking in. And I dislike that immensely. Perhaps I get too wrapped up with my athletes but when I see someone who has just laid everything they had inside on the line and they've come up short, it really tears at me.
There aren't any variables in that. For me to consider you for a seat race you need to be "that" athlete meaning you work extremely hard, you don't whine, you're a great team mate with a positive attitude; you put yourself in that category of athletes that coaches recall with fondness years down the road. Seeing that type of person fall short, especially when it's close, it makes me want extra seats.
We've done two days of seat racing, taking advantage of flat water and great weather - good thing since today is cold and overcast - and we've generated some good results and I'm pleased with the boat and the guys in it. I'm not surprised by who made the boat but what did surprise me was how close it was between 8th and 9th. 3 seconds divided all three guys leaving me with a decision that I've labeled, a "judgment call."
The silver lining to this situation is that the athlete who finished 9th and out of a seat in the boat happens to also be a fairly good coxswain and coincidentally, happens to weigh just above the bare minimum for a male coxswain. And it just so happens that we are in the market for a coxswain. I had a talk with him yesterday and gave him the run down of the seat race results and he took it in stride and then we moved on talking about him taking on the role of being a coxswain for this boat which after some discussion he accepted.
Typically I don't do this because I consider it an emotional response from me; I want the athlete to make the lineup so badly that I get focused and make less than stellar coaching decisions. However, for me this is a special case seeing as how we need a good coxswain, the guys love and respect this kid and he really could bring a lot to the seat. We'll test it and see how the results go as we approach Regionals.
But seat racing....a necessary but not particularly pleasant task.
I've run races in fours and eights with neither being ideal in my mind and have used ergs to supplement or give me a base place to start but regardless of how I've gone about it, I still don't like it.
Strip away all the fluff to get down to the nitty gritty, the reason I don't like seat racing is because it means that at the end of the day, someone who works very hard is going to be on the outside looking in. And I dislike that immensely. Perhaps I get too wrapped up with my athletes but when I see someone who has just laid everything they had inside on the line and they've come up short, it really tears at me.
There aren't any variables in that. For me to consider you for a seat race you need to be "that" athlete meaning you work extremely hard, you don't whine, you're a great team mate with a positive attitude; you put yourself in that category of athletes that coaches recall with fondness years down the road. Seeing that type of person fall short, especially when it's close, it makes me want extra seats.
We've done two days of seat racing, taking advantage of flat water and great weather - good thing since today is cold and overcast - and we've generated some good results and I'm pleased with the boat and the guys in it. I'm not surprised by who made the boat but what did surprise me was how close it was between 8th and 9th. 3 seconds divided all three guys leaving me with a decision that I've labeled, a "judgment call."
The silver lining to this situation is that the athlete who finished 9th and out of a seat in the boat happens to also be a fairly good coxswain and coincidentally, happens to weigh just above the bare minimum for a male coxswain. And it just so happens that we are in the market for a coxswain. I had a talk with him yesterday and gave him the run down of the seat race results and he took it in stride and then we moved on talking about him taking on the role of being a coxswain for this boat which after some discussion he accepted.
Typically I don't do this because I consider it an emotional response from me; I want the athlete to make the lineup so badly that I get focused and make less than stellar coaching decisions. However, for me this is a special case seeing as how we need a good coxswain, the guys love and respect this kid and he really could bring a lot to the seat. We'll test it and see how the results go as we approach Regionals.
But seat racing....a necessary but not particularly pleasant task.
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