And back to rowing
I'm in the last week of the summer session for grad school, and this Saturday I'll be able to head home before preparing for my internship - that is still up in the air, but it continues to get more and more interesting.
I realize that I've been posting nothing but school updates recently, but when you're in class nearly eight hours a day with at least two hours of homework each night, plus work on the weekends, there's very little time for anything else. Except for yesterday.
Let me back track a bit here. I may have mentioned this, but there are five rowers total in this coaching program which we've all found very astounding. The sport being what it is, it's surprising to find this many rowers in a single area even in the mecca that is Seattle, so when we get a chance to sit down and talk shop, look out.
Last night we had a bit of a break, and a few of us met up for lunch, and beers, and then eventually dinner. And because three of us were rowers, it was inevitable that the conversation turned to rowing, specifically rigging - a personal favorite topic of mine.
I've never had a rigging mentor, so 99 percent of what I know I've learned through reading, talking, and a lot of trial and error. And I do mean a lot. I've heard the topics that we were discussing last night: catch angle, impulse, tightening the spread, oar length, blade differences, etc. And because rigging is one of those things that I truly enjoy doing as a coach - yes, my Zen moment in coaching is rigging a boat at the boathouse, with some music on, and one person helping me, maybe - so I was all in.
As I listened, I realized that I'd heard a majority of these concepts, but never actually had any hands on experience with them. So I came up with two things among the other notes that I was taking. The first was to snag lunch with another coach and pick their brain on the topics I had little experience with. In this case, measuring angles, and stroke length and what exactly this means, plus a clearer understanding of impulse.
The second thing has to do with passing this information on, and I'm not talking about sharing when I reach my next coaching job. This graduate program is about becoming a better coach. It's what your mentorship and internship are tied into, it's the focus of the work we've done in the classroom, and it's what we'll build our portfolios on. I know that I am a sponge when it comes to rowing, and the more I'm around it, the more I want to absorb. I don't know that I'll ever reach a point where the biomechanics and number crunching and testing doesn't interest me. Knowledge to me is less about winning and more about gaining tools, and more tools, and learning as much as I can. I think of myself as a student of the sport, and so that's the mentality that I carry as I engage with other coaches.
That being said, I also want to share what I learn. I'm not going to call anyone out, but I have been in situations where my curiosity and interest have been seen as something to ignore. I realize that I am insatiable when it comes to learning, but I also believe that it's incredibly important and when you're done learning either because you feel as though you've lost the drive, or it just doesn't interest you any longer, I believe it's time for you to exit stage right. That's simply my opinion.
I believe in learning anything someone is willing to teach me, and in sharing everything I know. I believe my greatest accomplishment as a coach will never be about the number of wins or trophies, but about how large my coaching tree is because that represents the number of other coaches I've influenced or inspired. So last night after deciding that I wanted to pick a few brains, I also reminded myself that once I learn more, especially with rigging, to be sure to share that information the way that coaches who I worked with did not share with me.
Knowledge to me is like money. You can't take it with you when you go, it doesn't do you any good when you're gone, so share everything you can.
I realize that I've been posting nothing but school updates recently, but when you're in class nearly eight hours a day with at least two hours of homework each night, plus work on the weekends, there's very little time for anything else. Except for yesterday.
Let me back track a bit here. I may have mentioned this, but there are five rowers total in this coaching program which we've all found very astounding. The sport being what it is, it's surprising to find this many rowers in a single area even in the mecca that is Seattle, so when we get a chance to sit down and talk shop, look out.
Last night we had a bit of a break, and a few of us met up for lunch, and beers, and then eventually dinner. And because three of us were rowers, it was inevitable that the conversation turned to rowing, specifically rigging - a personal favorite topic of mine.
I've never had a rigging mentor, so 99 percent of what I know I've learned through reading, talking, and a lot of trial and error. And I do mean a lot. I've heard the topics that we were discussing last night: catch angle, impulse, tightening the spread, oar length, blade differences, etc. And because rigging is one of those things that I truly enjoy doing as a coach - yes, my Zen moment in coaching is rigging a boat at the boathouse, with some music on, and one person helping me, maybe - so I was all in.
As I listened, I realized that I'd heard a majority of these concepts, but never actually had any hands on experience with them. So I came up with two things among the other notes that I was taking. The first was to snag lunch with another coach and pick their brain on the topics I had little experience with. In this case, measuring angles, and stroke length and what exactly this means, plus a clearer understanding of impulse.
The second thing has to do with passing this information on, and I'm not talking about sharing when I reach my next coaching job. This graduate program is about becoming a better coach. It's what your mentorship and internship are tied into, it's the focus of the work we've done in the classroom, and it's what we'll build our portfolios on. I know that I am a sponge when it comes to rowing, and the more I'm around it, the more I want to absorb. I don't know that I'll ever reach a point where the biomechanics and number crunching and testing doesn't interest me. Knowledge to me is less about winning and more about gaining tools, and more tools, and learning as much as I can. I think of myself as a student of the sport, and so that's the mentality that I carry as I engage with other coaches.
That being said, I also want to share what I learn. I'm not going to call anyone out, but I have been in situations where my curiosity and interest have been seen as something to ignore. I realize that I am insatiable when it comes to learning, but I also believe that it's incredibly important and when you're done learning either because you feel as though you've lost the drive, or it just doesn't interest you any longer, I believe it's time for you to exit stage right. That's simply my opinion.
I believe in learning anything someone is willing to teach me, and in sharing everything I know. I believe my greatest accomplishment as a coach will never be about the number of wins or trophies, but about how large my coaching tree is because that represents the number of other coaches I've influenced or inspired. So last night after deciding that I wanted to pick a few brains, I also reminded myself that once I learn more, especially with rigging, to be sure to share that information the way that coaches who I worked with did not share with me.
Knowledge to me is like money. You can't take it with you when you go, it doesn't do you any good when you're gone, so share everything you can.
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