Summer 2011 by the Numbers

Once again, summer has blown by in a flash and school is about to start for students everywhere. This time every year, I seem to look back at the past three months and think "What the heck did I even do all summer?" Well, this summer, I feel like I did everything. Here's a quick look what I actually did all summer during my hybrid rowing/triathlon season.

During the summer of 2011...

I raced 6 times in 3 different sports in 4 different states. I also attended 5 events as a volunteer or intern.

I ate 67 PowerBars, drank 450 oz. of Gatorade and drank 525 oz. of coffee.

I spent $384 in race fees and $55.50 on tolls.

I ran 161 hills and 65 sprints.

I spent 17 nights away from home in 3 states and 2 countries.

I got 5 awards, 5 t-shirts, and 2 bags from events...gotta love the swag.

I drove 1650 miles.

I worked out with people from 10 different sports backgrounds and learned a lot about sports that I knew little to nothing about.

I used up 2 sticks of deodorant, 3 tubes of sunscreen and bought 14 nail polishes (my new obsession).

I spent 54 hours in the weight room.

I spent 108 hours rowing, 5 hours swimming, 10 hours running, 17 hours biking and (unfortunately) 8 hours erging.

I interviewed 3 people, wrote 12 blog posts, tweeted 104 times, and had 1915 total page views from 10 different countries.

I met lots of new people, some of whom I believe will be my friends for a very long time. I learned the value of bringing baked goods into an office of hungry people. I learned that English majors can like (and be good at) marketing, but that I chose my major for a reason. I learned how to work hard in demanding environments under pressure and that the best way to keep people calm and happy is to keep smiling.  I learned how amazing it is having someone to cheer for you at the finish line, even strangers. I learned how much better wings taste on Wing Night. I learned that you can get people to do a lot of things for a free t-shirt. And I learned that having a blog is an incredibly rewarding experience that I am excited to continue with.

Thanks to everyone for a great summer! Here's to hoping that the fall is even better.

Tory's Top Ten: Myths About the Recruiting Process

As we rush headlong into fall, we reach the time of year where recruiting is at its height. High school juniors are looking at their potential college choices and high school seniors are going on official visits to finalize these choices. As someone who went through the recruiting process, I have to say I am glad that I never have to do it again. However, being a collegiate rower doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with recruits – I am pretty sure that my housemates and I have hosted over 25 recruits in three years. I also work for a collegiate coach, and although I am not involved directly with the recruiting process, I have seen and heard many a horror story from my boss and other collegiate coaches. Although I admit that I wasn’t perfect in my recruiting behavior, it bothers me how relaxed some high schoolers are in their treatment of coaches, athletic department staff and the recruiting process in general. I am nowhere near an expert – and most of these rules apply to D1 and competitive D3 schools – but here are some of my observations from the inside. 

 1. It’s okay if I don’t get good grades or standardized test scores because rowing is going to get me into college.

This might work for a football player or a basketball player, but 99% of the time it won’t work for a rower. Coaches need to know that you can handle schoolwork and rowing. At DI schools, this is a huge commitment and it’s hard to balance. If you can’t handle the schoolwork, you’re going to become academically ineligible and you won’t be any use to the team anyway. You have to be able to prove you can at least somewhat handle the workload of a college environment. Also, good grades can sometimes translate into merit scholarships, which are a big help when it comes to paying tuition bills.

2. If I talked to a coach once, he or she is going to remember me.

Coaches, especially rowing coaches, talk to a lot of people throughout the year. Unless they’re looking at their notes, they probably don’t remember you. This is why it’s important to identify yourself clearly – with at least your name, crew program and how to contact you – every time. Be as specific as possible with everything and don’t get frustrated if you have to explain your situation more than once. Coaches are busy people, and the more you help them out, the happier they’ll be.

3. Being good at high school rowing should mean that I’m going to be good at college rowing.

People who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. Talent can get you places in high school rowing, but without hard work, it won’t do much in college. Standards for most collegiate teams – especially Division I – are much higher than most high schools. Even if your high school team was strict about attendance and work ethic, the temptation of partying until 3 a.m. before morning practice was outweighed by parental discipline. Without self-discipline, a lot of talented rowers end up on shore because there are always people willing to work harder. 

4. I really enjoy rowing, but I’m not in a good high school boat, so I don’t think I would be able to row in college.

I repeat what I said above…people who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. “B” boat rowers who like rowing and are willing to work hard will last longer in a collegiate rowing atmosphere than “A” boat rowers who are in good boats just because of talent. A love of the sport combined with a good work ethic will last athletes much longer than any natural talent.

5. If a coach from a school I don’t want to attend keeps contacting me, it’s better if I just ignore them or talk to them anyway rather than tell them I don’t want to go to their school.

Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting their classes. If you know that a rowing program is not for you, the polite thing to do is tell the coach. They can then spend their time with people who do want to row for them. Letting a coach think that you want to row for him and then telling him at the last minute you don’t is going to make him super frustrated. It’s the same as a relationship: cut the ties so both of you can move on to better things.

6. I’m pretty busy, so coaches will understand why my mom or dad is contacting them instead of me.

Remember what I said about self-discipline? This falls under that category too. Yes, you’re busy but so are coaches and they don’t want to talk to your parents. Juniors and seniors in high school who want to row for competitive colleges should have enough self-discipline to make their own contacts. Not only that, but your parents might not know exactly what you want from a school. Send your own emails and make your own phone calls. It pretty much goes without saying that if your mom is the one on the phone with your future coach, you’re not making a good first impression.

7. I don’t have to be super courteous to every rowing coach that contacts me, only the ones I want to row for.

Remember that crazy ride at Disney where you sit in a boat and tour around a world made of painted dolls singing “It’s A Small World”? There’s a reason you’re in a boat: the world of rowing is very small. Manners are important whether the school is your top choice or your last choice before living in your parent’s basement and working at McDonalds. Chances are, if you’re less than polite to one coach, other coaches will find out. 

8. I don’t really like rowing but I like being part of a team, so I’m going to row in college.

This is why intramural sports were invented. Rowing is far too huge of a commitment to join just for the team atmosphere. Think about the time this way: other students have full time jobs, rowers train. There’s no point in putting yourself through the pain of training and racing just to make some friends. There are so many other ways to foster a team atmosphere in college – intramurals, student government, clubs, Greek life, the list goes on and on – that you shouldn’t waste your time if you’re only in it for the camaraderie. 

9. I only picked the school that I picked because of the crew team, but that’s fine with me.

Now, there are some people who disagree with me on this one, so feel free to have your own opinion. I believe that students should pick a school where they like everything, not just the crew team. Even if the only thing you want to major in is rowing, school is too expensive to not get a good education. If you have the financial freedom, pick a school that has the programs you want to study and a student body you like in a place where you want to spend four years. Coaches don’t want to recruit you to a place where you’re not going to be happy.

10. If I don’t really want to row in college, I’ll just use it to help get myself in and then quit.

This is probably the worst thing you could do. You are doing nothing better than lying to a coach when you agree to row for him or her, knowing that you are going to quit. Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting and you have just wasted it. Worse, if you are on scholarship, you’re wasting money that could have gone to someone else who actually cared about rowing (and it will be gone by the next semester anyway). And even worse than that, your decision doesn’t just affect you. You can black list your high school program. This means that anyone from your program who actually wants to row in college for all four years probably won’t get a chance to be recruited by your school – or by a school coached by someone who heard about you. If you don’t really want to row in college, it’s that simple: don’t.

Recruiting can be a stressful time, especially for rowers because we are usually doing all of the work ourselves. However, don’t forget that it is also stressful for coaches, who are usually under a lot of pressure to bring in a good recruiting class. Make yourself familiar with the NCAA recruiting rules as well as my rules to make your recruiting process as painless as possible. 

Do you have more advice about recruiting? Personal stories? Feel free to comment or email me!

The Brotherhood of Rowing

My family stopped at a rest stop on the way back from our most recent trip. It was an ordinary rest stop, except for one thing: there were rowers there. Four girls, in various rowing t-shirts, walked out through the doors as I walked in. I spied their “Australia Rowing”, “Funkin RowNuts” and “Independence Day Regatta” shirts, and gave them a smile. One of them noticed, and looked a little confused about my seemingly random smile until she saw my “Dad Vail Regatta” t-shirt and she smiled right back. We never said anything to each other, but we knew that we were part of a group, a small cross section of the population who had something in common, and that deserved a smile shared between strangers.

And later that trip…

            “Look, boats,” my mom said, craning her neck out the window to stare at a trailer that had stopped to get gas. “I wonder where they’re from. You might know them!”

I wondered too. But as I’ve recently been noticing, it’s a fairly common occurrence. For a sport whose fan base is relatively small, rowers are everywhere.

            We’re the guy who sits in the library with the Wintech and Vespoli stickers plastered to his laptop, compulsively checking row2k.com. We’re the girl who carries a unisuit around in her bag, just in case the opportunity presents itself. We’re the car with numerous Head of the Charles competitor stickers all lined up in a row, the way those who frequent Nantucket Island line up their sand permit stickers. We’re the man who keeps sneaking Rowing News into his briefcase, for a minute of downtime. We’re the person who shakes your smooth palm with our rough one, beat up and calloused from miles on the water and the erg. We’re the 220 lb captain of a collegiate men’s varsity team or the 105 lb Master’s coxswain, the lonely single sculler or the cheerleading two-seat. We jump in on any conversation regarding the merits of different types of spandex. We have big lats, sock tans and weird scars on the backs of our calves. We don’t giggle when we overhear the word “coxswain”, but try to lean in and see if we can hear a story about anyone we know.  We know that 7 a.m. isn’t actually early morning and shake our heads when fellow students complain about waking up for 9:30 a.m. classes. We spend our weekends in rowing meccas like Philly or Boston but don’t understand why people want us to have visited the Liberty Bell and Bunker Hill instead. We are a league of our own, small, but fiercely loyal to our sport.

A while ago I was at dinner with my family and parents of one of my brother’s friends. When the father found out that I was a rower, he seemed surprised.

            “You seem too normal to be a rower,” he said, giving me another once-over.

            “Well, rowing isn’t actually all arms, “ my mom jumped in, coming to my rescue. “Tory doesn’t have big arm muscles because rowing actually involves the leg muscles and-“

            “No, I know that,” the father interrupted. “I mean you seem too normal in general. All the rowers I’ve known are weirdos.”

            I think my non-rowing mother was a little offended on my behalf, but I just laughed. Of course we’re weirdos. What kind of normal person would go through all that we go through just to get some silly bowball across the finish line first? We are hard-working, spandex-wearing, early-rising, ass-kicking weirdos and proud of it.

I wished my friend from the rest stop had been there. She would have understood.

Confessions of a Beginner: Hudson Valley Triathlon

July 24, 2011

Located in Kingston, the Hudson Valley Tri was pretty local for me. The Saturday before the race, I headed up to Ulster Landing Park with my friend Steph, a volleyball player for Marist, to pick up my packet and scout the course. Boy, am I glad I followed my own advice. Not only was the park a little hard to get to (Steph asked me at one point “where the HECK are we?” and even though I was following the directions, I didn't quite know myself), but the course had some LARGE hills. The worst of these hills headed from transition to the entrance of the park, where the bike and run courses were. Now, experienced triathletes might think that I am exaggerating but for someone who spends most of her time on a regularly flat river, any hill is scary. I was glad I drove the course the day before (and was glad to have company, so thanks to Steph for coming on that mini road-trip with me! If you’re local, come support the Marist volleyball team this fall…they’re awesome!)

I was surprised to wake up the morning of the race to clouds. After a super intense heat wave (with a heat index up to 112 degrees), the break from the sun was a relief. As I set up my transition area, it started to drizzle. I innovatively covered my sneakers and bike shoes with the plastic bag that my race numbers came in – not that it mattered once I started racing!

Swim warm up

Swim start!

My swim was great. Normally swimming is my strongest leg of the tri even if I do poorly, but this swim felt really good. While some of you might be grossed out about swimming in the Hudson, it was not bad. It’s definitely a little weedier than I like (I am an open-water wuss…I hate vegetation). The buoys were really easy to sight and I got to the front of the pack enough so that it wasn’t crowded. I hit my pace easily and just went for it because I knew I was going to need to get ahead to make up for my shoddy biking skills. I was the first woman out of the water and had the 6th fastest swim of the day. Then the hard part started.

T1 is super easy when you don’t wear a wetsuit (it’s not a secret strategy, I just don’t own one) and I hopped on the bike and was up that massive hill. I have no idea how the people who transition into their shoes while riding their bike handled that, I would have fallen for SURE. I didn’t have my bike in the lowest gear, so I had to change gears going up the hill but thankfully nothing happened. I made it up and headed out the park entrance to tackle the 18 mile bike.

Ready to tackle that hill!

So despite my amazing advice for preparing for a race, I did not prepare myself for this bike. Even a semi- prepared racer would have biked at least 18 miles in one ride. A semi-prepared racer might have biked a loop of the course to get used to it. A semi-prepared racer would have spent more than 5 days all summer on the bike. I’d have to say that I was completely unprepared. I have this crippling fear of biking in traffic (so novice, I know) and because of this, I rarely take my bike out. I knew that I had the fitness to complete an 18 mile bike, but there wouldn’t be any kind of competitive goals.

But it wasn’t so bad. The course was two nine-mile loops. There was only one tough, winding hill that I was fairly unprepared for, but other than that it was fine, just slow going. I am more comfortable riding in a harder gear with more power than riding in an easier gear and moving my legs more (which is what you need to be able to do to climb hills). I have been told this is a function of the fact that I am a rower, but this is one thing that I need to work on before I race next time.

I biked into transition and had a moment of panic: where was my race belt with my number on it? The race website had said that anyone running in or out of transition without the number on would be given a two-minute penalty – not what I needed. I frantically searched around the area but I knew that I had put the belt on before the bike and it must have fallen off. Bikeway members Carleen and Justin called out to me to leave it and just yell out my number as I crossed the finish line, so I followed their advice and ran out of transition. As I headed up that giant hill again, a race official grabbed me and handed me my number! I have no idea where he had gotten it, but I guess it must have fallen off somehow. I was stoked: no penalty for me!

A surprising number of people walked up the hill but one of my race goals was to run the whole time. On that hill it might have seemed like I was running in slow-motion but I never stopped running! The run was an out and back, which I like because you can encourage people. Since I had my last article on my mind, I almost tried to adopt the Iron Girl philosophy of saying something positive to anyone who passed me or who I passed. I think some people were definitely confused by this (mostly the guys). For me, triathlons are a way to cross train for rowing and to keep me from getting bored with a lack of competition in the summer, so I’m not a cutthroat competitor. It was worth it to take the time to cheer for people, especially all the Bikeway guys who were headed back as I was headed out. 

All smiles because I'm thinking about going to the diner!

I ran down the giant hill to a finish line with Bikeway members and my parents cheering for me. That’s one of the best parts about finishing behind everyone: you get the most cheers! Overall, I thought NY Tri did a good job running the race: the courses were well marked, the volunteers were encouraging, there were enough safety precautions taken and since it was a smaller race, almost everyone got awards. I ended up first in my age group….out of one – not too many people in the women’s 18-24 age group in most of the races I’ve done – but I was 5^th overall. Not too shabby for a slow biker like me. 

Team Bikeway and our hardware!

I do have some people to thank: my parents, for driving all the way to Kingston for an early start, Steph, for driving the course with me the day before (a job that would have been much less fun without company) and all the Bikeway members, especially Carleen. I’m pretty sure that Carleen cheered for me like she would have cheered for a family member and it definitely made my race a lot better. Even the guys who were super competitive racers took five seconds to yell “Go Bikeway!” when they zoomed by me. And that really means a lot!