O.P.I. and O-A-R-S: Rowing, Nail Polish and Femininity in Sports

The Marist crew team is full of people with very different personalities. Part of being on a team is using everyone’s different strengths and weaknesses to work towards a common goal. Besides rowing, however, we do have one thing in common with each other. Our team loves nail polish. Granted, it’s not everyone, but the amount of times one of our rowers has been distracted by another rower’s nail color is probably more than our coach would like me to admit on the internet. On the surface, this seems very shallow. What kind of athletic team goes out of their way to care how their finger nails look? Shouldn’t they be working harder? 

I used to be this doubter. I’ve never been a girly girl and the only “feminine” accessory I rock on a regular basis is a pair of fake pearl earrings – not because I necessarily think they’re pretty but rather for the fact that I think my earlobes rival Dumbo’s without them. As a freshman, I was teasingly chastised by my teammates for my bare nails. At one point, one upperclassman was so upset by this fact that she painted my nails in a parking lot while we were waiting for a hotel room the night before a race. Sure, I had the time to paint my own nails, but once they started chipping I didn’t care enough to redo them. Bare nails had always been fine with me and I didn’t see a reason to change.

Tory's nail polish "collection" prior to Summer 2011

Then, one day this summer, I had a less-than-perfect day. I’d had a bad row, a rough day at work and things just weren’t working out the way I wanted them to. I had a random and immediate urge to go straight to the mall. Surprised by this abnormal coping mechanism (normally I like to hit the gym), I went with it. I ended up at a store in the Poughkeepsie Galleria that was selling O.P.I. brand nail polish for $2.79 a bottle – when full price is usually $8.50. I bought two bottles and went straight home to paint my nails. To this day, I still have no idea where this overpowering urge to paint my nails came from. But I did it, and it made me feel much better. The next week, the same thing happened. I’d had a bad day, I bought a new color, painted my nails and felt better. 

Tory's current nail polish collection

What is the reason for this? My theory is that stems from a subconscious desire to make our tough hands look more feminine. It’s no secret: rowing has a lot to do with the hands. Sure, the rest of our bodies get beaten up pretty badly from the endless miles on the water and the erg combined with lifting sessions. However, it is our hands that manifest this work. The first weeks of practice everyone has gross blisters, but a month or so in, girls on our team are going callus for callus with gym rats who spend their free time with their hands wrapped around a weight bar. Calluses are a sign of hard work. Back in the day, women with rough hands were members of the lower class, because they could not afford to have servants doing manual labor for them. I believe that remnants of this stereotype still prevail today. If a guy has callused hands, he is considered manly. If a girl has callused hands, she is also considered manly. The same word is taken two completely different ways by different genders: one a compliment, the other an insult. 

I don’t believe that the desire to gravitate towards things considered to be “more feminine” is solely felt by rowers. My friends Steph (volleyball) and Dani (softball) said that their teams feel the same way too. During competition, both volleyball and softball teams have elaborate braided hair styles complete with ribbons to match the school uniform. And this isn’t just at Marist. If you look for a picture of Jennie Finch, arguably the best softball player in the US, you will see that she does the same thing. (She even has her own store to promote her look.) Female athletes often get a stereotype as “butch” or “manly” and I think that gestures as small as wearing pearls and painting our nails helps us feel that we are subconsciously fighting that stereotype. 

Jennie Finch: playing like a girl, winning like a champ

Last winter I deadlifting was in the weight room with my teammate, Angie. I was halfway through our set when she looked at me.

“I think your pearls go way better with the bench press than the deadlift bar,” she said teasingly. I just laughed. Sure, I might look silly walking around the free weights in a pink tee shirt and pearls. But once I start working, I don’t think anyone continues to laugh. I am a firm believer in a “look good, feel good” mentality. I know that painting my nails alone won’t help me win a race but I know that looking good combined with knowing how much hard work I put in on a regular basis means that I am going to feel damn good going down the course. 

Rowing Calluses vs. Rock Candy by Esse

 Next Saturday, our team races against Colgate in a four-mile re-enactment of the old IRA regatta. I’ll be racing in the women’s varsity eight, proudly representing my school in red and white. But you can be sure that my nails are going to be painted the most kick-ass color pink I can find. And my calluses? Well, they’re pretty awesome too.

Common Rowing Ailments and How to Treat Them

The first couple weeks of practice are tough for multiple reasons. There’s usually an erg test or two (or more), the workload is increased, and your body has to adjust to being in a boat again. Some of the most annoying things about this adjustment are the smaller problems: blisters, track bites, and chafing. While these problems seem small at first, in the face of a two hour practice, they can often become much bigger problems, especially if left untreated. Here’s a list of some common rowing issues and how to treat them to ensure a successful season. (And don’t worry, I’ll try to keep the gross pictures to a minimum.)

Blisters

Cause

Blisters are caused by the rubbing of the oar or erg handle on the skin of your hand. In my experience, they have come in three forms: a ripped blister, a full blister or a blood blister.

Treatment

Before practice: Tape your hands in a way that still allows the fingers movement. I prefer to use as little tape as possible, and usually only on my fingers, because I find that tape on palms can roll up while rowing, taking skin with it. However, I have seen various taping techniques, including doubling the tape over itself to cover the area without risk of having the skin pull.

During practice: Bring tape in the boat in case you need to reapply. Do not dip your hands in the river. As soothing as this might seem, this invites infection.

After practice: Clean with soap and water thoroughly. If you can take it, put Epsom salt in a bowl of warm water and soak your hands. This will help clean out the blister and cause hands to callous faster. Using tea bags to soothe the pain is also common. The tannic acid in tea causes it to act as both an anesthetic and hardener. However, hands should be cleaned again after doing so. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide, because even though it will clean the blister, it also take a layer of skin off and prevent calluses from forming.

If your blister hasn’t popped yet, a (somewhat gross) trick that I have found very helpful is this: Thread a needle with about two inches of thread. Put Neosporin on the thread. Pop the blister with the needle but continue to push the needle through until it comes out the other side of the blister and pull it through. This way the Neosporin that was on the thread will go under the skin and into the blister, preventing infection.

Prevention

Check your grip. A bad grip can lead to unnecessary blisters. Also, try to not use hand lotion. This is not proven at all, but in my experience, people who use hand lotion are more likely to have softer hands, causing them to blister more. However, blisters happen. Time will turn them into calluses.

Spring break: rowing both sides + overgrip = gross

 Track bite

Cause

Track bites are caused when the calf continuously rubs against the front of the slide. It usually leaves skin rubbed raw and can scab over.

Treatment

Before practice: Make a “track bite sock”. In order to do this, cut about two inches off the toe of a regular stretchy sock. It will now look like a leg warmer and you can pull it over the affected area.

During practice: Wear the “track bite sock”. You might think you look stupid, but it is way more attractive than calf scars…trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.

After practice: Clean and wrap. This is another area that could get infected easily. Neosporin and large band-aids are my go-to. Because the track bite is rubbed away skin, I find that it often picks up dirt or fuzz from any clothing and keeping it covered prevents infection.

Prevention

Check the position of your feet before every practice. Don’t just assume that the person who sat in the seat before you was the same size. If that’s not the problem, you can also move the tracks in the boat (but check with your coach before doing this…coaches don’t always like when you mess with their equipment). However, sometimes your leg is just going to be positioned to hit the track, especially if – like me – you have big calves. If that’s the case, the track bite sock is your friend.

Save money: make your own track bite guard

Chafing

Cause

 Affectionately known as “chub rub” on our crew team, I’m talking about the kind of chafing that happens on your bum. Non-rowers should probably skip this section and assume that all of us rowers are beautiful athletes who would never discuss something so uncomfortably gross. Chafing happens when extensive rubbing occurs between the seat and the rear end of the rower. Because it happens in such a sensitive area, I feel like many rowers don’t even like to admit that they have it, for fear of disgust from teammates and friends.

Treatment

Before practice: Make sure you are wearing clean spandex or unisuit. Bacteria can build up on dirty clothing. Even though it might not smell, if you’ve worked out in a pair, throw it in the hamper. Also, baby powder the area to try to dry up sweat.

During practice: I find that chafing usually comes more from being on the erg than in the boat.   Here you can fold up a t-shirt or towel to put underneath your rear, just make sure that it doesn’t interfere with the workout. In the boat, you’re pretty much screwed. Unless you have a thin seat pad, you might just have to suffer.

After practice: Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. Try to let it dry out by wearing a loose pair of comfortable, breathable shorts (cotton pajama shorts work well for this). I’ve heard of rowers using diaper rash cream, so if you can manage to swallow your pride and go buy some, it can help the area heal faster.

Prevention

Make sure your rowing clothes fit and are properly adjusted when you start a workout. A minorly irritating seam can become a major issue in the middle of a long piece, and by then it’s too late. Sitting on the seat properly will also reduce the likelihood of chafing.

For all of these ailments, the main thing is to keep them from getting infected. In order to do this, wash all areas with soap on a regular basis and keep a close eye on them. One sign of infection is a red line leading away from the affected area. If this appears, go to a doctor. The area has reached a point where it needs medicine to stop the infection from spreading further.

Taking care of your body is important. The first step in this is following the steps to prevent small ailments from becoming big problems. September can be a tricky month weather-wise. Drink lots of water to combat dehydration on warmer days and bring layers for chilly mornings. The beginning of crew season can be a tough adjustment from self motivated summer workout but with proper care, your body will perform to the best of its ability.

As always, email me with comments, questions or suggestions!