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I met Tim and his coach, Claes Frans outside the boat tents at HRR.  He had just won his first round race in the Diamonds against Walton of Leicester RC.
 
I ask Claes about their history together.  "We started working together in 1998 at our club, Koninklijke Roeivereniging Brugge (KRB).  It isn't a big club with about 80 competitors and and a lot of recreational rowers.  I was coaching a lot of young boys together and Tim was one of the best and we started to go into the national team and there were 3 together worlds in Linz in a quad scull and we got 6th. 

The year after I spent more time with Tim and we got selected for the Junior Worlds in 1x and won bronze in Plovdiv.

Do you worry about being smaller than other single scullers? I was generally a little smaller than the rest from when I was a junior and its the same now.  I made a choice to row as a heavyweight so I don't have to complain about it.

I studied in Ghent and I continue to live there and in the winter I go back to Brugge to train on the canal because that is very good. I stopped rowing after the juniors because I was studying but after a two year break in 2002 I did a double for U23 and we came 6th.  We carried on in that combination and in 2003 we missed qualification for the Athens Olympics when we came 13th [the cut-off for pre-qualification was 12th].  This was a disappointment.

In 2004 I changed to the single scull and it just worked.  After the first world cup I was 7th and I realised that maybe I could go to the Olynmpics.

What did you mean "it just worked"?  I was just fast I knew I was fast as a junior single but the senior is different I didn't know what to expect but competing with the rest of the field and came 7th I knew if I worked a bit harder I knew I would be a bit closer.  The extra work was with my physio comprising back and abdominal strength to improve my positions [posture] and long endurance work as well.  The core stability was a problem after 2004 when I got a back injusry.  But it really increased my speed.

Claes, what did you learn as a coach from working with the Physio? The physio spent a lot of time with us at camps and races and I know him well.  He told me things I should look after and look out for and also in the weight training for correct posture.  At that time I wasn't a full time professional coach so in 2006 I became professional.

When did you become a full time athlete, Tim?  Since 2004 I went pro I had a contract and I finished my studies during 2005. The full time athlete's life in the beginning you have so much free time and so you have to be careful not to go crazy.  But the pressure is much higher because you have to earn your money.  There are four other professionals in Belgium: the mens 2x and womens 1x Anikke.   Tim was the first to get a pro contract and the year later the double and Annik this year. 

I think in modern rowing you have to be professional - you can study half time but full time work and high level rowing is impossible. 

Claes, what improvments would you like to see in Belgian rowing? The changes the rowing federation should make is to look earlier to the younger rowers.  We should want everyone to row in the same way.  When the boys come into the national team there are some different styles and four different styles in one boat.  If we could start and begin them in the same way it would make our life easier as coaches.  Also we need to have the perfect rowing technique from age 14 and after that time the physical condition can be trained later. 

I would also like moire support as they move from a good junior to transition to U23 it is difficult because nobody was looking after the group and and it was being done in the free time of the coaches who also had to look after the pro rowers.  Now it is more strictly followed. We could look for more professional coaches - the money for that can't come from the clubs - unlike the big ones in Britian, we can't afford it.  I am the only pro coach after the head coach.  The government should spend money on that.  

Tim, Claes do you have any advice for young athletes? Tim: enjoy the rowing, improve your technique and listen to the coach.  First enjoy the rowing especially when youare young.  Claes: If you enjoy it then you need a lot of training so you don't forget you need to work hard - more than 2-3 times a week. You have to do it when the conditions are bad like rain or windy.  It is hard work to get to a high level.  

Follow Tim on his Facebook page.

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A classic hot Henley started today.

I am graced with a press badge and so will be in the press stand watching the racing and looking out for good rowing and close racing.

Henley Town looked magnificent and festive.

Here are Manchester University BC winning their race with Dreher Apex Sweeps.

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To be released by early July 2009, the improved Coxmate SRT+ plus has the features of the SRT Coxmate and improved the screen size and added new functions.

A few facts about it:

• It has larger backlit display; shows rate, stroke count and time.
• Like predecessor it has digital amplifier – gives ~60% more run time than other designs
• Has real time clock and alarm function – can be set to remind crews the start is imminent!
• Comes with adaptor for NK ‘cup’ and articulated bracket.
• Has mute feature on audio
• Has recall of time intervals (virtually unlimited number) and rate for one hour – can be recalled in 15 or 30 second increments
• Has metronome function
• Has connector for radio input
• The battery can be replaced in less than 2 minutes – once the unit is open, there is no tape or screws to be removed  in order to replace battery

The Rowperfect shop will start selling the SRT+ Plus on 1 July 2009.

There will be two options for the mounting into the boat - an articlated bracket with a NK cup adapter with manual plug-in for the speaker wiring loom OR a magnetic connection on the articulated bracket.

SRT+ Plus brochure

The pricing will be released on 1 July but we expect them to remain around £270 - £300 including VAT for a full kit including microphone, carry case and charger.

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The prestigious USA IRA Championships Regatta was won by the University of Washington.  Their coaching adviser, Carlos Dinares, bought five second hand Rowperfects from us earlier this year.  He told us that the crew had been exclusively training on the Ropwerfects.  They also did testing and selection on the RP.

He also coaches Ursula Grobler who rows in the Spanish national LW2x crew.

He brought the crew over to race Oxford University during their preparation for the Boat Race on the Tideway in London.  Here's a video of that race . 

Carlos says

Thank you to you Rebecca and Grant. We won the National Championship and Ursula got a silver medal at the World Cup in Banyoles.
Thank you for helping me,

Carlos Dinares
Seattle, USA

Here is a photo of their ergo lab.

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European boat repair service, Heeres of the Netherlands, will have a trailer visiting the UK on 1st July.  If you would like boats repaired or have purchases from the Netherlands that you want shipped to the UK, please get in touch with Rob Heeres.

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Rowperfect UK folk will be competing / coaching at the following regattas:

• Peterborough
• National Veterans
• Henley Womens
• Marlow
• Henley Royal

If you want to meet up to buy goods (and save the postage), return repairs, collect demonstration equipment please get in touch.

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Image via Wikipedia

The lovely Philippa at Ralph Lauren was so pleased with the Dreher Sweeps display in their Fulham Road Shop that she's got us some goodies to give away to the Rowperfect blog readers.

Here's what we've got on offer

• Polo Ralph Lauren long sleeve polo shirt - small in royal blue worth £75
• Polo Ralph Lauren long sleeve polo shirt -  Large in dark blue worth £75
• 30% discount voucher for Factory Outlet shops across Europe 

If you would like to win either shirt or the vouchers send an email to us with your postal address and your preferred prize and the first lucky 3 names selected at random  on Friday 12th June will be the winners.  This is a free to enter competition and no purchase is necessary.

Good luck!

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Indoor Sculler photos  Click link to open new page with images.

When availability and pricing is formalised by
Mark, we'll let you know. 

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We got an enquiry from Simon Janes at Oxford about trying out the Coxmate HC.  He wanted to test it on his NK wiring loom that is already in his boat.

I've tried the HC unit with my NK speedcoach mount- it fits fine but
the readings don't seem towork, the rate says "99" during the drive
& a more accurate number during the recovery, also the speed
reading says I'm doing 5 or 6 minutes per 500 (I hope it is the machine
and not me!)
I noticed on the back of the HC there are 6 pins but the NK holder only
has receptors for 4 pins- my NK unit works with speed coah.gold.XL
series, so have i done something wrong with the set up?
Cheers
Simon

This is a really iimportant question for us to answer in full.  The Coxmate HC is designed to work on the NK wiring loom. Interchangeability is really important and so we thought we'd publish the full answer we gave Simon.

About the speed measurement. 

The HC is designed to be used with the Coxmate micro-impeller.  This spins much faster than your NK impeller and so when used with the NK impeller it gives very far out readings.  You need to calibrate the HC against the NK impeller - you can set the HC unit up for "NK impeller" and use your Speedcoach K value.  Do you have a marked distance you can scull and get a reading off?  Then adjust the calibration as indicated in the manual.

About the number of connection pins.

The number of pins (6) on the HC is for the HC wiring loom which has a start / stop switch.  This is in addition to the four on your NK loom.  These four record and measure the same things on Coxmate as HC.  Nothing wrong with your set-up.

About the rating. It suggests you are not getting a connection on seat sensor. Make sure HC is fully seated in mount. The seat sensor is the first and second pins from right - as you look down on mount.

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Jochen Kuhner and his brother, Martin, have been selected by the German rowing federation to go to the first FISA world cup in Banyoles as the L2-.

Jochen blogged for Rowperfect during the Beijing Olympics.

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