THE CONTEXT: As some parents and coaches continue to rely on what I call “conditional praise” as a form of motivation, I hope they’re aware of some of the unintended consequences. When I was a young boy competing in sports I spent a good lot of my time in the pursuit of approval—praise—from those […]
What are the best Summer Rowing camps for 14 year olds worldwide? My daughter has 1 solid year rowing and top 10 provincial Erg scores. Some days the Rowperfect mailbag comes in with the BEST questions. I particularly like new challenges where we have not previously written on the topic. Aimee’s question was one of […]
Three new winter glove designs for rowers From our recent promotion we got testers from around the Rowperfect community to test out three new winter glove designs. The products are below The Pro is the cheapest a straightforward thermal glove for rowing. The Elite incorporates thinner fabrics and has better breathability and blister prevention The […]
Loading up your work is a great way to gain strength and skill in a rowing boat. Having a bungee or rope under the hull gives an easy way to create extra loading on the athletes. This can be used for all ages of rower and all expertise levels. The resistance slows down the boat […]
Every Rower deserves a trophy: one that Recognises persistence Rewards effort, and is a Reminder of friendships formed. For the last four years, Gr8 Oars has been manufacturing replica miniature oars, trophies and gifts for rowers. A retired rowing coach turned woodturner, (pun intended) Jack McGee turns each oar on his wood lathe and prepares […]
What does it take to excel in competitive youth rowing eights? A question from Quora Firstly, you have to enjoy the sport. Go join a group with fun people in it and enjoy meeting them when you train. [This is because a strong bond between athletes makes them perform better under pressure because they don’t […]
Just wondering if you have any advice for setting up a J16 junior girls 8+ rigging and oar length? I would say 4 of them are lightweight size and 4 heavyweight? Thanks Thanks for your question – we have a quick answer and a longer one. The quick answer is to copy what a known […]
Rowperfect gets asked this frequently by concerned parents. Below we summarise a speech given by the National Junior Coach at the British Rowing Conference in 2008. Additional reading for Parents of junior rowers the Sporting Parent guide to communication and understand how you should be talking with your child about their sport. The Parents Guide to […]
Rowperfect is happy to announce the six Rowing Glove Giveaway winners: Piet van Vliet, Quebec, Canada Fiona McAnena, Esher, UK Suzy Scorer, Nelson, New Zealand Louise Gardener, Victoria, Canada Susan Terrien, Detroit, USA Conny Kirsch, Florida, USA Thank you to everyone who participated! For more information on Rowing Gloves, read Rowperfect’s latest posts on the subject: Why […]
Rowing has a macho image, particularly with regard to “hardening up” and “being tough”. This shows up mostly around walking barefoot at regattas and “patent recipes” to cure hand blisters (no, urinating on your hands does not harden the skin!). Every rower gets blisters sometimes. Many find training camps particularly tough time because increasing training to […]
