As a petite (smaller stature) athlete, you already know this.
You climb into any club boat and within seconds you can feel it. The shoes are too big, the foot stretcher height isn't quite right, the oar handles sit too high for comfort. The whole setup feels like it belongs to someone a head taller and two sizes larger. Probably because it does.
Most club boats are set up for average-sized or larger athletes. Smaller rowers spend years quietly adapting themselves to equipment that was never designed for them, compensating with technique, working harder than they should. One size fits none — and smaller athletes pay the highest price.
It's not your technique. It's not your fitness. It's your equipment setup. And it's entirely fixable.
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