Masters ask the same questions – we can learn from each other
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Hello again Reader
Attending the Head of the Charles regatta with a booth. Meeting you face to face, with time to talk, I learned so much about the lived reality of being a masters rower in clubs around the world.
It was gratifying to hear so many of you thank me for the work Faster Masters Rowing does to advocate for masters and push for the changes we need in our sport.
Yet many of you spoke of identical issues – and that shows that there is more work to be done.
The most common topic was the athletic pathway for masters. This is one of the clearest areas where our clubs and federations let us down. We need different structures of membership and training groups to facilitate non-linear participation over time. I’ve written more about this below – if it resonates with you, vote in the poll for webinar topics I can produce in the future.
Insurances
Most Federations provide insurances for members and clubs. The recent changes in rising insurance claims is surely having an impact on us too. I had a private conversation with John F. Leonard about these changes and he confirmed that they are industry-wide.
We have to pay the new premiums, but I wonder if we can work harder to tighten up our local safety procedures and Director and Officer job descriptions to make it less likely that we make claims against these policies? May be worth a conversation in your club.
This week, try to streamline your movement to limit any unnecessary muscle actions while rowing.
Rebecca
P.S. Mayrene Earle got in touch to say that Lemon Bay RC, a recreational masters club in Sarasota County, had all their boats and racks washed away by hurricane Milton. She’s set up a GoFundMe to support their rebuilding. If your club can donate equipment, contact person is Cathy Spencer h[email protected].
Gift Wrap for sale mail order
We’re ready…. This year’s Faster Masters Rowing unique product is now available mail order via our partner Revolution Rowing.
Each package contains three unique designs. Emojis, Rowing Dogs and Quads. Each design is a single sheet of A2 size paper (16.5 inches X 23.4 inches) folded into quarters, packaged in an A10 envelope. Order two packs for a discount.
How should a masters rowing group or club be set up to enable optimal participation?
To get to an answer requires an understanding of the lives of masters rowers and how our participation varies over time. There are many reasons why masters may row irregularly or leave the sport for a while. Life stage has a big impact on our rowing participation as these examples show
A rower in their 30s – with a big job involving travel
A parent who has school-age children – under 14 years is different than over 14 year olds
A flexible worker – who can choose what time of day to row
A retired person can increase participation and volunteering
A rower with infirm parents and care responsibilities
Looping in and out
Many masters who have rowed for more than a few years know that our participation varies. You may sign up for a team for the three months leading up to big regatta event and then do less afterwards.
Most rowing clubs are set up for annual memberships and are relatively inflexible in this structure. Clubs also have groups who train together – typically these include a fitness group, a learn to row group and a racing group.
How can one individual move from one group to another?
I created three skills checklists for masters rowers. The members in our Coach Mastermind can download these. These are helpful ways that any individual can check whether they are ready to move up to the next group – beginner, intermediate and advanced. So if you know you cannot keep consistent pressure for 5 minutes; or can’t yet stroke a crew confidently – then you know what to work on in order to advance to the next level.
Does your club know there is a masters rowing pathway and can we build a flexible structure for masters that really suits the lived reality of our participation in rowing?
Boathouse Chat for the Weekend
Hello from Hanlan Boat Club, Toronto Canada. This is the last week of rowing for us before docks come out.
So we’ve been playing in the octople. Do other clubs row in octuples?
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