Girls:
First of all...
Awesome job this winter. As a whole, I was very pleased with the way
winter training went. I hope you had a good time while working hard.
I am pleased that some of you really took to the Yoga, and I hope that you will
continue learning this skill... It will be very beneficial to be flexible (I
will go into that later). Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I
really enjoyed working with you all... I sometimes wish we had a little more
winter training time just so that I could spend some more time with the whole
varsity squad. As the season wears on, and I spend more time with the
specific boats I am coaching, please remember that I have a vested interest in
the squad as a whole. I am always rooting for the whole squad and I am
excited to see your development. You are all great people, and I know that
you will all accomplish your goals this season, and I pray that you all have a
great time doing it. Please don't ever mistake my focus on my specific
duty (the coaching of the 4 specific boats) for a lack of concern about the rest
of the team. So, by the end of this letter, I will have made some coaching
splits in the team, but I don't want any of you to feel as if any decisions I
make for this season reflect on you as a person or on your potential. I,
of all people, feel that everyone can accomplish great things (as a rower, you
may have guessed that I was never the "big" guy on the team... I just
believed and worked... I know all of you can as well). So, if you are not
in one of the boats I coach, I still like you, I still think you have potential
to be a great champion, I still think you bring an awesome thing to our team
with who you are as a person... Also, Chase is an excellent coach. I
talk with him often about helping you develop as athletes with technique and
with strength. I say things like "Chase, I want you to put a little
extra emphasis on .... for anonymous person. If you can take care of that,
that will put them on track for the top boat in a season or two." I
don't want anyone to think they are being "sent away", if you are not
rowing with me, you are going to a place where you can row in a suitable
category for your current talents while growing those talents in preparation for
the next season. I am not pushing you aside, I have a plan to develop you
and to put you in a situation where you can contribute and grow. You all
have great worth to me and to the team. Everyone brings their own
particular talents to the team and that is what makes us strong.
So, here are some more points....
Rather than giving you a talk or sitting you all down, I want to relay some
information regarding the spring 2002. There are a bunch of points so
please try to follow along. We have a very, very deep team right now and the
competition for seats may be intense. however, you must remember that we are
competing for seats in VERY fast boats. That means that those of you who
do not end up racing in the seat you would like to have will not be
"stuck" in a poor boat. Our third eight will be pretty near all
the other first boats in the state. Because you are not in the fastest boat on
the team does not mean that you are not an excellent rower. The girls on
our team represent some of the strongest girls in the country. Our second
boat will be faster than all but the most elite first boats. You are very
fortunate that you will be practicing every day with the fastest two boats in
the state. We could make that happen. The boats are going to be broken up in the
following manner. I will coach the 16 rowers who I feel make the boat go the
fastest (determining factors = technique, erg score, adjusted erg score, stroke
compatibility, ability to focus during practice, attitude, and mental
toughness). The process of choosing these 16 rowers is a very difficult
one for all involved. I do not plan to fully make that decision until
after spring
break. There are some rowers who clearly need another year of seasoning
before making a run at the top squad, and there are some who are ready for the
top squad right now. The toughest group to handle is those who are on the
bubble. Here is how I will determine the final spots on the top squad.
Though I am coaching only 16 rowers and Chase is coaching the third and fourth
boats, we are going to keep the same practice schedules so that I can
"borrow" or "trade" rowers from the third eight. This
will put a little bit of uneasiness into the practice schedule for the girls in
the third boat. The will not know from day to day if they will be with me or
with Chase. I challenge those of you who are in this position to persevere
and come to practice (and leave practice) with a good attitude every day.
Remember, even if you don't make the top squad, you will still be part of a very
strong team, and you will still be fighting for a Gold medal at States in a
category of your own (the top varsity boats will probably row Sr. 8 and Club 8,
and Chases boats will probably row 2nd 8 and Jr. 8). Please remember that
you are a valuable member of the team no matter where you sit, and giving your
best effort regardless of your seat makes you a champion. The 16 rowers who are
rowing with me will be treated as a single unit. We
will not set line-ups during the season. You will learn to row with every
other person. Much like the summer, I plan to row different line-ups on
different days. One day we may row Srs. Vs Jrs & Soph, one day we may
row top Raw scores vs. others, one day we may row top adjusted scores vs.
others, one day I may try to put together the fastest boat I can make, one day I
may try to put together perfectly even boats, one day I may row Club vs. Sr.
etc. You will need to be flexible and willing to adapt. You will
have to accept every other person on the squad and be able to row with every
other person on the squad. It will be competitive but it will be fun.
You will need to push yourself every day. (On each of our days when we are
doing pieces, every time your boat wins, you will get a gold star) (How
many gold stars you have will be another factor in determining the A boat for
Cinci) Because we are such a deep team, I am considering trying to qualify 2
girls eights for Cinci. One through the Club 8 and one through the Sr. 8.
Once States is over and we have secured 2 boats at Cinci, I will start
finalizing A and B boat line-ups for Cinci. If they let us bring 2 boats,
and if you both win States, I am hoping that we can place 1 boat in Grand finals
and place one boat in the Petite finals. We have a long way to go
before we get there, but that is a little hint of my vision for the team.
I would also like to bring 4 spares (those who were competing for spots in the
2nd boat but ended up in the 3rd boat - there is often a spares race at Cinci as
well!) Emily Serotta's role. I know there has been a lot of confusion here.
I have asked Emily to be a rower/coxswain. She is going to spend a good
bit of time coxing, but she will also serve as a spare rower. Before you
think this is a cushy job. Emily is required to do a lot of work to be ready for
her rowing part of her role. She is going to be expected to run 16 to 20
miles a week and row or erg as well (she will also be expected to invest some
time learning the skill of coxing). She will be a valuable addition to the
squad in this capacity.
As it stands right now, the following rowers are going to be rowing with me
(unless one of the following group earns a spot):
Schupp-starrr, Serotta,
Durrant, Lentini, Everett,
Cruickshank, K McPhillips, Tallman,
Fay, Nochisaki, C O'Donnell,
Piro, Carmer, Wait,
Leonard, deJonghe, Murphy,
Taylor
As it stands right now the following rowers can also be considered to be
rowing with me. They may take the place of some of the rowers listed above or
they may row in the 3rd boat and be spares for the 2nd boat
Carlson, Irving, Sikora,
Wood
All others will be rowing with Chase and getting a little more seasoning before
moving onto the top squad. Picture it like this. If you have aspirations
for the top boats, at this point in time, I feel that you need to ripen a little
more that doesn't mean you are not going to make it or that you are not a good
rower. on most other teams you would be first boaters. You may just be
young and need more seasoning, or you may just be a late bloomer. there is
nothing wrong with that. So, if you have aspirations for the top boats,
continue to grow with Chase and rejoice in the fact that your team is so fast
that you will be pushed to achieve what you never thought was possible.
And rejoice in the fact that whatever boat you end up in, as long as you all do
your best and continue growing, you will be successful, I guarantee it.
This team is full of champions.
Last point: I am strongly considering an April break trip to a camp in the
Adirondacks for my squads. It will cost between $100 and $150 for six days
and 5 nights. I don't want to do it if we have to leave a significant
portion of our rowers at home, but I think that we would be better off spending
our money on this than on the trip to Tennessee for the SRAs. Start thinking
about it.
Finally. If anyone wanted to talk to me about anything mentioned in this
letter, please feel free to e-mail me (I am sometimes distracted during practice
time - Ok Ok, I am almost always distracted during practice time).
CAT