Clemson’s Grrrrrrreat
The months are allegedly the spring ones, and as such, the rowers have taken to traveling south to force the issue. We’ve arrived safe and sound in Clemson, SC. Thankfully, all managed to get here by the designated time on Sunday without any tragic stories.
The timing of our arrival was quite serendipitous as the weather had just broken to yield a handful of 60-70 degree days, making the manual seasonal transition seem all the more dramatic. While we were all anxious for this change and getting back on the water, we will without doubt miss the winter that marches on up North.
A bon voyage card from my catamount buddy, William.
A lot of things quickly came to a head as we tried to dot as many i’s and cross as many t’s as possible before heading out. We had our closing Catamount practices (well, for us at least), which I unfortunately missed to drop my pup off in Maine. We finished off some projects like grooming drags and began new ones like beekeeping. We also attempted to cram a lot of physiological things into our last week like some all out erg testing, typical ski races, and a VO2 step test. Each of us had our ups and downs as we took care of our responsibilities in all departments, but are safely south, focused, and refreshed in the new environment.
Currently, we’re three rows into our stay here. Hands have reddened, but bodies have taken to the liquid form of water without too many surprises. Like last year, the rhythm, balance, and coordination of skiing somehow manages to cultivate or at least maintain the biological channels we harness for rowing. Additionally, while I find value in both types of ergometers produced by ConceptII right now, additional time spent on a dynamic erg has made the catch position feel more natural and tolerable in my boat. The slight downward slope to the tracks, the lower shoe placement in my boat, and the spreading of the hands all make the boat seem like a more comfortable place (in some senses) which is a great sensation to have.
Team Canada boats lined up above where we store ours. They leave today.
Talk about seasonal transitions. Sprinter rolls into a dusty, dry parking lot after crossing miles of tundra.
Sunset on Sunday. Day one.