Freshmen Boy's Victorious in Mohawk Cup

The following narrative of today's race against Shenendehowa and Burnt Hills was written for the Niskayuna Freshmen Boys' blog by Nick.

We boated out at about 8am, ready to race. It was a really cold, clear morning, and the water was the smoothest I had ever seen it. It was a good day to race. The finish was just past our dock, so we basically had to row the length of the race to get to the start. Our coxswain, Kevin, started us off rowing in groups of six. About halfway to the start, he took it to all eight. We were only rowing three quarters pressure, but we were going almost as fast as the sprints we had done a few days earlier during practice. Our timing was good and we were ready to race.

That changed when we were about two hundred meters from the start. We saw a huge motorboat coming up behind us. Water sprayed out from its sides for at least ten feet. The driver slowed down as he got near us, passed us, and suddenly sped up, creating a huge wake. Unfortunately for us, we rowed right into it. The wake crashed into the six seat, drenching us. It was kind of funny at first, but the water just kept coming. By the time the wake was over, there was seven inches of water, almost up to our seats. A lot of us were swearing so loudly, I bet the driver heard us over his engine. We were panicked for a few minutes, but Kevin successfully calmed us down. No one actually saw the driver, but we later imagined him as a big guy eating foot-long twinkies. Various people in launches, including the head coach came and helped us pump the water out of the boat. Then we finally were ready to row through the bridge and start the race.

We were second in the order, with the Burnt Hills boat in front and the Shen boat behind us. Our motivation was to pass the Burnt Hills boat in front of, or before, their own dock. They had about a thirty second lead when we started, and the chase was on. About a third of the way through the race, we were next to them. Our boat kept creeping up, until our stern deck was level with their bow deck. They valiantly held us for a long time, but our persistence paid out. Suddenly their morale crashed and ours soared, and we walked right through them. For the rest of the race we opened more water on them. As we approached the finish, we were golden. Our timing was good, and we were ready to win our race. We went through the finish with a new burst of energy. There’s nothing like finishing in front of your own dock, with all our teammates and parents cheering for us. When we stopped, breathing hard, we were excited. We had our fist win.

Triple Race On Fish Creek

The following pictures were taken on Fish Creek in Saratoga, NY at the Triple Race between the Niskayuna, Saratoga, and Shenendehowa rowing teams. The Niskayuna Freshmen eight finished 2nd and the Novice eight finished 6th in a field of 6 freshmen/novice teams.

Photos courtesy of Drew Fiumano

Preparing for the Triple Race

Rowers:

The freshmen boy’s rowing team has made a very uncharacteristic change in our training this week. And, without thinking twice, we probably all agree that it was one of the best decisions of the season. The perceptible growth in our crew’s performance over the past two days proves this point. It also means that with the limited time we have left before our first race, we need to streamline all of our training activities and continue our focus on the development of our freshmen and novice eights.

Tomorrow - Friday, October 5th - is our first race against local crews Saratoga and Shenendehowa on Fish Creek. Tonight, before you go to bed, think about Tuesday, Wednesday, and today’s practices. Take 15-20 minutes to visualize yourself in the boat and all of the technical changes you have made to your stroke. Then, put yourself into the context of the boat, blending and matching your stroke with the rowers around you (see the YouTube video of the Dutch national team).

Think about controlling your recovery and maintaining proper hand levels, exhaling at the finish as your hands quickly move down and away, raising your hands at the catch and then driving the boat together. Finally, visualize yourself focusing forward, with your eyes in our boat, the Niskayuna blades only in your peripheral view, and crossing the finish line with the fastest time.

Eat a good dinner and rest well. I hope everyone is as excited for tomorrow’s race as I am.

Staying Healthy During the Fall Season

Rowers and Parents:

After the unseasonably warm September on the Mohawk River, it is hard to tell what type of weather conditions October will bring. What you should expect is that both the air and water temperatures will begin to drop.

The Niskayuna Freshmen Boy’s team has grown to 2 eights; however, we will take a hit every time a rower needs to miss a practice due to illness. Here are some preventive measures you should take to avoid illness this fall:

1. Pay Attention to the Weather Forecast: be aware if it is supposed to rain, if there will be an evening frost, or another day in the 90s. This will, most importantly, influence how you dress.
   
   
2. Dress appropriately: If there is a chance that it will rain or be cold on the river, bring extra clothes. If you need to, carry an extra gym bag to school; don’t forgo that extra fleece because it won’t fit in your backpack. Hypothermia can set in quickly and make you very sick. Also, avoid cotton; it will absorb water from rain or backsplash and keep you wet the entire cold, windy practice.
   
   
3. Bring plenty of water: Even on cold or rainy days, you will sweat, and your body needs to rehydrate. Plus, bring your own water bottles, because there is nothing worse than catching a cold from someone else.
   
   
4. Eat right: scholastic rowers have awesome diets…eat all the carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, and vegetables you want. If you don’t replenish your body with the nutrients it needs, you will become more susceptible to illness. Also, try not to eat so much candy or drink so much soda, they won’t help alleviate muscle fatigue or regeneration.
   
   
5. Get plenty of rest: with school and crew, it may be easy to forget how important sleep is; but don’t. While you rest, your body is at work fighting off antigens, reconstructing muscle tissue, and re-energizing you for the next day. If you don’t get sufficient rest, it is easier to catch a cold.