Pure Morning
I'd order a lifetime of mornings like the one I had today.
I was out in the new 8+ this morning, which is to rowing shells what a Ferrari is to cars: Lost on those who don't know how to get the most out of it, pure joy for those who know how to handle it. It's a super stiff and responsive shell. If you're off, you go slow. If you're sharp, you fly.
All week I've been in it with crews that didn't quite have the technical gifts to make it move.
This morning, we had a former Ukrainian national team guy in stroke, a guy just off the US national sculling team in 2, A guy two years out of Cal in 4, the guy with the best power/ weight ration on the team who just happens to have just won the Head of the American in the single (so he's got some skills, too) in 7. I was in 6, which is, size wise, not really where I belong (I'm not 6'4", 220#), but it was a fun seat. So there was enough skill to move the boat well. And move well, we did. Keeping the boat balanced and level wasn't an issue at all. We had a perfectly stable platform off of which to connect and unload with each stroke. There was no tension. Just like a piston firing, then recoiling, there was perfect division between violent force on the drive and serene grace on the recovery.
The water was glass. One of those rare mornings with perfectly still air and consequentially no waves. Hot boat, strong crew, smooth water.
We didn't really mind the light shower that came down half way though our workout. We particularly didn't mind when we saw that the sun rising in the east through the rain drops descending from the west was creating a perfect full rainbow framing the mountain behind us.
It was a great morning.
Oh, and the analysis for my thesis project seems to be working. All systems go.
I was out in the new 8+ this morning, which is to rowing shells what a Ferrari is to cars: Lost on those who don't know how to get the most out of it, pure joy for those who know how to handle it. It's a super stiff and responsive shell. If you're off, you go slow. If you're sharp, you fly.
All week I've been in it with crews that didn't quite have the technical gifts to make it move.
This morning, we had a former Ukrainian national team guy in stroke, a guy just off the US national sculling team in 2, A guy two years out of Cal in 4, the guy with the best power/ weight ration on the team who just happens to have just won the Head of the American in the single (so he's got some skills, too) in 7. I was in 6, which is, size wise, not really where I belong (I'm not 6'4", 220#), but it was a fun seat. So there was enough skill to move the boat well. And move well, we did. Keeping the boat balanced and level wasn't an issue at all. We had a perfectly stable platform off of which to connect and unload with each stroke. There was no tension. Just like a piston firing, then recoiling, there was perfect division between violent force on the drive and serene grace on the recovery.
The water was glass. One of those rare mornings with perfectly still air and consequentially no waves. Hot boat, strong crew, smooth water.
We didn't really mind the light shower that came down half way though our workout. We particularly didn't mind when we saw that the sun rising in the east through the rain drops descending from the west was creating a perfect full rainbow framing the mountain behind us.
It was a great morning.
Oh, and the analysis for my thesis project seems to be working. All systems go.
posted by Kenneth at 9:32 AM
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