The lessons learned from rowing extend much beyond the water. This sport helps shape young individuals into disciplined, resilient, and collaborative. As Peter A Derow says, rowing can particularly teach people valuable life lessons about balance, teamwork, and perseverance. Deep commitment to a shared goal fosters fulfillment and accountability, both in life and rowing.
Peter A Derow underlines lessons learnt from rowing that translate to other aspects of life
Walking up early in the morning walk to the boat house is not always fun. It requires young people to be disciplined and stay committed to the activity. At the end, all the effort is worth it. The discipline pays off tenfold both on and off the water, molding rowers into people who always strive to pursue excellence in whatever endeavour they undertake.
There are two parts to a rowing stroke, the catch and the recovery. In catch, the rowers drive the oar through the water, while in recovery, the oar is out of the water while the rower prepares for the next stroke. The time spent on the catch and recovery is the same in a regular stroke. But very often, the rowers may do a “ratio shift”, which involves taking twice as long on the recovery and subsequently accelerating through the catch with superior speed and power. In a similar manner, in life, there is often a bit of a split between time spent resting or recovering and time of intense drive, no matter whether it is socially, professionally or even athletically. The ratio will change on the basis of the phase of life one is in. But must remember that there is a time for recovery and intense drive, but the most important thing is to know the balance. Too much of either would prevent the boat from smoothly moving forward, and in life, one has to try their best to keep moving toward their goals.
The boat has a “run” when a rower is recovering. It glides through the water naturally, pulling the rower towards the front of the boat, and preparing them for the next stroke. In case the rower tries to move themselves up to the start of the following stroke rather than letting the boat’s movement naturally glide them up, they may struggle, and the boat can start rocking. This teaches us that in many situations it is better to move with external or environmental factors, instead of against them. Rather than fighting things out of their control, people should learn to use circumstances to their advantage.
As per Peter A Derow, at the start of one’s rowing journey, if the water gets choppy and rough, newbie rowers often get antsy and respond to every movement of the boat. But this is not the ideal response to choppy water. All good rowers know that the best response to choppy water is to stay calm and composed. Rather than focusing on the choppy waters, rowers need to focus on their strokes. In a similar manner, one must understand that choppy waters are inevitable in life. Life often gets chaotic and overwhelming. But the best response is to stay calm, with the knowledge that the choppy waters will eventually settle.
