The Making of a Champion

I had an interesting conversation a couple of days ago with Helmut from Greater Columbus Rowing Association (GCRA). One part of the conversation centered on the need to find a champion to take on programs to make them succeed. In this sense of the word, as we were talking about it, we were talking about someone who was passionate, driven and able to get S!*% done to actually get something up and running or to get a program from point A to point B or to reach specific goals.

So often, we find ourselves talking in committee about things. Outlining procedures and processes to show how we can very precisely reach an end goal. Many times things get stuck in this limbo phase. It's fun to brainstorm, fun to pick things apart, fun to talk about ideas and theoretical situations, fun to be involved and contribute. Sometimes though you need to just git 'r done!

Now you have to have the right champion - which is tricky. Someone with clear vision who can see the big picture, someone able to assess and adjust as needed, someone who can rally and produce the results - but not always someone you want to keep confined to specific processes.

With adaptive programs this comes in 10-fold. I tell clubs all the time that the best thing they can do for their adaptive program to get up and running and to be successful is to allow the coach/manager some creative liberties. It's an aspect I refer to as "play." It's important to play with things to figure out what's going to work. If you never catch a crab rowing - how do your hands know how to prevent them?

The first time I met Frank Cunningham in Seattle, I was very proud that I had never flipped a single before. He promptly made me go out and creatively flip a single no less than 10 times. It was one of the most powerful lessons and I remember it to this day. You don't know how far you can take something until you've found that outer limit. Sometimes the creative ideas work and sometimes they don't, but you don't know until you've tried.

Here are some examples of things you might have to adapt for an adaptive rowing practice:
- Someone comes to try rowing and has a prosthetic for an above knee amputation (AKA). Do you try to tell him how to get into a boat the same way you would tell and able-bodied rower (AB)? "Put your prosthetic foot on that patch right there, then put your weight in the boat as you pull up on the oar handle a bit, then lower your body onto the seat" Think that will work?
- A rower with visual impairment (VI) comes to row and you try to tell her how to hold the grips on the sculling oars. Do you tell her to put her hands at the end of the grip, or do you adjust the grip so that her pinky finger can fell the ridge at the base of the handle that will give her a cue at all times for what direction the blade is in? Do you treat this grip differently for a novice VI athlete versus an experienced VI athlete?
- A rower with a physical disability (PD) has strength issues with his grip. Do you still try to get him to feather the blade? Might this change over time?
- A trunk and arm athlete has an incredibly long stroke. Do you abide by the current standard for inboard/spread for rigging or do you try something a little different to try to maximize his leverage? Where do you start?

Coaches need to be ready to adjust everything at a practice. As coaches, we don't need to know the process of what will work in these situations - the answers won't come without working with the athlete to figure them out. The point is that coaches for these types of programs have to be prepared to make adjustments and not be so rigid to expect every athlete (even in the same classification) to do everything the same way. That's one reason why it's so valuable talking to other adaptive coaches - the ideas some of these coaches have come up with on equipment alone is amazing. I've got to figure a way to compile them somewhere.

Could a committee gather and try to figure out the best way to do everything for every possible disability? How long would that take? Not even disabilities by the same name are the same in ability. Two people with paraplegia will have differences in musculature, control and balance. Two people with spina bifida could require vast different types of equipment. Three people with muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy could be found competing in the AS (arms-shoulder), TA (trunk-arms) and LTA (legs-trunk-arm) classifications. You cannot predict the process for everything - sometimes you just have to do it. Know rowing and let the rowers know their bodies and git r done!

And that's where you need a champion. Someone who can advocate for their athletes, openly discuss technical and logistical questions about rowing, someone who is open to new ideas, ways of seeing things and ways of approaching the sport and equipment, someone who can triage what's needed to move the program forward, someone who will work with the athletes.

There are champions all over the place and I'm getting a chance to meet a lot of them on this trip. I've met two program champions so far for adaptive in Ohio. They are working hard to make S!*% happen. They know that they don't know all the answers, but they are open books - ready to be read and open to learning from others. There is no ego in Ohio and they will succeed tremendously because of it!

Recently there was a great article about the surge of adaptive and para-rowing programs in the US. There is a need for adaptive programs, not only because it gives people with disabilities a way to enjoy the sport, be active to gain health benefits of athletics, and experience the transformative nature of rowing. There is a need because we need champions. Champions who win medals and represent the USA. Champions who show other kids and adults with disabilities that there is a really cool sport out there that they can be good at if they try! Champions who show the world that disability or no disability working hard is fun and rewarding!

So, I'd like to thank all the champions - program directors and athletes. Keep up the hard work and it will pay off in changed lives and hopefully some gold!