The past week has been one of adjustment for me, as I have changed squads and have been asked to take on more responsibility at the club at the outset of the Spring racing season. After what has been a successful Fall working with the Pacific women (both varsity and novice), I have now been switched over to the men’s side, and have taken on a prominent role with the men’s novice squad in the absence of the Men’s Novice Coach, Becca Stievater (currently on leave). The 6k test at the end of the first week of training following the break provided me with the set of data that I needed to move forward, but unfortunately also showed a lack of intensity of training over the holidays. This is to be expected, to a certain extent, with novices, but I have begun to remedy the problem with a structured plan incorporating more building of the aerobic base while strengthening the core. The core is, at the moment, the Achilles’ heel of the squad, as the novice men currently do not have the abdominal or posterior strength to maintain good posture throughout a training session. This has improved, however, with a great deal of work on the body position at the release. Proper body position is essential for proper sequencing out of the bows, with the hands moving away from the torso, the torso pivoting over the hips, and the legs drawing up to the chest on the way forward to the catch. If proper posture is established at the release, then there is at least the chance that it will be maintained into the catch, allowing for a stronger initial connection and a more accelerated drive sequence. If proper posture is not established at the release, the chances are slim and none that it will be established during the rest of the recovery, resulting in weak body positioning at the catch. This has been the goal of weeks 1 and 2 coming out of the break, along with establishing a greater sense of community and responsibility to one’s teammates — accountability — so that we have the full squad showing up each session and can therefore progress much more rapidly from both a fitness as well as a technical standpoint.
Physiologically, we are entering the transition phase between the 6k and the 2k — I look forward to seeing the improvements that the squad has made in their fitness over the past weeks, as well as to seeing how they react to the new challenge.
Pacific Rowing Club News: Spring Season Begins
Check out my Etsy Shop!
I’ve just put together a shop on etsy.com, which has a number of my recent linocuts — a medium that I am liking more and more and one that I’ll continue to develop in the coming months and years. I’ve called it Economy of Line, as the medium forces the artist to discover the most important, communicative lines from each composition in order to portray the subject. It’s exciting every time I pull a print, as the process itself adds to the artwork, and often unplanned elements in the composition become ‘happy accidents.’ I currently have a limited number for sale, each at $10, but there will be many more to come. To see my shop, just click the link below:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bryankitch
A special thanks to Eric at 3 Fish Studios for allowing me to make use of his printing press. 3 Fish studios also has some fantastic linocut and other media available. To see their website, just click here.
The Little Knights finish off the Fall with a Win in Foster City
The Fall season came to a close with a bang last Sunday in Foster City, as the Little Knights took their first ever trophy with a win in the Men’s Open VIII. Due to illness/availability, the lineup was once again shifted, but we managed to find a strong rhythm quickly and made great use of the power available, racing at a cadence of 32 strokes per minute. Starting from the 3rd position, we passed Sonoma State at the halfway point of the course, and cut significantly into the margin between us and Santa Clara. After some confusion, the officials released the results, and it appears that we broke the course record by some 55 seconds, crossing the finish line in a time of 16:07. The conditions were great — clear, sunny and warm — and it was a very satisfying result given the fact that it was a new lineup and an unfamiliar course. We’ll be looking to build on this result through the winter and into the spring racing season. Hats off to Santa Clara and Marin as well, as they too will have broken the course record, finishing at 16:36 and 16:51 respectively.
Go Knights!
Below is a link to the full results:
http://www.peninsulajuniorcrew.org/hotl/2009/09HOTL_RESULTS.htm
Newport Autumn Rowing Festival, 2009
The Little Knights were back in action last Sunday at this year’s Newport Autumn Rowing Festival (NARF) in Newport, California. The competition was similar to the previous weekend in Sacramento, but this time featured a revamped UC Davis Varsity VIII, as well as the Stanford Varsity VIII. Building on the success and good rhythm of last week, we attacked the piece with renewed aggression, and began to separate ourselves from Davis and draw closer to Cal C (the Cal Frosh VIII) by the half way point. When we took it up for our sprint, we added yet more, and came across the line at 40 s/m, expanding our lead over Davis and, as it turned out, over Cal as well. The result was the best finish yet for the Little Knights at NARF, as we earned a 4th place finish overall (of 30), behind only Cal’s Varsity, Stanford’s Varsity, and Cal’s JV respectively, and in front of the Cal Frosh and all the WIRA schools. Needless to say, there was much celebration later that afternoon and evening at the Little Knight on 17th street. Almost too much.
One particular Little Knight who deserves special commendation is Tom Graves, who raced and won (by nearly a full minute) the Open 1x at 7:15, then raced with our VIII at 8:00, raced and won (by a minute) the Open 2x at 9:00 with the famous Donny Simkin, and then raced the Mixed 2x at 11:00. Despite having four races in one morning, he still managed to make it out to the LK and enjoy a few ‘CL Smoothes’ that afternoon. This certainly ought to earn Tom a spot in the LK Hall of Fame. Kate Mead and Benton Sparks also raced a second time, in the Mixed 2x, placing 2nd overall.
Special thanks to Nick D’Antoni, Kate Mead, and Evan Bainbridge for coordinating the use of equipment and helping the regatta to run so smoothly.
Below is a link to the results of the Men’s Open VIII, NARF, 2009:
(Photo: The Little Knights cross the finish line in Newport. Photo Credit: Kate Mead)
Head of the American, 2009
In a race warm-up for the upcoming Newport Autumn Rowing Festival, we, the Little Knights, made our 2009-2010 season debut (and debuted our new uniforms, complete with an image of the Little Knight himself embroidered on the right leg) on a beautiful, clear day in Sacramento. We entered the Open VIII, and managed a 4th place finish overall (of 16), behind Cal’s Varsity, JV, and 1st Frosh VIIIs (though we were just 1 second behind the 1st Frosh). This puts us in a good position for NARF, as Stanford will likely not make the trip this year, and we will have a rematch with the Cal freshman on our ‘home’ turf. The lineup at the Head of the American included Tom Graves, who, along with his brother Pete, recently won the Championship Men’s 2x at the Head of the Charles. We hope to have Pete join us as well for the race in Southern California this weekend. For any Indo-Rowers who are interested the race takes place at the Newport Aquatic Center next weekend (on Sunday), and runs for most of the day. Hope to see some of you there!
Go Little Knights!
Upcoming Events
There are two competitions on the radar that I am currently training for, one rowing and one running. I am gearing up for the Newport Autumn Rowing Festival, coming up on November 1st, which should be a great time, and we are fielding a quite competitive entry in the Men’s Open VIII. The boat will feature the Graves brothers, who most recently represented the US in the Men’s 2x at the 2009 World Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland, and we will be racing against some of the top programs on the West Coast, including Cal and Stanford, across the 4.5 kilometer course.
Following the race in Newport, I’ll be getting ready once again to tackle 26.2, as my former teammate Justin Price and I are planning to race the California International Marathon in Sacramento, CA this December. The race takes place along what is supposedly one of the fastest courses in the US, and my goal will be to break 3 hours for the event. In my first marathon — the Big Sur International Marathon last April — I came across the line in 3:19, which I was quite pleased with given my training (sparse) and the nature of the course (hills and headwind). The challenge will be to find the time to train enough given my current coaching schedule — fitness should not be an issue as I am logging many miles on the bike during my commute, but as I learned last time, miles running are the best way to prepare for miles running.
More updates to follow!
(Photo: the Little Knights race to a 5th place finish overall at the 2008 NARF)
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure!
Last Sunday, Zoe and I participated in our first joint competition — the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, supporting the fight against breast cancer. The event was very well attended, and both of us were struck by the number of participants wearing pink shirts (indicating that they had survived breast cancer themselves, and were now racing in support of others). It was a 5k run, and marked Zoe’s first ever race, though you wouldn’t have known it from watching her. Not only did she push herself through the course in a very respectable time (just over 30 minutes), she also managed to raise more than $650 in support of the cause. I joined her in the fundraising effort, and managed to raise $350 in my own right. It was an extremely gratifying feeling as Zoe and I crossed the finish line together, knowing that we had accomplished something meaningful together, and I must say I was very proud of her effort as as athlete on the day as well.
For more about the Susan G. Komen foundation, see the link posted below:
To view my personal fundraising page, which features an honor roll of those who donated to the cause on my behalf, please click the following link:
http://rfcsf.convio.net/site/TR/Race/General?px=1290301&pg=personal&fr_id=1030
Special thanks to:
Herbie Griffin
Kevin Murphy
Trevor Patzer
Greg Heidt
Melanie Salter
Kathryn Peterson
Josh Crosby
Jesse Berrett
Jen Cowan
Alexi Lykissas
David Berman
Alistair Cordey
Robert Milam
Pacific Rowing Club News
The coaching staff has finally been fleshed out for the coming year, and it is looking strong. There are going to be six of us overall looking after the development of the team, which now numbers over one hundred (including both novice teams and both varsity teams). As an assistant coach, I will be working with both the novice and varsity teams over the course of the year. I have been spending much of my time of late working with the novice squads (men’s and women’s), but will be focusing my attentions for the rest of the year on the women’s side. The women’s novice squad currently has just over three eights of athletes, and the girls had their first 5k test last night, producing some very good results, this being their third week. In the coming days the girls will be working in mixed boats with the varsity women to help them develop the right boat feel and awareness before their first race — the Head of the Merced, coming up in just over two weeks. So far the girls have begun to manage rowing by sixes well enough, but have not yet tackled rowing by all eight — a challenge that awaits them on Thursday of this week. Ideally, we’d like to have the first two women’s novice eights racing by all eight at the Head of the Merced, and have the third eight racing by sixes. This is in order to develop the technique while gaining some competitive experience.
Pacific Rowing Club News
The final Open House at the Pacific Rowing Club will be held this weekend, on Saturday morning from 10am-12pm. All are welcome, and most of the coaching staff will be present to greet all new recruits, lead tours of the facilities, and provide a general introduction to the sport of rowing, along with what PRC has to offer. Bob Maclean, the head coach, will be in Seattle, where he has arranged to pick up several new shells to add to the already considerable and up-to-date fleet. However, the Women’s Varsity coach, Matt Lehrer, and the other assistant coaches (myself included) will be present. This year looks to be a strong one, with a large recruiting class already gearing up for the Fall season, and a talented core group returning from last year. It’s a club with a long history of success and I am looking forward very much to becoming a part of that tradition.
No experience necessary. Visit an open house to learn more, even if you play a fall sport!
Regionally & Nationally Competitive Junior Men’s and Junior Women’s Teams
2007 National Champions
Students from any school welcome
After school practice times
Colleges love to recruit rowers!
Contact: 415-242-0252
See the PRC website listed on the right side of this page for more information.
Ken Jurkowski Named UCLA Men’s Rowing Head Coach
According to the rumor mill, Ken Jurkowski has been selected as successor to Paul Mokha has the Head Coach of UCLA Men’s Rowing. Jurkowski is an extremely accomplished oarsman, having rowed during his collegiate career at Cornell, and having had multiple stints with the US National Team. Most recently, Ken competed at the Beijing Olympic Games, representing the US in the Men’s 1x, and finishing a very respectable 11th overall in an extremely competitive field. He placed 9th overall in the Men’s Quad in 2005, and won a bronze medal at the World Championships in 2006 in the Men’s VIII before switching over to the single where he has truly made his name.
Amazingly, Jurkowski has done most of his training in the 1x without a consistent coach, and has developed his own approach to the sport. To have achieved such excellent results as a self-taught sculler speaks to his ability to break down the stroke and analyze the finer points of the sport. These are skills that will be very useful as he takes on his next challenge, and we are quite lucky to have him on board. The freshman coach from last season, Robert Hermann, will be returning this year and will be looking to build on last year’s experience. For the first time in recent history (possibly ever), both members of the UCLA Men’s Rowing coaching staff have experience as oarsmen at the international level*, with Hermann having raced in the Lightweight VIII in 1991, winning a bronze medal in the event while representing the US at the World Championships. As a former Bruin and supporter of the men’s crew, I’d like to wish the coaching staff and the team the best of luck for the coming season.
(Photo: Ken Jurkowski races at the 2008 Olympic Games)
*Paul Mokha was a coxswain and coach for the US National Team during the 1990s, so the team continues to be guided by a coach with National Team experience.
Photo credit: http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0gD6gPq1UfcIh/610x.jpg
