Wanted: Rowing Coach -- Take 2

Another book it took me way too long to read, not because it wasn't entertaining, but because I was doing other things. Like watching movies. (Anyone noticed that I've watched a ton of movies lately?) And other things which I'm sure were very important, but don't really excuse my taking so long to read someone else's book.

For anybody who's starting out as a rowing coach, this is a must-read. For anyone who ever rowed, it's an interesting read because it allows you to see things from the other side. And for those of you who never rowed, a lot of it probably won't make any sense at all; he might as well have written half the book in Japanese. Unless you speak Japanese, in which case, he might as well have written it in some other language you don't speak.

The book is an interesting mish-mash of rowing drills, coaching tips, life lessons, and general observations, such as the following:

"As I drove home I thought about how everyone acts about the same when things are rolling along well. The human animal becomes quite interesting when a monkey wrench is thrown into the works, or a buoy pops out of nowhere, or you're suddenly presented with some crisis that jars your sense of normalcy. That's when a person's character is tested. You get a peek into their soul. Quite revealing. Sometimes scary, as in this case. Other times refreshingly reassuring."

The best quote about rowing which I found comes when Coach Lewis is talking to potential rowers at a recruiting meeting, and gives them this little lecture:

"Rowing can offer many things. You gain awesome physical and spiritual strength. You learn the secrets of focus and discipline, which are critical for success in any arena. You make friends that will last a lifetime. All good reasons. All worthy reasons. I'll end with a quote by one of my favorite authors, William Glass. 'If you are a fully realized person---whatever the heck that is---you wouldn't fool around writing books.' Nor would you fool around rowing. To spend copious amounts of time going backward on a self-propelled craft at 6:00 a.m. is not for everyone. We row to fill in some missing piece of ourselves. If you stay with it long enough, take enough hard strokes, win and lose enough races, you will find what you're looking for."