Join us to discover the fun in our global rowing community. We race, we train, we go on rowing vacations, we meet other masters, we discuss, we learn, we laugh. Join in
Share
Today you are You
Published 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hello again Reader
Dr Seuss’s final work, ‘Oh, the Places You'll Go!’ lays down a fully worded personal challenge:
“Today you are You,
that is truer than true.
There is no one alive
who is Youer than You."
The book highlights the ups and downs of life's journey, emphasising the challenges and setbacks which are a natural part of the process, encouraging readers to keep moving forward, even when faced with difficulties. It’s about resilience, and encouragement to persevere.
As JFK said, “The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by sceptics or cynics. We need men and women who can dream of things that never were.”
And the future of Masters Rowing is like this. We have an opportunity to craft and shape our future in this wonderful sport.
Rebecca Caroe at the Dr Seuss Museum, Springfield MA
What we have planned in 2025
Coming up is our VIP day - this is the rowing equivalent of a spa day - a treat that you get to indulge yourself. Our guest speaker is Al Morrow (ex-Rowing Canada Aviron) and he will be taking us on a deep dive journey through "Horizontal Rowing".
We will shortly launch the Strength Training for Masters monthly subscription - led by Alex Wolf (ex-British Rowing; Science of Rowing).
And in October is our fifth annual Older Athlete and Aging conference with three speakers.
So stick around, because there will be some new surprises as well as returning favourites in the webinars calendar.
What we believe
We often get asked this question why are you doing all this work for masters?
We passionately believe that masters are an important part of rowing.
Our core work is to change ageist attitudes and enable more people to try rowing.
Winning is defined as more than a medal – it’s being in a community that you care about, being in nature, staying healthy, and living well.
Masters rowing is important for the sport overall.
Folks are very kind as they frequently give me feedback; many thank me for the work Faster Masters Rowing does to grow our sport.
Think now about what benefit you get from reading this newsletter each week - even if it’s just an uplift from listening to the podcast.
Reflect on what you've done this past year and what Faster Masters Rowing has done which has supported your rowing, Reader.
I’m trying to make Faster Masters Rowing my full time work. Would you stand behind me?
Keep on keeping on being you.
Rebecca
This week's podcast
Three signs of dysfunction and 4 solutions to what's wrong with masters rowing. Click the image above to listen.
When you learn just one useful thing from our podcast, become a supporter from $1 per month. This helps cover overheads and enables us to continue our work to improve masters rowing around the world.
Join us on March 28-30, 2025 in Mission Bay, San Diego, CA.
First of all, Masters, we have heard how much you want a shorter race, and we thought, we can do that!
Introducing for the 2025 regatta our new Foundation Challenge races. These will be 500 meter sprints held immediately after 2K racing on Sunday, March 30. There will be 4 races, Men’s and Women’s Masters 8+s and Men’s and Women’s Masters 4xs. We also heard you when you said that while you love your club, you’d also like to race with all of your other teammates. So, these races will be composite boats as well as club boats, both are allowed. These handicapped races will have medals and trophies.
We think everyone will have some fun and that we’ll be able to spread some more medals around with these races.
In our February coach mastermind we plan on tackling year planning for your club. The list of issues / themes will bookend our discussion. The plan is to find alternative paths around these issues, all the while building a club of people that love to row.
Topics we anticipate covering:-
Managing competing groups' needs and preferences
De-conflicting equipment requests
Public outreach and learn-to-rows for recruiting and expanding opportunities for members to try different types of rowing [coastal, sweep, single sculling]
Balancing perceptions - some rowers believe the Club has paid way too much attention to the racing group, with an over-emphasis on the Head of the Charles. "We spend a ton of money sending 7 people to Boston; for a club of 100 people to support just those few is unfair!"
At the same time, others say there isn't enough commitment to building a first-class racing team: "We're not investing enough to get the best equipment to train properly!"
And looking after the middle majority who just want to row, get better at it, and have fun doing it.
We would love your club coach to join us and share their insights - we know there are a range of possible answers and getting more participants will help us all find ways forward.
Please forward this to your board, administrators and coaches and note in your calendar to join the group for this important discussion on Tuesday 11th February 2025.
We are a small (35 rowers) masters club in Washington State. Part of our non-profit mission is to support those who cannot afford our annual dues and rowing fees. We're floundering a bit with organizing a scholarship program to support these rowers and seek help from any of you who might have already mastered the endeavor. Our Board needs an operating procedure to identify how much of our budget is devoted to scholarships, sources of funding, qualifying criteria, the application process, and who determines who receives scholarship support. Privacy with transparency is important to the individuals and the club. Appreciate any direction.
Join us to discover the fun in our global rowing community. We race, we train, we go on rowing vacations, we meet other masters, we discuss, we learn, we laugh. Join in
Hello again Reader New joiners are the lifeblood for masters rowing - more midlife novices come to rowing than any other group. Planning and organising your learn to row group is an important part of masters club strategy. It's important that they both have a good experience and that they get fed into a masters rowing pathway too. We got this question from a club in Australia. I have a group of late 30 something (age) ladies that have children rowing and would love to try rowing, I am torn as...
Hello again Reader Sickness and injury in your squad are a common frustration among masters coaches. Any time off training is a step away from the water and progress. So when I saw that British Rowing had built a decision flow chart which helps guide the athlete's answer to the question "Am I Fit to Train Today?" I thought you'd like to use it too. Click the image to download. [Note: GP means Family Doctor.] More coach resources We discussed limiting beliefs in the Mastermind group recently....
Hello again Reader A lot of us are using this time to simplify our digital lives. And unsubscribing from unwanted emails is often part of a January detox. Please hang in there with Faster Masters Rowing. Rebecca in her garden We are a micro business focused on creating community for masters which is something that we all care about. I need you, Reader in my club. This newsletter is one of the primary channels the business uses and it's valuable. Think about your two rowing best friends. I...
