Back at it.

Practice on the water resumed this week with a very nice session. The focus is on rhythm and the transfer of weight onto the footboard. The timing of the leg drive with the placement of the blade is one of the most difficult and essential skills to master; in crew rowing the problem is compounded as not only the individuals but the whole boat need to time this operation together. We made good progress this morning on pushing the boat as one.

Two short weeks remain in our fall segment; hard to believe it's almost over. I sent an e-mail to the team yesterday reminding them of the focus-- making gains for the spring:

"Think a little on these questions for the next two weeks. . . take something away from every practice. This is the time of year that's dark, it's getting cold, school builds up-- these are all challenges to work through, and there are still gains to be made. Think long term, because that's the goal. . ."

The goal now is cementing technical gains, and understanding the physical process, so we start off better in January then we would otherwise.