Coaching for real!

This year we have a Novice 8 and a Freshman 8, so Mike and I are team coaching.   First couple of days we went out together in his launch and worked with both boats.  But today I took my own launch and the Freshman 8 with me.  We were supposed to "stay together" and work together, but that never happened.  We were together for about 20 minutes and then Mike went off to do his own thing. Not really surprised.  I felt decidedly like a fish out of water, but I figured it out and it seemed to go well.

The novice boat, is definitely the stronger boat, it has a couple of juniors that are really big and really strong and he took the rest of the biggest and strongest rowers for that boat, which makes sense, since it helps if the boys are similar in size and ability.  Obviously, he'll want to coach the boat that has the best chance of being successful, which is fine and as it should be. Less pressure on me, if the goal is to get these kids to row by 8's and come together as a team.  Not a lot of expectation that they'll be hugely successful.  I mean my bow seat weighs 98 lbs and the rest aren't much bigger.  Towards the end of practice, Mike found us and we did a couple of 20 stroke races and my little freshman stepped up and held their own.  They may not be the biggest or the strongest, but they have heart.