Last night out on the Bay, as darkness fell, I truly enjoyed the experience of sculling back to the beach. I could feel the shell moving well in the water. I felt relaxed as each stroke connected to the next. It’s now the end of September and we are normally off the water in early… Continue reading Breathing in the Dark
Author: Mike Wagner
Mike began rowing in 1992 during his freshman year at Hofstra University. He learned to scull the following summer at the Sagamore Rowing Association. Mike worked with the Joy of Sculling as the Program Manager for the Coaching Conferences from 2013-2019. He continues to actively scull and coach both at Sagamore and at the Craftsbury Outdoors Center in Vermont.
The Letter “R”
“Today was brought to you by the Letter “R”.” That was how the first dock talk I ever heard at Craftsbury began. Dan Roock went on to talk about the Release, the Recovery, and Relaxation. This morning I ventured out onto Oyster Bay and continued my focus on the release. I sculled along the south shore… Continue reading The Letter “R”
Stabilizing a Rowing Shell
Well 2020 has been an interesting year. While I have not sculled on the water much so far, I am planning to go sculling this evening. I like to have a goal for each row and the video below caught my attention the other day. I really enjoy focusing on new technical ideas, especially in… Continue reading Stabilizing a Rowing Shell
A Remote-Controlled Coxswain
Way back in 2006, I was asked to coach at Craftsbury. Two adaptive scullers would be at the camp for a week and that was when I first met James and Linda Mumford. They both were born with Usher’s syndrome, a condition characterized by partial or total hearing loss and vision loss that worsens over… Continue reading A Remote-Controlled Coxswain
Erging in the New Year!
Concept2 is running a new monthly challenge for January 2020 called January Revolutions Challenge. There are a few different options to choose from, but the goal I am going after is to: “The Big Stretch: Row, ski or ride every day in January”. So I need to row at least 500m a day for it… Continue reading Erging in the New Year!
Week of 10/28/2019
Late fall can often be a tricky time of the year. Some days the wind and weather just do not allow for rowing on the water, but we may not have shifted our focus to training indoors. Over last winter I published a series of weekly workouts. I’d like to try to do the same… Continue reading Week of 10/28/2019
Learning to Scull – The Basics
During the Summer of 2018 I enjoyed teaching a learn to row class at Sagamore Rowing in Oyster Bay, NY. I prepared a handout for each class with the lesson for the day. During the summer, the class ran for three weeks at a time and we met up each Tuesday and Thursday evening. Below… Continue reading Learning to Scull – The Basics
Light Your Way
For safety in the Fall season, anyone on the water near or after sunset MUST have lights on their shell. Every shell needs both a red/green bow light and a white stern light. My personal choice for lights are the RowKraft Beacon Lights. I have used the same set of RowKraft lights for over five… Continue reading Light Your Way
Three Pause Drill
The Three Pause Drill is a drill that I learned from Jim Joy. The purpose of this drill is to break down the parts of the recovery and the entry to gain a better understanding of how to let the blades meet the water efficiently. Start by sitting at the release, blades square in the water. Release… Continue reading Three Pause Drill
The Fluid Release
The fluid release is a concept I first learned from coach Jim Joy. Below are many great points quoted from Jim Joy’s paper on “The Sculler’s Philosophy and The Whole Technique”. Jimmy refers to the release as a “critical section of the stroke cycle” that “parallels the follow through of the golf and tennis swings.”… Continue reading The Fluid Release