Coaching Education

I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. Sort of like military intelligence, honest politician and nice pit bull. Just doesn't sound right. After all, any moron can coach, right? The sport can't be that complicated, right?

Anyway, there were decent little points in our Level III course, and plenty of snooze time. Rather than boring the audience with a snore-by-snore account, I'll add in the stuff that nobody really thinks about when attending these sort of "professional development seminars."

The chairs sucked. They looked great, green, plush padding, matched the carpet, usual hotel stuff. The problem was they were perfectly flat on the seat. Think about whatever chair you are sitting on right now. Even portable steel folding chairs have some sort of curve for the sitters behind. These had none. My can was flat after the second section, and there was still six hours to go.

The food, when there was any, was terrible. Breakfast, usually sponsored by NK or CII, consisted of coffee with some stale pastries that any local gas station would reject. Even worse, the coffee would run out. Please, we're coaches here. We have needs. Lunch, served on Friday, was a large stack of box lunches consisting of a turkey club wrap, a cookie and some chips. I stole a second box when the minders weren't looking, because the wrap wasn't that bad, but we were allowed less than 20 minutes for lunch.

Some speakers were interesting and engaging. By that, I mean funny. After all, we're all stuck in the same blasted windowless room for an hour and a half each section. If you're going to drone on, even about rowing, please keep my attention with a decent anecdote or two. The athletic director brought in to discuss risk management (i.e. safety and cover-your-ass releases and waivers) was really amusing. Listening to him tell it, rowing is the most dangerous sport his college sponsors, and they field a rugby team!

Networking with other coaches is a good reason to attend the convention, and I did make some contacts.

I suppose the disturbing experience of the entire trip was observing how USRowing makes decisions. That is, indecisions. That also might be, decisions never announced to the membership, made outside the usual process of their own rules. I believe the lunacy surrounding the adjourned annual meeting serves to illustrate there are too many lawyers involved in rowing.

Overall, despite the complaining I've spewed out here, the convention was worthwhile. I learned a few things and picked up some ideas to talk to everyone about. The question, as always, will anyone listen as I blather on.....

Categories: Coaching, Rowing