Rudder wanted to row the single today, and Egret didn't want to go out in the
double, so I ended up rowing a quad with Hardcore, She-Hulk, and another woman
they've been rowing with. It was actually a good row; the other woman is about
She-Hulk's size (medium -- I just gave her that nom because at the time she was
in a boat with several of us coxswain-sized rowers -- and as I've pointed out
before, Marvel's She-Hulk comic character is hot, so it's not meant as an insult).
They rowed in the "engine room", the middle seats, while Hardcore and I were in
stroke and bow respectively, and it was a good balance. We had power, and our set
was so good that we did some square-blade drills right at the beginning (rowing
with square blades demands very good balance, because otherwise you keep getting
the oars stuck in the water). The new person did exceptionally well, considering
she had never even done a racing start before, and we did a bunch of starts and
two 1000m race pieces.
Definitely a boat with potential. Of course,
it would be even more exciting if we could ever keep a boat together long enough
to realize our potential. I have hopes for this one -- it's a good group of
people, all of whom have taken the initiative to get out on the water, switching
times or programs or whatever it took instead of just blindly following a coach
around. Maybe this time....
And if not, it's still a boat that would
be fun to row with now and then. I've just realized it's been *weeks*, maybe
longer, since the last time I had a really sucky row. As in, not since last time I
rowed with a club or city boat. And I think I'm rowing better, faster, and more
confidently now than ever, probably largely because I get so much more time on
water with blades moving. I definitely benefited from my time with AussieCoach,
and he occasionally drives over and gives me a few more pointers, but it's been
nice choosing who I row with and sticking to smaller boats. This is getting to be
much more fun again!