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“To be of championship caliber, a crew must have total confidence in each other, able to drive with abandon, confident that no man will get the full weight of the pull…. When you get the full rhythm in an eight, it’s pure pleasure to be in it. It’s not hard work when the rhythm comes—that “swing” as they call it. I’ve heard men shriek out in delight when the swing came into an eight; it’s a thing they’ll never forget as long as they live.”

– George Yeoman Pocock, from Daniel James Brown’s The Boys in the Boat

The Boys in the Boat  is one of my top 5 books of all time and today being what would have been Windermere Cup 2020 I am giving a nod to both this true tale of the University of Washington men’s rowing team’s unlikely victory at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and to our annual celebration of community + sport. I miss everything about this weekend; including the grit & character I witness at the finish line from athletes around the world.

This weekend’s checkpoint; your “swing”

Being that Gov. Inslee extended our Stay Home, Stay Healthy thru May 31st 2020, I again share the checkpoint below as a way to take a pause amidst our larger pause and see what adjustment you will decide to make in order to find your “swing.”

Keep in mind, you are not rowing alone. The moment when a crew suddenly is rowing in near-perfect sync, with complete trust in and respect for other rowers is the moment of “swing.” Continue to show up, lean on each other and trust that we’ll together reach our Stay Home, Stay Healthy order with strength and reach another level of grit & character. Our continued recovery will be a direct reflection of our focus right now.

What vital few activities can you do in the strokes ahead to increase your scores as we continue to recover? What are non-negotiable?

Need help finding your “swing“? I’m in your boat. Ask for help at this moment of checkpoint within our extended Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

All in, for our boat.