tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1088732163099544462024-10-06T21:41:08.662-07:00A rower's outlook on the intricacies of the sportTommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-85264462556735442852010-05-22T16:25:00.000-07:002010-05-22T16:56:55.222-07:00

My near (yet far) future? A road to a PhD in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology at Cornell University. I got into the program, now what about it? No clue. I'll probably leave as a Dr. by the time I'm 30 (praying for younger). As with all else, I'll plan for it as best as I can and then hope for the best.How this topic fits into this blog is the question regarding the fate of my rowing

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-57507400557862186892010-05-21T15:20:00.000-07:002010-05-22T16:07:59.806-07:00

So this year, my final Dad Vails competition came and went. As unclimatic as I may have sounded, that's the way it went down. That's the way it should have been. In the end, the race lasts 7 minutes and yet you have almost no recollection of it. It is the memory of months of build-up: the happy times, the anguish, the fuck-this-shit moments that stick.The sun was out. The temperature was in the

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-83112402558503434182010-05-01T19:42:00.000-07:002010-05-22T16:08:12.932-07:00

Today marked Day 1 of the New York State Collegiate Championship Regatta 2010. Despite the unfortunate weather conditions of previous years, today competitors from all over the state were bestowed with near-perfect rowing conditions. For most of the day, the weather was dry, ranging in temperature in the 80s (F), and with almost no signs of bothersome wind. For many of us, this was just about as

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-2365255869483278792010-04-21T20:43:00.002-07:002010-04-21T21:10:59.269-07:00

It has been a month since the last, and much has happened in the rowing life.SPRING CAMPCamp Bob Cooper, South Carolina, USAEat. Sleep. Row. Asshole.Those were the 4 main things the crew did this year at camp, spring training. Eat a ton. Sleep a bit here and there. Row 2 times a day, 1 1/2 hour per session. And 'Asshole' the card game on our free time (Varsity and Novice men bonding time).From my

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-76894884233643426252010-03-19T05:54:00.000-07:002010-03-19T06:31:09.574-07:00

Winter Training: Jan 4, 2010 - Mar 19, 2010.Two and a half months apparently, in my case, equates to 3.5 seconds. Today marks my end to winter training. What better way to end it all than with a 2k test. THE 2K TEST in my mind.Since the beginning of training, my mind was set on a 7:20.0 flat minimum. All the nights, weekends, the 150k+ erggings: for that 1:50.0 split.I started strong, feeling

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-78636244356450230552010-03-04T18:24:00.000-08:002010-03-04T18:37:41.898-08:00

Two days left before the crew's annual make-shift triathlon. The regiment goes:- 7500m erg- ~4 miles running- 10 sets of 15-floor stairs (called "towers")This is one of the crew's traditions. The winner of each squad earns a hammer, spray-painted over with gold colored spray paint; the symbol of hard-work and pure power/skill. There's no way in hell I'm winning this year, but I'll still put my

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-75689537190466367282010-01-30T23:57:00.000-08:002010-01-31T00:09:45.079-08:00

I'm finally back to give updates on my crew training life, as I've been sidetracked by other personal things (hence the unusual delay in updates). I ended up not doing the final 2K of my solo training. I don't like admitting that I'm scare of it; so I won't. But, upon the return of the crew came a first week of erg tests: 10K, 6K, 2K. For the 10K and 6K, I was able to hit my PRs (set during my

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-45454954886993584142010-01-15T21:28:00.001-08:002010-01-15T21:53:48.913-08:00

The weather in Binghamton has been getting much better since yesterday. Sunny, clear and felt like the upper 30s, lower 40s (°F). Looks like spring is starting to pop its head out, though pretty early for a place like this.Everyone knows that great weather is the catalyst that makes for a happy start of anyone's day. Today was just that day. A great start to the anticipated all-out 6K erg

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-75308260376441235362010-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:002010-01-14T20:46:41.751-08:00

So as promised, I've decided to keep some updates on my solo training (which will last for another week until the winter break ends and the crew returns).It was roughly 9:10am when I arrived onto the erg-room on-campus. Above is a snapshot of that hellishly beautiful place where agony meets pure self-empowerment. Today's workout: a steady-state 8k (18 to 22 spm). Took it moderately easy today

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-12509365729470279362010-01-13T07:54:00.000-08:002010-01-13T20:30:11.841-08:00

Today marks the 8th. day of my winter training this month. While it's winter school break, and everyone's decided to take this time to relax and do other stuff, I've taken the challenge of coming back and starting my training early...SOLO.At the onset of coming back to the erg room, I was intent on following the Pete Plan (http://thepeteplan.wordpress.com/the-pete-plan/). The goal was to hit the

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-7791499272471915332009-11-28T17:16:00.000-08:002009-11-28T17:26:49.228-08:00

Each year since 1856 (except during the first two world wars), a elite crew from Oxford and Cambridge Universities race each other in a gigantic regatta called simply "The Boat Race." It's a grueling 4.25 mile race where the two crews go head-to-head with millions of people along the sidelines cheering throughout the 17-22 minutes of hell.For me personally, these guys are just inspiring to watch.

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-69944390547062425112009-11-28T16:50:00.000-08:002009-11-28T17:14:04.810-08:00

For many, the end of Turkey day (Thanksgiving Week) marks the end of the fall rowing season. For collegiate rowers, it is the end of the 5k and 6k races.Thus begins the winter training season. Experience has taught well that this is the most difficult part of the entire rowing regiment. Most of the winter days in the US Northeast is spent cross-training in heavy clothing layers, doing

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-48006092111139185312009-08-08T17:49:00.000-07:002009-08-08T18:35:07.642-07:00

According to a NY Times article ("College Athletes Stuck With the Bill After Injuries", July 15, 2009), some athletes are beginning to learn that the costs of competing on a collegiate level does not only rest upon how much of their body they can sacrifice for their school's team. Even on the top level, the NCAA level, some student athletes are learning that they are in fact not medically

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-60747806142285674602009-07-12T12:47:00.000-07:002009-07-12T13:00:03.074-07:00

Congrats to the British Olympic rowing team for making the most inspiring, insightful, AND funny video to post onto youtube of their daily training lives. Kudos.Rowing 9 to 5 was the first of their that I encountered on youtube. A play on Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 song.(They don't say rowing is one of the toughest sports for nothing.)

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-40111656208323388742009-07-12T12:23:00.000-07:002009-07-12T12:32:57.772-07:00

Over all rowing careers, I'm fairly sure everyone has their own memories of their favorite calls from their coxswain during a race or intense practice piece. Some of my favorite ones include:"Let's put this into overdrive boys! Get this into 3rd gear!""Drive with the legs! Drive! Drive! Drive!""Puuushh It! Puuushh It!" Some calls I kind of wish were used for me...."Liftoff sequence in 3...2...1..

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-12803107533681329772009-07-02T06:02:00.000-07:002009-07-02T06:34:26.969-07:00

From the New York Times, 2008For some people, getting to row in the Beijing Olympics meant ergging harder. For others it meant obtaining enough money to compete. And for a few others still, it meant surviving long enough until race day.The story of Haidar Nozad and Hussein Jebur, two of Iraq's men scullers, portrayed by the New York Times comes as a very compelling story. Here were two men who

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-4464665387593545812009-06-28T19:08:00.000-07:002009-06-28T19:24:09.134-07:00

So the summer’s here for all of us in the Northeast (US), so I’d thought I would share some of the types of workouts I’ve been experimenting with to prepare myself for the next rowing season (fall/spring).Note: I do not have access to water rowing or the ergometer so my summer workouts will not consist of those but I try to incorporate the necessary movements and muscles.Option 1 - Weekly

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-22033445865832109572009-06-25T09:45:00.001-07:002009-06-28T19:24:38.598-07:00

There is a way to measure the power of a moving boat per stroke and it is the Nielson Kellerman Speed Coach.This little monitor works with an impeller to give a time split (just like on the erg) and stroke rate. And impeller is situated near the bow end of the shell on the underside and has a small wheel. The faster a shell moves through the water, the faster the wheel will spin. There is a

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-49089414884090929352009-06-25T09:44:00.002-07:002009-06-28T19:24:58.613-07:00

Recently, I've turned to dragon boating as a potential cross-training regiment, in-addition to running and weight training, for rowing. Dragon boating is a paddling/canoe-style sport that originated in China thousands of years ago. Just like rowing, the basic jest of it is to have, in this case paddlers, power the boat from start to finish. Unlike rowing though, the boat used is larger and set up

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-87996234461174988292009-06-25T09:44:00.001-07:002009-06-25T09:44:44.563-07:00

In the United States, the sport of rowing is not a collegiate Men's division but it is for the Women's division (possibly because there is only a Men's division for football). But, let's assume that we are all rowing-centric right now. Is this good for spreading the popularity of the sport? Afterall, unlike in Europe where rowing is a fairly big thing, the sport is relatively quiet in the US.It

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-46605275097616969372009-06-25T09:43:00.001-07:002009-06-28T19:25:20.052-07:00

Were you a small, light person when you stepped onto your crew for the first time wanting to row? Well then, your coach probably asked you (or maybe just thought about it) if you'd like to be a coxswain or row bow seat. Or, if you had a more hardcore coach, then you're stuck as bow. No questions asked.As a novice rower, I was the bow of my crew. I'll tell you exactly what most novice bow rowers

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108873216309954446.post-22398844886782490742009-06-25T09:42:00.000-07:002009-06-28T19:25:44.788-07:00

One of the debates in rowing that's been around since perhaps the invention of rowing is to have a starboarded stroke or a port stroke.In the US at least, the current general trend is to have port rigged strokes. My current crew does the same.But I beg the question: why? What made port the preferred side for boat rigging the stroke seat? Of course rationally, there's no hard evidence for overall

Tommy Vohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07713107438162474123noreply@blogger.com0