Tech Tip: Setting Goals
by COC Sculling Director Sara Gronewold
A sculling camper enjoys the early morning fog on the Hosmer (credit: Phil Belena).
My relationship with rowing has had a lot of ups and downs. The euphoria of discovering this beautiful motion while surrounded by natural beauty, the intoxication of winning an important race, the joy of sharing a difficult row with teammates I trust, and the devastation of career-halting injury. These are some of the extremes I’ve had along the way. As I enter my fourth decade of rowing, I still feel like a student of this sport, and I still find myself struggling with what my expectations should be.
Everyone who comes through our camps is on a very personal journey with their sculling, with a wide variety of goals. I had a conversation this week with a sculling camp athlete who was struggling last year with whether or not they really belonged here. Many of the people in camp with her were focused on racing, personal bests, and competitive challenges. For this individual, these goals did not resonate, and the pressure of those foci was threatening to drown out the things she looked for in her own sculling. It is important to have a clear idea of the “why” when spending so much of one’s time in any pursuit.
The “Why”
To answer that question of “why,” think about this question when deriving your goals:
When you think of your sculling, what is it that makes you feel excited? Is it feeling your heart race pulse while pushing yourself to the limits of your physical ability? Is it feeling the meditative quality of intense focus in the pursuit of a perfect stroke? Or is it the joy of sharing the water with loons, or herons, or other wildlife?
Whatever it is, your goals should bring you closer to that excitement.
Characteristics of a good goal
It needs to be measurable
It needs to be attainable
It should often be broken down into smaller goals along the way
Sometimes it’s great to start with the most awesome thing you can imagine, then work back from there. Say you want to race at the Masters World Championships in a single. Depending on where you are in your sculling, that might seem really unattainable. Perhaps a good starting place would be to compete in a sprint race in your single. To prepare for that race, you’d want to develop the skills you need to row well, and you’d need to develop fitness to perform in that event. These goals lead to smaller goals that you can meet on a daily or weekly basis.
If your goal is to be out in nature, making as little disruption as possible, so as to enjoy wild animal sightings, you’ll probably have a more technique-focused approach. You might want to try to row as quietly as possible, or as smoothly as possible, to make as little disruption on the surface of the water as possible. Fitness would also be important for this goal, so you could spend more time feeling more comfortable while enjoying your surroundings.
The good news is that whether your goals are race-based or nature-based, working on technique and fitness will help you get there, and sculling camp is a great place to work on both of those things!
I wish you the best with your own goal setting, and enjoyment of sculling.