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Report from Joy of Sculling


row2k
December 24, 2014
 2965
By George Kirschbaum

  Sunday, December 14th-
I’ve just stepped out of my last session at the 2014 Joy of Sculling Conference and I have that excited feeling I remember from childhood where you were energized in a way that had you smiling while thinking of the possibilities, and had the feeling that anything was possible; all tinged with a bit of regret that you had to wait till next time to do it again.

Founded in 1976 by singular coach Jim Joy, the conference is a confluence of coaching education held each year in Saratoga, NY. Jimmy, as he is warmly referred to throughout the weekend, has created a conference centered around the idea of holistic coaching that seeks to empower coaches to look beyond the mechanical aspects of training, and consider all aspects of developing our athletes so they can achieve both inside and outside our sport. There are few other places where you will have the opportunity to participate in sessions with the leaders in our sport one minute, and be enjoying a beer with them the next, all while sharing ideas as relative equals. Justin Moore, Dan Rook, Bebe Bryans, Linda Muri, Dan Boyne, Volker Nolte, Sandy Morris, Bruce Smith, Sandra Chu, Marc Mandel… the list goes on for presenters both luminaries, and rising stars in coaching that you have the opportunity to interact with.

The weekend starts off Friday for the early bird arrivals with “Special Sessions,” hour and half sessions on everything from leadership to coaching methods, and maximizing speed on the drive and recovery. All the sessions throughout the weekend are less about presentation and more about participation where each coach shares their unique ideas and encourages attendees to offer their ideas and perspectives as well. The highlight of the day was the keynote address by Frank Dick, O.B.E. of Great Britain, with his presentation “Winning from the Beginning” that had everyone’s rapt attention interspersed with large rounds of laughter from the audience. Dick, a master coach and world level leader in athletics, spoke to the idea that “You can’t always choose or change the conditions and circumstances in your arena, but you can always choose or change your attitude.” You couldn’t help but be energized heading into the first regular workshop of the conference.

Saturday was a series of talks throughout the day on every topic imaginable, interspersed with breaks for coffee and catching up with friends old and new. One of the big moments of the conference is Saturday’s lunch where all attendees get to celebrate the achievements of the year’s standout coaches. This year’s recipients were a group showing some amazing achievements in 2014:

Junior Coach of the Year- Marc Mandel from Gonzaga
Women’s College Coach of the Year- Wes Ng from Trinity College
Men’s College Coach of the Year- Paul Bugenhagen from Hobart
Women’s University Coach of the Year- Andy Teitelbaum from Ohio State
Men’s University Coach of the Year- Chris Kerber from Cornell
National Coach of the Year- Bryan Volpenhein from US Rowing
Special Service to Rowing Award- Jack St. Clair from Villanova

It's during lunch that the very important idea of education and giving back that Jimmy espouses comes home as scholarship recipients for the convention are recognized. It's a reminder that not every potentially great coach has the means to move forward in our sport without help. We’ve all been the struggling novice, where an opportunity like this can make a huge difference. Cory Sanderson, of Nashville Rowing and Brenda Santana, of Pioneer Valley Riverfront Crew were the very deserving recipients.  With the conclusion of the awards everyone jumped back into sessions and presentations lasting late into the afternoon before enjoying a sponsor beer social and then filtering out into Saratoga Springs for dinner and catching up with friends.

Sunday morning is always a whirlwind filled with the last sessions of the conference, and last minute hugs as everyone filters out, bags in hand, for the long trip home. If they are like me the next few hours were spent absorbing the wealth of information from the weekend, and then putting pen to paper and planning how to use it to make my own coaching and team stronger. The Joy of Sculling is less about lectures, presentations, facts, and figures, and more about coming together as a community to learn, grow, and share… all reasons I’m already looking forward to getting back to Saratoga next year.

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