Life got hectic over here in December. Besides the fact that I was taking exams for the first time in years, the Rowing Club underwent some pretty substancial reorganization which kept me busy.
We have just gotten a new women's coach here at William and Mary, George Livingston. George brings nearly half a century worth of rowing tradition to the program - just the sort of thing a young squad like ours needs. He is amazingly up-beat, and as a former US National Champion he knows what it takes to succeed. His philosophy and mine are remarkably close, and I look forward to working with him in the coming years.
George and I, along with the other coaches and the student board, have decided to entirely rethink the priorities of the program. We do this with an eye not simply to develop the program, but to develop it to a higher standard. With limited financial resources, we need to prioritize. If we are going to spend money, we must make sure that the money is spent wisely, and at higher-level events. Together, we hope to develop William and Mary Rowing from the solid foundation which has been put in place by the previous coaches.
Among other decisions we have made, we have decided to turn our backs on rowing in the Deep South and to no longer compete in the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association. No one on the current coaching staff is from the South, so we have no emotional attatchment to the rowing that goes on down here. We also have very distinct impressions of southern rowing, and would like to see this program aim to achieve a higher standard. Instead of competing in the South (previous years saw competition in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee), we will turn our focus northward to the mid-Atlantic region, where the competition is stronger. This will allow our program to grow competitively.
If competing within a certain league prevents a program from achieving all that it wants and strives to achieve, then it is time to look to compete outside that league. This is true even if the level may still be a little too intense - experiencing better quality competition will allow a program to grow up to that new level.
Another issue that is very important to me and George is that everyone on the squad have a chance to compete and to have a full and rewarding racing season. Traveling throughout the South was an expensive proposition, and not all crews went to every regatta in previous years. This year, we plan on taking all of our crews to every regatta and let them race against the equivalent crews from other colleges as is the custom in the Northeast. There is room for everyone in this sport, and all those who put in the hard work and the long hours and who have paid their dues are entitled to a complete experience, no matter what boat they end up making or not making. The new racing schedule will allow for us be able to afford financially to provide this experience for all of our crews. Participation is important - and the greater the participation, the greater chance this program can grow and compete at a higher level.
Of course, it will be hard work for me and George and the students to be able to form crews which will have a chance of succeeding at a higher level. But if the students are willing to put in the effort, they might as well be given the chance to do their best rather than be stifled where they are now. As coaches, our goal is to do our best to give the current students the best experience we can and to build up the program so that future students can have even better experiences in the coming years.
To do this, we need to get everything in order this Winter before we return to the water. George and I have spent hours every day for the last couple of weeks just planning the future of rowing at William and Mary. This cut into the time I was intending to spend writing here.
But there is nothing more rewarding than starting a new rowing tradition.