One of my new experiences, of course, is not so new: the experience of junior novice rowing. Indeed, it is where I began when I was fourteen.

As I have written in this space previously, I do not believe that it is in my current clubÕs best interest to have a substantial junior program. I think it is a waste of resources and detracts from what we do best. That said, my opinion was not shared by the current head coach and executive board. One of the first things to learn in the sport of rowing is teamwork. That means that it is not a sport for individuals, but for teams. So, despite my opinions, when the club asked me to coach a program for 12-15 year olds who had already done the introductory course but were now interested in seeing what it would be like to row competitively, I accepted the charge.

I cannot honestly say that I enjoyed this course myself. I certainly would not agree to do this long-term. But it was good for me to do it this year, for a number of reasons.

It is always useful to start from scratch periodically, as it makes a coach remember the fundamentals.

But the main reason this course was a good experience was that I got to remember the sheer joy of rowing. I may not have enjoyed the course, but I do enjoy the sport. And seeing the sport through the eyes of children who are coming to it for the first time is a joyful experience. These kids were not forced to be there by their parents. It was quite clear that this was an activity they chose to do. And they were excited.

Coaching 12-15 year-olds is a lot different than coaching college novices. Some things are the same, of course, but the main difference is joy. College freshman can certainly be immature, but they are still young adults and are approaching this as a sport. 12-15 year olds are kids and are approaching this as a game.

Kids ask a lot of questions, but they also accept simpler answers. Where college freshman might not be so inquisitive, when they are they are already tending to over-analyze things. These kids want to ask questions about everything, but will be satisfied with almost any answer. There is also no need to get too technical.

I have written before about the need to keep rowing fun for all ages and levels. But that sort of fun is usually an aid to rowing rather than, in this case, where rowing is an aid to fun. Long drill outings and discussions about the finer points of technique are not the sort of things which will get a little kid out of bed on a Sunday morning. Splashing around in boats will. Being able to row a kilometer further than last week in the same amount of time will. Of course without technique they will not go far, but the important thing is to keep it simple and keep them rowing.

One issue to remember with kids this age is that they still have much growing to do. Just as they are not mentally mature, nor are they physically mature. That does not only mean that they are not yet strong, but that they are not yet necessarily coordinated. Even if they are coordinated, that coordination will change as their bodies do. So it is important that they do not develop bad technical habits, although these can be unlearned when their bodies mature, but it is not as important that they become expert technicians yet.

The sense of wonder is what gives the most excitement to coaching kids. It is all new and exciting, and they are curious.

Normally, I prefer to start rowers in the big boats, which are more stable and therefore easier to learn in. These kids had already done the novice course last year in the bigger boats, so I opted instead to stick to small boats (singles and doubles). The first day of the course was a rather bumpy day on the lake. Since it is typically bumpy, the kids will have to get used to it soon. Add to that the fact that we were hardly going to do useful distance anyway, nor lots of technical drilling, so I sent them out in small boats anyway (we stayed in a tight cluster in front of the dock, I was in a large motor boat with extra lifejackets, I had inspected the shoes before they went out, and the air and water temps were quite warm, so safety was a concern but not an issue). It was one way to teach them to overcome their fear of big waves in a single very quickly, and also meant that when the water was calmer in subsequent practices they did not think much of a few ripples.

Within a couple of weeks, along came a regatta a short drive from here. So we entered the lot of them. More fun. They wanted to win, of course, but I pointed out that the other rowers were probably more experienced. Just finish and I am happy, I told them. Concentrate on rowing well, not hard, and steer straight. They all did. A couple of them even beat some opponents. Smiles all around.

But such a regatta reminded me to think of the little things. The kids wanted to know who they were racing against. I figured, that meant they wanted to know how good their opponents were, and I had no idea. No, they wanted to know where their opponents were from, and they found it cool to be starting against rowers from clubs from not-so-exciting places, and from as far away as Basel (only about a 90 minute trip).

I do not normally like sending rowers out to race too soon. But that is when they are already serious (even serious novices). This was different. The idea was to make these kids interested in competing, so we wanted to give them a taste of what a regatta is like (yes it was small, yes the competition was more local, yes it was nearby, but the idea was the same, and it was all the same to them). We went to a slightly bigger regatta a few weeks later, but the emphasis remained on the fun aspects. Some of these kids are now integrating into the junior squads.

One of my most interesting assignments here came last Spring, when I was put in charge of looking after a 15-year-old deaf boy. His godfather is a recreational member of the club. Somehow, he came up with the idea that it would be a good idea for Reto to row. Reto, who attends a school for the deaf, had never done an activity with hearing children before, so this was all new. He did the novice course last Fall, and in late Winter decided to compete. It was not only his first racing season, but it was already a bit late in the year for him to start. Because Swiss age restrictions apply to calendar year, his 31 December birthday has forced him up a category as well. No worry. He really took to the sport. He has a great eye. And he reads lips when the speaker speaks written German.

But learning how to coach Reto was not the main issue here. It was watching his development. His mother is ecstatic. When he joined us last Spring, he was shy. His comprehension was good when he wanted it to be, but he would often tune out. He did not speak much, and was hard to understand when he did. Now, Reto is an outgoing and popular member of the club. He communicates easily with us Ð even speaks full sentences out loud. His mother tells me he is doing better in school, since he is now fully motivated in life in general. His biggest desire over the Summer was to learn to row sweep this year. I spent an evening once answering all of his questions about sweep technique and where it is different from sculling. He has been rowing in a 2- lately. He likes winning, but he is just happy to be there.

Then there are the simple stories from an innocent world. Last year, we selected his 2X and his 4X to go to the Swiss Championships on the Rotsee. He understood that we in the club were making the decision to send his crews. He also saw how fast his crews had improved over the course of the season. And he knew that the World Championships were to be held on the Rotsee. So he asked if his crews could keep training so that they might also attend the World Championships. He had not quite understood the concept. But he did settle for going to watch, and was impressed by the eights especially.

Such is the wonder of experiencing something new as a child.

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