December 27, 2006 - In Cold Blood
My apologies to Truman Capote for stealing his title. I just thought it would attract more attention than “Columbus is freaking frigid in December.”
I am home for Christmas break right now, and I’m amazed at how wide the temperature spectrum is in this city. Lucky for me, it has been a relatively mild winter. Still, mild in Ohio is far more severe than anything we see in my usual home of North Carolina, so I am seriously cold.
The difference in temperature from the summer until now can be as much as 100 degrees in the garage where I do all my erging. This is thanks to the incredible ability of garages with steel doors to trap heat in the summer, warming up well into the triple digits, and, conversely, to retain absolutely no warmth in winter. I am not a scientist, but whether it’s conductivity, convection, thermal dynamics, or gravity, to me it all translates into coldness of a shocking magnitude.
Now, before the patriarchs and matriarchs of rowing start rolling over in their graves at my frailty, let me say that I am well aware that rowing began in the Northeast, so I have no right to complain of coldness. Lest anyone think me a total wimp, I should also defend myself by saying that I have rowed in the snow, I have broken ice off my riggers to be able to practice, and I’ve even beached when the air temperature was well below freezing. I can brave inclement weather, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the undertaking.
On the bright side, I have determined that cold conditions breed efficient practices. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten on the erg and started my pieces so quickly. Once begun, there is no way I’m going to stop. Action provides the only warmth.
At the same time, the temperatures help me get my stroke rating up in a technically sound way. I freeze when I’m extended at the finish, so I find myself getting my hands away and my body over quickly, then moving up the slide very slowly so that my legs and torso benefit from one another’s heat. Maybe, then, I am beginning to learn why Northeasterners still dominate this sport despite more favorable conditions in the South. They are good because of cold weather, not in spite of it.
Still, I’ll take my sunny February and March mornings and my shorts and sandals weather in November, any day. I am not ashamed to admit that my lightweight frame is not hearty enough to be happy in the arctic tundra that covers everything North of the Mason-Dixon line. If it means that more of my motivation will have to come from within, then so be it.
Next week I will have the joy of reuniting with the national adaptive team members for a mini-camp in San Francisco. I am looking forward to seeing Jesse, Aerial, Ryan, and all the other familiar faces as well as a few new ones. I am also looking forward to seeing the Sun again, and rowing in a reasonable number of layers. I’ve had enough of getting tough. Now I just want to thaw.
I am home for Christmas break right now, and I’m amazed at how wide the temperature spectrum is in this city. Lucky for me, it has been a relatively mild winter. Still, mild in Ohio is far more severe than anything we see in my usual home of North Carolina, so I am seriously cold.
The difference in temperature from the summer until now can be as much as 100 degrees in the garage where I do all my erging. This is thanks to the incredible ability of garages with steel doors to trap heat in the summer, warming up well into the triple digits, and, conversely, to retain absolutely no warmth in winter. I am not a scientist, but whether it’s conductivity, convection, thermal dynamics, or gravity, to me it all translates into coldness of a shocking magnitude.
Now, before the patriarchs and matriarchs of rowing start rolling over in their graves at my frailty, let me say that I am well aware that rowing began in the Northeast, so I have no right to complain of coldness. Lest anyone think me a total wimp, I should also defend myself by saying that I have rowed in the snow, I have broken ice off my riggers to be able to practice, and I’ve even beached when the air temperature was well below freezing. I can brave inclement weather, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy the undertaking.
On the bright side, I have determined that cold conditions breed efficient practices. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten on the erg and started my pieces so quickly. Once begun, there is no way I’m going to stop. Action provides the only warmth.
At the same time, the temperatures help me get my stroke rating up in a technically sound way. I freeze when I’m extended at the finish, so I find myself getting my hands away and my body over quickly, then moving up the slide very slowly so that my legs and torso benefit from one another’s heat. Maybe, then, I am beginning to learn why Northeasterners still dominate this sport despite more favorable conditions in the South. They are good because of cold weather, not in spite of it.
Still, I’ll take my sunny February and March mornings and my shorts and sandals weather in November, any day. I am not ashamed to admit that my lightweight frame is not hearty enough to be happy in the arctic tundra that covers everything North of the Mason-Dixon line. If it means that more of my motivation will have to come from within, then so be it.
Next week I will have the joy of reuniting with the national adaptive team members for a mini-camp in San Francisco. I am looking forward to seeing Jesse, Aerial, Ryan, and all the other familiar faces as well as a few new ones. I am also looking forward to seeing the Sun again, and rowing in a reasonable number of layers. I’ve had enough of getting tough. Now I just want to thaw.
posted by Jamie at 12:35 PM
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