Rowing is a very demanding sport both in terms of your child’s time commitment and in terms of the physical demand that it places. During the season you child will burn 1,500+ calories per day, so it is important that the athlete eats regular and healthy meals. Please refer to USDA Choose My Plate for complete nutritional guidelines and best practices.
Practices tend to last up to 1.5 hours of time on the water, regardless of conditions (excluding thunderstorms, in which case practice occurs on land). Therefore, it is essential your student-athlete brings a water bottle to practice. We recommend your student-athlete use a plastic water bottle, as metal re-usable bottles can do damage to the carbon-fiber boats. We recommend using at least a 20 oz. plastic water bottle (ie Nalgene or like), and use an old sock to cover the bottle when in the rowing shell. This dampens the impact of the water-heavy bottle against the thin shell.
As rowing will occur in all conditions, it is imperative to be outfitted in proper apparel. We recommend never using cotton, as it is a natural fiber and absorbs moisture. The moisture absorbed would include sweat, but could also include any precipitation. In rowing, whether it be a practice or race, student-athletes will inevitably spend time not rowing, while doing drills, resting, or waiting for the start of the race. Rowing in wet clothing can lower body temperature, result in chaffing, etc…
Therefore, we recommend using moisture wicking apparel. Additionally, the movement of rowing requires to not be wearing loose clothing, therefore, form-fitting materials are best to eliminate issues with clothing getting caught on the seat or oar handle.