"An athletic team does not win a game because the members like to be together. It wins because it plays smart, knows how to play the game better than the opposition, avoids unnecessary errors and pulls together as a coordinated unit"
- from Chapter 1 of the New Rational Manager - Kepner Tregoe
Good time to get away and sweat - running for mayor has been a wonderful challenge so far. Exhilarating is the word - I've been like an energizer bunny feeding on the energy coming at me regarding this endeavour. The questions, the interviews, the opportunities - my gawd the opportunities have been just unravelling before me. I cant think of anyone that I have wanted to see that has not been welcoming and prepared to engage me on some level. The petitions around Parkwood launched me around all over to pick up signatures, deliver buttons, & discuss. The discussions both in person and online have been long, deep, biting, complex & challenging. This is fabulous.
So, my wife's passion of sculling brought us a welcome respite this weekend along with some deep sleeps missed in past weeks. I rowed in high school - Sentinel & Shawnigan, I also rowed briefly at UBC in my first year. That was it until Pat & I met 5 years ago - oh by the way we are not legally married (OMG) but the other one word options that I presented for referring to her failed to win approval. (I do feel the English language does need a new single word to describe a female or male partner in an unwed cohabiting relationship - I suggested fempar, femner or fartner, with me then being a malpar, malner or martner)
The rowing I did previously was with one oar - this is referred to in the sport as "sweeping". I was in an 8 man boat and it was all about brute strength and endurance. I have never been so exhausted as after a 2000 meter race at a pace of 35 strokes per minute for around 7 minutes. It is a rush, the boat literally flies with bubbles of air boiling off the surface of the hull as it rips thru the water. That was high school - this is different now. Now I have 2 oars - sculling its called - I was messed up pretty good for the first while - why 2 when 1 worked just fine thank you. 4 person boats or 2 and often just 1.
This is one of the few things I do that is a team sport. Golf, skiing, & cycling are independent, squash does require 1 more person to be any fun. Rowing is fun - great non-impact aerobic exercise and an accompanying social side that is the real prize. Good people, committed to healthy things and willing to work and contribute.
We were at the Gorge & Elk Lake races this weekend. They are different than the Olympic style racing I participated in back in high school. Then its a group of boats at a start line racing in lanes to a finish line, first boat there wins. Here its one after the other starting in timed intervals. There is some side by side action but no one really knows who wins until well after racing finishes. This "head" racing as its called is popular as it permits narrow, windy courses to be used. This weekend it was the Gorge Waterway on Saturday a long narrow inlet off of Victoria's inner harbour and then Elk Lake out towards the Victoria Ferry Terminal. Here we wound around a course along the perimeter of Elk & connected Beaver Lake. The turns were sharp, tighter than I had ever tried to make going flat out in a racing shell. I was in bow seat of a 4 person boat without cox both days, responsible for navigating, for calling for hard strokes to one side or the other to correct our course. I blew it 3 times on the weekend, having to call the crew to stop, slow and turn. I watched other boats coming smoothly into corners, turning sharply and exiting under power. I finally figured out that it was good brakes that made for a fast head racer. Slowing quickly in a controlled fashion permitted a few hard strokes to one side that brought the bow around fast and then pour on the power to gain the pace back on the right course to the next marker.
The break was good, the exertion and camaraderie welcome. I just can't stop thinking about the election though and how just maybe I might bring some of this experience & thinking to Nanaimo as Mayor.
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