Terry Smythe, A Woman on a Mission, Indoor Rowing C2

Concept2 Foundations Course, Instructor Training 2011

Ten years ago, I jumped on a Concept2 rower at one of the local gyms. A few months later I went online searching for more information and discovered the that the World Indoor Rowing Championships(Crash B’s) were held every year in my backyard, Boston. Upon reading the information, I was psyched you could just enter no matter how good you were. I then bought a used erg for $100.00 from a gym that was relocating. From that point on I would use the Concept2 for off season training to supplement my kayak/surfski racing from December to March. I have been doing this every since and have encouraged other surfski racers to join me over the years.

Terry Smythe and Sarah Fuhrmann of UCanrow2 http://ucanrow2.com/about-us call this” building the community” which she has done for over 30 years for indoor rowing. I got the chance to take the Indoor Rowing Foundations Course from Terry yesterday in Montclair, NJ with other would be instructor candidates. I had a wonderful time yesterday and learned a lot! Terry is one of those people you feel fortunate to meet as we travel through life. Her enthusiasm, her expertise, and her joy for rowing are expressed in her welcoming smile, her professionalism, and her drive to get everyone, yes everyone, on a Concept 2 indoor rower. Her stories of helping non-athletes, disabled athletes, and top tier athletes will bring tears to your eyes. She has touched many people’s lives through her long career. Terry founded UCanRow2 in 2008 to help people of all ages, sizes and abilities create healthier minds and bodies through indoor rowing. She is a former U.S. national team rower, coach of Michigan Tech’s crew and a 30-year veteran of indoor rowing. In addition to being a master instructor for Concept2, Terry also holds instructor certifications in CrossFit, CrossFit Kids and TRX Suspension Training.

While the course I took yesterday has many components to it, being able to demonstrate a correct stroke is just part of it. Being self taught on the erg , my technique needs a lot of work! Like teaching the forward paddling stroke, there is a lot that can wrong and practicing the wrong techniques year after year, these bad habits become ingrained. This is why expert instruction needs to come early in the development of any sport. Over the years, I have taken many lessons on the forward paddling stroke and now my quest for the perfect indoor rowing stroke has begun. Once I signed up for Terry’s class, I wanted to get a jump on improving my stroke so I video myself and sent my 2k time trial to Dave Thomas. Most of us know Dave through Stellar Surfskis and Kayaks. Dave, however, rowed in college and coaches the Amherst College Rowing Team as well as being one of the designers for Wintech Rowing Shells, and Stellar. Dave was extremely helpful in pointing out what I needed to improve upon: over extending the catch, rushing the recovery, legs past vertical and the list goes on. Terry’s class highlighted these things as well. Not only was this class about proper technique, but also about how to teach indoor rowing in a group setting which has a whole different dynamic. I could relate to this course through my ACA and BCU paddling certifications and teaching group kayak lessons years ago. There is alot to learn!! I have a way to go before I get my Concept 2 Indoor Rowing Instructor Certificate, but I am well on my way with the help of Terry and her organization UCanRow2. Our class was a cross section of the people Terry wants to reach: John, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army owns Row Zone in Philly and brought two of his instructors with him; Ken is a high school rowing coach; another women is a personal trainer, another has a group of friends that trains weekly with her. What we all have in common is the zest for indoor rowing!!! Lastly, as Terry pointed out to the class several times, indoor rowing is not always about 2k times. Indoor rowing is another form of exercise that anyone can do and have fun doing it on any level.