Month: May 2014

National Schools Regatta – another Rowing Mother

If you enjoyed yesterday’s Rowing Mother Stereotype, thought you might enjoy another. Willing to bet you’ll spot her this weekend. This is the first year that Lisa’s had to go up to Nat Schools on her own. For some reason Tony didn’t seem that keen to come. Frankly she’s finding the whole thing much better…

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Rowing stereotypes – the Rowing Mother

Since it’s National Schools Regatta this weekend, I thought I’d have a rummage around in the archive and dig out a guest post I wrote for another site a few years ago. It’s a bit unkind – all good stereotypes are – but I bet you won’t have to go too far this weekend to…

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RICE and peas and a neat solution from Therapearl

“Tell me you didn’t just eat those peas,” I said to my son as he put his bowl in the sink. He nodded. Oh. “Those peas” were the frozen peas I’d been using on my fractured ankle to bring down the swelling. They’d been in and out of the freezer every two hours every day…

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Winning and losing – why Girl on the River is still smiling

By rights I shouldn’t really be smiling. At the end of two hard races, I came home empty-handed from yesterday’s British Masters’ Champs (better known as Nat Vets), and that’s something that would normally have me sobbing gently as I licked my wounds.

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You’re never too old to row – Monmouth celebrates an Ancient Mariner

When I was a youngster the idea of ever being as elderly as, say, 35 or 40 seemed appalling and inconceivable; anyone over the age of 21 was positively antique. But that was before I was introduced to the world of masters rowing, where with the passing of years comes not wisdom but useful handicaps,…

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The erg test – a survivor’s tale

It looked like the scene of a bloodless massacre. Eight bodies lying in the rowing club gym  – some motionless and slumped over, others sprawled on the floor. But look! On closer inspection, it appeared that some were gasping for breath, and the occasional whimper could be heard. Perhaps there were some survivors after all….

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The Sit Up challenge – Girl on the River bows out

Usually the decisions that you take in the middle of the  night are bad ones. Viewed in the cold light of day, they seem rash, exaggerated, hasty or just plain wrong. Well, not this time. In the early hours last night I decided to discontinue the Sit-Up challenge. It’s been touch and go for a…

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