Nervous?

Managing nerves is a crucial part of rowing for me. Get too amped, and you will make stupid mistakes, and waste energy in the first half of the race only to crash in the second. Get too mellow, and the race will slip away without you really noticing or caring. The former tends to be my problem. In stroke seat it is especially important to remain calm; mistakes and bad strokes in the stroke seat are magnified by the loss of rhythm for the other rowers. In addition, in the coxless 4-, the stroke usually has "the toe", which means they are responsible for steering the boat with their foot, which is attached to cables, which are attached to the rudder. One might imagine that steering in a straight line is easy, but ask anybody who has steered a boat, and they will tell you different.

Anyway, I have a few mental tricks to keep me in the right frame of mind.

"I am Silas Newby Stafford from Santa Rosa, California. Nothing more, nothing less". I often repeat this mantra to myself during a race. I'm not entirely sure why this calms me, but I think it works because it a) removes me from the pain and panic of the moment, and gives me a broader perspective. b) moreover, I have already progressed farther in rowing beyond anybody's (even my own) expectations or dreams, and I essentially have nothing to lose. c) it brings to mind that its not just about me, that I am representing my home, my country, my family, and this inspires me to do better.

Smile. I was taught this trick by Adam Kreek, my former Stanford teammate and Olympic Gold medallist. When you are nervously sitting on the line before a race, it is remarkable what a dramatic calming affect this has, even if you have to force the smile.

Focus on a very specific technical element or sensory input. I like to listen for the sound of the catch before I push the legs. A teammate watches the stern of the boat and waits for it to rise before he pushes the legs. This mental engagement simplifies everything, and prevents being distraction.

Count. It is remarkable how effective this can be to keep focused and calm. I usually count to five or ten, depending on how deep in the well I am. My coach recommends counting to 8.