- What's up guys?
You might recognize this face.
If you watch our channel I'm sure you watch his.
This is Austin from Training Tall.
- Yes.
- We are in the same place at the same time.
- The biggest rowing event on the West Coast,
The San Diego Crew Classic.
- And we just happened to race each other yesterday,
which is, by the way, this is not doing me any favors
with an upshot, it's very clear how much taller
you are than I am.
- Oh, I was gonna say, you looked the same
height in this almost.
- I feel like, maybe if I did like-
Uh, no, that makes it worse.
- What's up man?
- How you doing?
- Doing alright. What's up guys?
Austin back with another video,
and today I'm here with
- Shane Farmer, Dark Horse Rowing.
This is like a colliding of two YouTube channels.
- It was meant to be, it was meant to be.
We are here at the San Diego Crew Classic,
basically the biggest rowing event on the West Coast.
It's just a gathering of tons of different teams,
from high school teams to college teams and masters teams.
You walk around and run into Olympians and
pretty much everyone in the rowing scene.
- Just a lot of very tall, fit people wearing Spandex,
everywhere, from any age category.
- Yeah, it's one of the best opportunities to
just walk around in Spandex all day long.
It's great.
So today we just wanted to meet up,
just cause this was a great opportunity,
I'm based out in Sacramento and Shane's in San Diego
but we were both able to come together for this
and so we just wanted to take some time
to just chat some stuff.
- Yeah, it's one of those that we've watched
each other's channels,
we've talked via email, we've connected before.
- We know we have a shared audience.
- Yeah, so many of you guys watch
both of our videos that we knew we were both
going to be here in San Diego and it just
seemed silly not to, and
we raced against each other yesterday.
- Yes we did!
San Diego crushed us, but it was all fun,
it was all good times.
- And also, we got excluded.
- Yeah, I didn't want to bring it up, I was gonna say,
"How'd you're final go?", but it didn't happen.
- But to be fair, it was a great race,
and we'll just call it that.
- You guys looked solid.
- It was fun being out there,
but I still just can't believe that we are both here.
- Yeah, this is great, this is-
- There are like three of us in the world
that do this, a YouTube channel about rowing
that people actually watch.
We are two of the three, actually we might
just be two of the two.
- I think it's two of the two .
- I don't know that there's anybody (laughs) else.
- We had no idea at first, but yeah,
we both ended up racing in the collegiate alumni category,
so basically those that had graduated from college,
really trying to relive the glory days, I guess.
That's sorta the main thing we wanted to talk about today
is maybe why you, someone who maybe uses the rowing
machine as part of their general fitness routine
or uses the wrong machine a lot,
why you should get the opportunity
to go out into a boat,
because honestly, it's a totally different experience.
- Yeah, I've always likened it to, when you are on a rower
it's like learning to ride a four wheeler.
You understand how the pedals work,
you have a seat to sit on so you get comfortable with that,
you have handle bars and you understand the system
of forward propulsion.
Then taking that and trying to learn
how to ride a unicycle.
- Yeah, taking all the training wheels off.
- Yeah, it's like going from rowing on erg
to rowing on the water,
it becomes infinitely more complicated but
so much more rewarding.
- Very rewarding, and when you do break it down
they're both very very similar,
but I think one of the biggest things that a lot of people
don't think about when using the rower is
you know, when you get tired,
you can let the form slack a little bit, right?
You can kind of (pants),
you can let your shoulders drop more and round yourself.
But in a boat-
- If you want you can even ease off the throttle.
You can full on stop if you want.
- But what happens when you do that in a boat?
Everyone notices.
- You can't hide.
- No, you can't do it, and there's something,
you know, when you're in a boat,
cause in rowing there's a bunch of different
boat classes, they've got boats as small as singles,
where someone is just rowing in the boat by themselves,
to boats as big as eights, with eight guy rowing
and then one coxswain, someone that steers the boat
and basically calls the commands throughout
either a practice or a race, and when you're rowing
with other people, you have to be on your game.
If you slack, everyone can feel that.
Everyone can feel it.
- I think that's the ultimate pressure of being in rowing
but also what's rewarding is because you share
pain, blood, sweat, tears, all those things that
develop character in somebody.
- Absolutely.
- I think that's what creates such a strong bond
and such a strong value behind
actually getting on the water.
Both of us kinda talk primarily about just the
rowing machine as a training tool,
and rarely do we get into the hey let's get on the water
because A, that's a lot harder to film,
B, it's even more hard because it's just you out there,
so you'd need a camera crew, you'd need other boats
and frankly it's a little bit more inaccessible.
- It is, and to other people to,
not everyone's got a boat lying around
or access to a nearby club.
- Exactly, so getting started, I feel like a lot of
people feel there are barriers to entry,
but often it's not as bad as you would think.
- Oh absolutely, considering that most rowing club
programs, they have masters rowing, which is so funny
because always sounds like you're a master,
you're a professional rower, but they have masters novices
which means essentially you're just an adult that's not
in college, that isn't collegiate eligible,
but as a novice, a first year rower,
you would be put together with a bunch of adults
that also have no idea what they're doing.
And you'd have a huge advantage though,
if you knew how to use the rowing machine,
even then a lot of adults that join a masters program
don't even know what an erg is,
they don't even know how to use a rowing machine.
- And let alone have the fitness to be able to move a boat.
I think that's why the erg
can be such a great tool to start.
- Absolutely.
- It's because it helps you develop the fitness,
and there's a value to learning how to ride that
four wheeler, before you get onto a unicycle.
Right, you have to understand how to move with it,
and when you take the training wheels off
you start to learn all the nuances of it,
but you can come to it having learned how to
use the erg or the rower as a training tool,
and rowing on the water can be that much easier
because of it.
I've actually done that with a couple of my crews,
my "crews", my indoor rowing club here in San Diego,
on occasion I'll bring them out to the water
for a day on the water to learn what it's like
to have an oar in their hand.
- Yeah, it is a totally different experience,
but the rowing machine really sets the foundation.
But with rowing, masters rowing in general,
you think about, what if you joined an adult soccer team?
You'd be with a bunch of people who have played
soccer their whole lives.
But when you join a rowing masters program,
especially novice team, no one know what they're doing,
so everyone's sort of on that same baseline level
and I think, like you said, it's not as big of a barrier
to entry as you might think it would be.
- And it's not, I think a lot of people also see
rowing as, I mean I'm not doing justice for making
this seem accessible to people by wearing a rowing blazer
but this is just a tradition in rowing,
is that teams have blazers that are representative of their,
it's like wearing a jersey, like college sweatshirt,
this is our college sweatshirt for rowing.
But when you see this you're like oh what a snob
There's no way that I will ever be that,
or that I'm too far along, I will never have that,
and it's just not true because when you look,
and I think a part of that too is it cost a lot of money,
I need to have a boat, I don't even know where to start,
but if you get into a rowing club
that has a learn to row program,
it's just like paying a gym membership.
- It is.
- You don't have to own a boat,
you don't need anything crazy, you just pay a gym membership
and you show up, and they teach you how to row on the water.
It's far more accessible than people think.
- And it's, you know going back to the team environment-
- (laughs) I should not have worn this blazer.
- (laughs) I know, I kind of look like just
the janky camera guy with my gray sweatshirt
and you got that on.
Anyway,
using a rower for yourself, it's a great way to improve
your fitness and it's an overall great exercise,
but when you're with a team
and that team comradery you make,
just that social interaction with everyone training for a
common goal, I think that's a huge thing too.
When it's a big race or whatever it is,
knowing that every single person in your boat
is working hard to improve with you and together.
I mean, I can't think of a sport that really
embodies that more than rowing.
- Yeah, every sport kind of argues for the supremacy
of their sport.
- That's true, that's true, and we're a little bias.
- But rowing really does, and I think it's what you
talked about in the beginning,
there's so much to coming together and
not being able to hide,
and having to work for everyone else.
If you are a stand out in rowing,
if you are a stand out in the boat,
you're doing something wrong.
- Yeah.
- You want to blend as much as you can.
- That's so true.
- You just want to emulate what others are doing
and not be seen.
- Yeah.
- And you want to make the boat go without anybody
knowing that it's you making the boat go.
- And that's very much unlike
something like a basketball team.
Especially in something like basketball,
let's say you have the all star who gets injured
for two weeks, but can come back and be right back
to being to star of the show.
In rowing, the fitness aspect of it is so important,
if you're not committed, or if you do take a few weeks off,
you have to earn your spot back.
It's not just given to you and there's no,
and like you said the goal is to blend with you teammates,
you're not supposed to be the all star.
- Yeah, boats are not built around singular individuals.
- The mechanics of the stroke and everything,
it's not, I agree.
- The things that make boats move are your ability
to do exactly what somebody else is doing,
is for me to do exactly what you do if
you're sitting in front of me.
How close to you can I be in exactly the way we move,
the way we breath, the way our shoulder dips,
the way our hands sit, and these are the nuances right?
- You're giving me goosebumps right now just think about it.
- That's funny, me too.
Getting chills down my spine.
It doesn't help that we've, you guys can't see it right now
but behind us we have all these boats rolling in post race,
we're sitting at the finish line of the Crew Classic
and we're watching all these boats roll in,
it kind of puts us in the mood too.
- Absolutely, and you know just to think that yes,
there are teams that are, you think of the top rowing teams
like Cal or Washington, these big dog teams,
even down to the smallest club teams,
not matter how fast or slow a boat is,
everyone is working so hard, and everyone has put in
the time and the effort, and everyone is giving their all,
and there's just something great about being part
of that experience.
- Yeah, and something I always like to call out to is,
I feel like the most underappreciated person in the boat
is the coxswain.
- Oh yeah.
- Most people are like what, the coxswain is just the
yells "Row! Row!", like that.
- (laughs) The classic coxswain call,
there's so much more than that.
- The coxswain is, in my opinion, the most important
person in the boat.
- They're kind of like a second coach.
- They are the race car driver.
We're just the engine.
- The engine, yeah, that's a great analogy.
I love that, that's awesome.
- They're the ones that have to know the race plan,
execute it, watch what the other teams are doing,
be able to race the car, and we literally just sit there
and shut our brains off, we're not supposed to talk
or turn our heads or worry about what's happening,
all you do is think about what's going on,
so if that sounds appealing to you, just go,
work hard, put your head down, and try to make a group great
rowing is your sport.
- Rowing is the sport, absolutely.
That's great.
So yes, if you're ever thinking,
if you're ever even questioning
should I go try rowing in a boat,
you absolutely should.
Check to see if there's local clubs around you,
you might be surprised to know that there's a rowing
club a couple streets away from where you're living at.
- We have people from all over the world that watch
both our channels,
but let's throw out some, you've gotta know some clubs
near you, some great places to starts,
I know a few, so what are some of the better clubs
out there that people could go check out that would be
inviting to learn to row?
Cause here in San Diego we've got ZLAC, Z-L-A-C,
it's the oldest women's rowing club in the country.
- Oh wow, no kidding?
- Yeah, it's women's only rowing clubs,
incredibly inviting,
here we also have, in the south they have San Diego,
there's Community Rowing San Diego, which I'm partial,
I sit on the board for them, but it's a nonprofit
and their sole is to bring rowing
to underprivileged communities and youth,
so making rowing accessible to people who wouldn't
normally have access to rowing,
so Community Rowing San Diego, fantastic place to
go and just learn the sport for the first time.
- That's awesome.
In the Sacramento area I'd say one of the best clubs
to get a part of is River City Rowing Club,
as it's not like one of the top dog programs out there,
but as far as their learn to row programs,
it's very inviting and very open to those adults especially
that are just trying to learn how to row.
- And then, what, Boston, you've got Community Rowing,
it's a well known club for people to get started.
- Okay, you say in Boston?
- In Boston, CRI, Community Rowing,
I forget what the 'i' stands for,
I'm gonna guess international.
- Yeah, maybe.
I'm not too familiar with other accessible rowing clubs
across the country.
- Yeah, there are plenty out there.
Just search 'em out.
They're out there, I know they're in the Midwest too,
there are plenty, I'm from Minnesota.
- Yeah, we've got Kansas out here rowing.
Kansas is rowing!
You know, they're out there.
Absolutely.
- It's true, Baja Rowing Club, Mexico.
They're always a regular here at this race.
It's everywhere, you just kind of
have to want to find it I think.
- And do yourself a favor and look around.
It's an entirely different perspective of rowing,
getting in a boat versus being on the machine.
- Completely.
- And it's definitely worth the effort
to try and make it happen, so, yeah.
- Awesome man.
And I think we both realized
we share a lot of the same audience.
A lot of people watch both of our videos.
- I've seen very similar, the people that comment
on your vids comment on mine, I've seen 'em.
- Yup, and I've had people comment on my videos and say,
"Hey, I just came over here after watching Austin's video."
So it's like, oh, awesome.
- And just being able to bridge that community
on an online presence,
think about 10, 15 years ago, that just wasn't a thing.
- No, it never would have happened.
- We never would have met,
we never would have known each other.
- Right, and I would much rather work with you
than work against you, because there are only two of us.
There's so much more fun to be had having fun with you guys
and for you guys.
- Sharing the rowing passion.
- Right, let's just get people amped up about this thing
as opposed to dividing and conquering.
- Totally.
Hey, let us know down in the comments below if you
came to the San Diego Crew Classic.
- Ah yeah!
- And why you didn't come say hi.
- Yeah actually, so we just had an experience,
somebody recognized him, yesterday I had somebody
recognize me, this is amazing.
We're both penetrating this entire community.
How cool is that?
- It's indescribable, it really is.
- Yeah, that's very true.
Alright guys, well we just wanted to check in.
We're here, Crew Classic, walking around,
having a grand ole time.
I think I shot a little video,
you'll probably see it over on Austin's channel,
and you'll probably see this one, and then we might
share some of the same content back and forth and do a
little cross posting.
- And hopefully meet up again real soon.
- Yeah, absolutely.
- Cause it was just too short of a visit.
- Too short of a visit, yeah.
We were both quite busy this weekend,
having all this racing so I think it would be fun
to actually get into a place where our intent is to
create something at the same time.
- It'll happen, it'll happen.
- I can't believe we're here.
- I know, yeah, it's-
- We're like incept-ing YouTube channels right now.
- You know this is every YouTuber's dream,
is to collaborate with somebody else, right?
Thank you guys for watching,
Shane, it's awesome to get a chance to meet up like this,
and you know, if you're coming to the Crew Classic next year
I'll be here next year too, and who knows where we'll
both be but this has been a great opportunity.
- I foresee doing more videos together in the future.
- Totally, we only wish we had more time to do more stuff.
Maybe do some coach versus coach erging or something.
- (laughs) Coach v coach, we each get a blank slate
athlete and what can we do with them in an hour.
- That would be awesome.
But next time.
Cool man.
- Alright.
- Alrighty, yeah.
Good luck racing.
- Thank you. One more race.
- Shane's racing once again.
Yeah, good luck man.
- Thank you.
- Alright, and we'll see you guys in our next videos.
Take care.
- Bye guys.