In it's 5th year, a rowing race has been held between the Full Time MBA programs of the Mannheim Business School and the Otto Bleisheim School of Management at WHU (Wissenschaftliche Hochschule für Unternehmensführung Vallendar, near Koblenz).
It all started some months ago
when a call out came to build a team of race-able men and women to race coxed tub fours against our rival business school. I was the nominated one to bring this show together. My credentials were obviously too hard to hide and as such made me a sitting duck for this task. So with the help of our coach, Claudia, from the Amicitia Rowing Club on the Neckar, we got started priming our steeds. Firstly starting in the rowing tank we worked on the basics of the rowing stroke and how to control the boat. Similarly, the dry land alternative of using the rowing machines was the key learning tool initially. Chomping at the bit, everyone was eagerly awaiting the moment when they would be let outside on the water to use the real implements of racing, the rowing boats themselves.
I have done many years of coaching and must say, no offence to my former pupils, that coaching a group of MBA's has a distinct advantage over coaching other beginners. While they may not always be of sporty disposition, their intelligence is noticeable when discussing simple things such as "hands away, bodies over, legs up" the rowing sequence we use when moving from the finish of the stroke back to the catch. "It's a simple sport stuffed up by experts"
Thanks to the relentless pressure of class contact hours and group work as well as the ongoing winter that chilled us (more cool blooded Australians) to the core, getting time in the boat was no easy task. I delegated the task of arranging this to Kirby Cone and Marianna Dautzenberg in the hope I could off load that stress to others! Like no other team sport, if you don't have all rowers there the crew cannot train effectively. Having one less soccer player for a training really will not upset hugely the session. Yes, they can improve individually but the combination and nuances of the crew will not improve. We learnt this the hard way both in training and finally in the racing.
In training there were many highlights. We tried some confidence building exercises by standing up on a very narrow floating device known, as a rowing boat, to overcome the fear of tipping. This didn't phase some rowers who, in subsequent rows, managed to capsize due to some over zealous rowing and thus suffer the indignity of requiring a rescue mission to retrieve them! There were many squeals of both happiness and pure fear, near death experiences due to oncoming river barges as well as many blisters and shouting of instructions in "Australian" only to hear a reply of "please speak proper English". But as my rowing coach told me: "Miles Make Champions" and with each row we saw improvements in both individual abilities and crew development. In the time available we had prepared race ready crews which was impressive in itself. Each rower should be proud of what they achieved in that short time.
I was up early on Race Day. It's been a while and I was excited. We had finished classes only a week before, so the excitement of racing, plus the excitement of beginning the thesis project was obvious driver to bouncing out of bed. Moreover it was boiling hot in my room from a long few hot days prior! Race day was no different. I'm told the temperature hit 37, which for the Berri Renmark Regatta in the riverland of South Australia each December is nothing special , here in central Germany it was hot, humid and generally unpleasant. Our crews boated early for a training row and got themselves warmed and in the zone. Not long after, WHU arrived after a 2 hour bus journey and also headed off for a little training row. We brought forward the racing to try to hurry everything up. This meant the mens crews kicked off for the first race. "Attention Row" shouted the starter and off we both went. Each crew in their respective "Empacher C-Line river cruiser tub four" took off at a frantic pace. The race was kept to only 500m to ensure no one required resuscitation afterwards. That was definitely enough for most!
MBS shot off to a very strong start leaving WHU in its wake by the half way mark. It was a sweet victory for our crew but from there WHU began to flex their muscles built by many case studies and powerpoint presentations and show their strength. In the womens race, WHU outclassed the MBS crew. With precision they attacked early in the race making it difficult for any counter attacks from MBS to close them out. After the first two races WHU:1, MBS:1. For some strange reason we race boys crews vs women's crews. It is blatantly unfair racing but is part of the former regatta schedules so it was repeated again. As a result of the MBS Men beating the WHU Women (in rowing that is; no domestic violence here) and the WHU Men dispatching the MBS women there was a tie. Neither womens' crew dared use the distraction technique that the dry, at the time, white t-shirts provided as arsenal to distract the boys in the hope of snaring a win.
For the decider, we proposed mixed races. That is, two men and two women would race for the glory of the trophy. Both schools boated their strongest crews and set off for the start line. Feeling confident and probably showing it, MBS shot off to a very nice start. 15 strokes into the race, MBS had a clear lead. Trouble struck the WHU crew who caught a crab (got an oar stuck) and slipped back even further. As stroke of the MBS crew, I called for relaxation and to consolidate the race, which Jorsia our coxswain dutifully did. However disaster struck when a small error set off a chain of events that led us to grind to a halt and leave us with no option but to watch WHU row past. After getting our act together, in desperation we powered on but with only a 500m course to show your skills it was too late. Too late for MBS to retrieve the trophy. "Humble in victory, gracious in defeat" we had to accept that it was our execution of the race, and nothing else that led to the result. All credit to WHU and their coach shouting from the bank, to get back together after their ship-wreck and fight back. All in all, many lessons learnt.
After a swim to cool down and some heavy lifting to pack up for the day, it was time to retire to the Villa and watch the game between Germany and Argentina. What a game it was. We sat drinking beers and eating wurst while before our eye we witnessed Germany clinically tear the Argentinean defence to pieces and block any counter attack from their fabled superstars. A great addition to the day. It provided the perfect atmosphere to come together as two business schools, to meet, to share experiences and to simply have a great time irrespective of the race results. Unfortunately for them, the pressure of three exams in the following week perhaps dampened their energy for kicking on however for that price they have a trophy to take home to Vallendar. We thank them for their efforts to travel to Mannheim and most enjoyed their racing and company.
A Facebook group has been built if you wish to meet the rowers:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/group.php?gid=135051609858180
Amazing Photography from fellow classmates:
http://www.easyonthecoke.de/Website/2010
http://picasaweb.google.com/houjian517/Rowing2010Again a big thanks to everyone who supported, either directly or as a supporter or as a photographer or drinks provider. Without it, these days are not as memorable as what we had on Saturday.
So in conclusion, I've said my thanks but apologise if I've forgotten someone or something. I've hopefully provided some insights into my version of events. Lastly, I wish MBS and WHU the very best for their racing next year.
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