Rowing is considered to be a transformative sport for young athletes, as it facilitates physical, social and emotional learning. As per Peter A Derow, rowing provides young individuals with a great opportunity to acquire and hone a variety of valuable social-emotional skills. These skills include emotional intelligence, resilience and problem-solving. Youngsters may even learn skills like team-work, leadership and communication through rowing.
Peter A Derow Talks About How Rowing Promotes Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) puts emphasis on developing a variety of valuable skills like self-awareness, empathy, teamwork, and responsible decision-making. Rowing is one of the best sports and group activities that provides a great platform for fostering these competencies, due to its team-oriented and discipline-driven nature.
Problem solving and decision making are skills that one can hold while analysing their own performance and looking to make improvements. Communication and empathy are valuable skills for maintaining coordination in rowing. The teamwork is immensely important in rowing and it offers valuable lessons that extend far beyond the sport. It teaches the importance of communication and trust to young rowers. They learn to set aside their egos, and prioritize the success of the team over individual achievements. They understand the value of discipline and the rewards of collective effort as well.
Rowing involves a good amount of physical and mental effort. Hence, this activity can help rowers to gain a better understanding of their abilities and limits. With time, young rowers are able to identify their strengths, endurance levels, and areas needing improvement. This self-reflection is important to their overall emotional growth. Much like any other sports, success in rowing often involves navigating frustration, fatigue, and setbacks. Hence, eventually, rowers learn to both acknowledge and regulate these emotions.
To succeed in almost any sport, including rowing, one would need a good deal of discipline and perseverance. These qualities help build self-management skills as well. As a rower, one would need precise timing and coordination. There is no room for impulsive actions in this sport. After all, a mistimed stroke may disrupt the rhythm of the boat. Hence, rowers need to learn to be patient and control their impulses. They also should learn to embrace setbacks as opportunities for growth and build mental toughness.
As per Peter A Derow, one cannot be a successful rower unless they know how to work as a team. Synchronization and teamwork are critical for rowing crews. Every rower on the boat must move in perfect harmony to maximize performance. This goes a long way in building strong interpersonal bonds and helps foster essential relationship skills. These skills include communication, active listening, and mutual respect. Rowers develops the ability to work closely with teammates and understand that their success in the sport depends more on collective effort rather than individual accomplishments. It is not uncommon to find tensions arise during intense training sessions or competitions. However, young rowers must eventually learn to navigate disagreements in a constructive manner and put more emphasis on finding solutions, instead of blaming each other.
