Rowing Part 8

Woodgate in the Badminton book: "A crew should be under strict orders to report _all_ ailments, if only a blister, _instantly_ to the coach. It is better to leave _no_ discretion in this matter to the oarsman, even at the risk of troubling the mentor with trifles. If a man is once allowed to decide for himself whether he will report some petty and incipient ailment, he is likely to hush it up, lest it should militate against his coach's selection of him. The effect of this is that mischief which might otherwise have been checked in the bud, is allowed to a.s.sume dangerous proportions for want of a st.i.tch in time. An oarsman should be impressed that nothing is more likely to militate against his dream of being selected than disobedience to this or any other standing order. The smallest pimple should be shown forthwith to the coach"--verily the coach is not only d???, but p???t?a?--"the slightest hoa.r.s.eness or tendency to snuffle reported, any tenderness of joint or sinew instantly made known."

To these golden words I would merely add that in all more serious cases, such as boils, colds, coughs, severe diarrha, or strains, it is best for the coach not to attempt any amateur doctoring, but to send his oarsman at once to a qualified doctor. In nearly every large rowing club, and at the Universities, there are to be found doctors who have either rowed themselves, or have had long experience of treating the ailments of rowing men; and it is far better to take their advice, which, as a rule, does not incline to molly-coddling, than to run the risk of losing a valuable oar out of the crew through one's own quackery.

_Blisters._

Blisters are a common accompaniment of the early days of practice. They are ordinarily innocuous enough if well treated; but a neglected blister may result in a raw hand, and lead to blood-poisoning. The best plan is to p.r.i.c.k a blister at its side with a clean needle before going to bed, and on the following day or two to row with a glove and a pad of cotton-wool over the blister. The skin very soon hardens into a callosity.

_Boils._

These are a sure sign that the blood is in a bad condition, due probably to over-eating. They afflict novices much more often than old oars, who have learnt by experience to diet themselves. A mild dose of Eno's Fruit Salt before breakfast may be recommended. The quant.i.ty of beef and mutton eaten must be largely reduced. Fish and the dark meat of poultry should be the staple articles of diet, and not too much of those. Nor must the mistake be made of making up for the decrease of meat by over-loading the stomach with immense ma.s.ses of vegetables, though in moderation vegetables are excellent. Having thus done his best for the patient's inside, the coach must send him to a doctor to have the boil treated externally.

_Diarrha._

Cut off fruits of all kinds; reduce meat; give an extra gla.s.s of port, and if the complaint continues, send the afflicted to a doctor.

_Strains._

Ordinary muscular strains generally yield to a good rubbing with an embrocation. For wrist-strains a leather band may be recommended.

Abdominal strains must be seen to by a doctor.

_Colds._

The best remedy for a severe cold is to give your man at least one day's complete rest, and make him keep his room. Indeed, with most ailments a day's rest will work wonders; and it is far better for a coach to make up his reluctant mind to grant it, than to run the risk of losing a valuable man altogether by keeping him chained to his oar when he is unfit to work. However, no man who takes proper care of himself, and always makes a point of wrapping up when his crew easies, ought to catch a cold.

TRAINING AND DIET.

The rules of training and diet should be the rules of common sense, applied to cases in which the body has to prepare itself, by severe work and perfectly simple, healthy living, for an exceptional effort or series of efforts. Rules there must be, if only on account of the advantage that comes of being able to make exceptions to them. But the chief points must be regularity and simplicity--a regularity, that is, which shall not entail an unvarying and wearisome monotony, and simplicity which shall not exclude occasional little luxuries that act as a stimulus to a man's jaded energies.

I shall give here two tables showing the hours and the dietary of an Oxford crew training during a little more than five weeks for the race against Cambridge, and of a Leander crew training for nearly three weeks for the Grand Challenge race at Henley Regatta.

I. _Oxford Crew._

7 A.M. Out of bed, and without bathing or washing dress immediately in flannels. A cup of milk and a biscuit.

7.15 " Out of the house. A brisk walk with one sharp run of 150 yards.

7.50 " Back to the house. Bath, etc.

8.30 " Breakfast.--Fish, plainly cooked, without sauce.

Soles, whiting, and smelts are best. Salmon is not allowed. Cutlets or beefsteaks, or grilled chicken. Eggs, boiled, or poached, or fried, sometimes scrambled. Mustard and cress, or water-cress. Toast. Limited amount of b.u.t.ter.

Marmalade is allowed only during the last fortnight of training. Not more than a cup and a half of tea.

11 " At Putney, when the state of the tide permits it, exercise in the boat. It should be noted that the tide sometimes makes it necessary for the crew to do its rowing in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. Occasionally work can be done both in the morning and afternoon.

1 P.M. Lunch.--Cold meat. Tomatoes plainly made into a salad with oil and vinegar. Toast. Small quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter. Oatmeal biscuits. One gla.s.s of draught beer, or claret and water.

3 or 4 " (according to tide). Work in the boat.

6.30 " Dinner.--Fish, as at breakfast. An _entree_ of pigeons, or sweetbread, or spinach and poached eggs. Roast joint (not pork or veal), or else chicken, with potatoes, mashed or boiled, and boiled vegetables. Stewed fruit with rice puddings.

Sometimes jelly. Two gla.s.ses of draught beer, or claret and water. For dessert, figs, prunes, oranges, dry biscuits, and one gla.s.s of port wine.

9.50 P.M. A gla.s.s of lemon and water, or a cup of water-gruel.

10 " Bed.

(_Note._--Once or twice during training there is a "champagne night," when champagne is subst.i.tuted for beer or claret and water; but this only occurs when the crew have been doing very hard work, or when they show evident signs of being over-fatigued, and require a fillip.)

II. _Leander Training at Henley._

7 to 8.30 A.M. Same as in previous table.

8.30 A.M. Breakfast.--Same as in previous table, save for the frequent absence of meat. Marmalade allowed. Strawberries or peaches without sugar; no cream.

10.30 or 11, or 12 P.M. Out on the water.

1.30 P.M. Lunch.--Same as in previous table.

4.45 " Cup of tea with a slice of bread and b.u.t.ter, or a biscuit.

5.30 or 6 P.M. Out on the water.

7.30 or 8 " Dinner.--Same as in previous table.

9.50 P.M. Same as in previous table.

10.15 " Bed.

(_Note._--With most Leander crews, which are composed of experienced oarsmen, it has been found possible to abolish restrictions on the amount of liquor, and to allow the men to take what they want to satisfy their thirst, which at Henley time is naturally more severe than it is in the early spring at Putney. With a college crew of younger and less experienced oars such liberty of action is not to be recommended; but a trainer ought, during hot weather, to tell his men that if they really want an extra half-gla.s.s or so, they are not to hesitate to ask for it. Men in training will, however, generally find that if they exercise a little self-control during the first few days of training, when the restriction on their drink seems specially painful, their desire for drink will gradually diminish, until at last they are quite content with their limited allowance.

If, on the contrary, they perpetually indulge themselves, they will always be wanting more. On this point I may cite the authority of the following remarks extracted from a recent article in the _British Medical Journal_:--

"Among the various discomforts entailed upon us by the hot weather is thirst, which leads to many accidents. First and most especially is the danger arising from the ingestion of ices and cold drinks, which so many people fly to directly they feel hot. Difficult as it may be to explain in precise physiological terms the evil consequences which so often follow the sudden application of cold to the mucous membrane of the stomach when the body is over-heated, there is no doubt about the fact, and people would do well to remember the risk they run when they follow their instinct, and endeavour to a.s.suage their thirst by huge draughts of cold fluids.

There can be but little doubt that the profuse perspiration which is the cause of so many dangers is greatly aggravated by drinking, and especially by drinking alcoholic fluids. No one can watch a tennis match without noticing how the men perspire, while the girls hardly turn a hair. Some, perhaps, will say that the girls play the feebler game; but, game or no game, they exert themselves. The same also may be seen at any dance. The secret is that the men follow their instinct and slake their thirst, while the girls simply bear it. It should be remembered that thirst is the result of want of fluid in the blood, not want of fluid in the stomach, and that a pint or more may be drunk before a single ounce is absorbed. Any attempt, then, to a.s.suage thirst by rapid drinking must of necessity lead to far more being taken than is wanted, the moral of which is that if we must drink, at least let us drink slowly."

Besides asking his men to drink slowly, a coach will do well to see that they take no drink at all before they have eaten a certain amount of food. Between meals, except as set out in the tables given above, no drink of any kind should be allowed.

Over-eating, too, is a very common danger, especially in the case of youngsters, and a coach must warn his crew severely against it.)

A captain ought to be specially strict in insisting on getting his men out of their beds at a fixed time, and in seeing that they do not stay up too late at night. Absolute punctuality all round ought to be rigidly enforced. If, however, anybody should resent the severities entailed by this dietary, and pine for freedom, he may be recommended to try what I may call the Ouida system. It is fully set out in "Under Two Flags,"

from which, in a spirit of humble admiration, I venture to give an extract:--

"'Beauty don't believe in training. No more do I. Never would train for anything,' said the Seraph, now pulling the long blonde moustaches that were not altogether in character with his seraphic cognomen. 'If a man can ride, let him. If he's born to the pig-skin he'll be in at the distance safe enough, whether he smoke or don't smoke, drink or don't drink. As for training on raw chops, giving up wine, living like the very deuce, and all as if you were in a monastery, and changing yourself into a mere bag of bones--it's utter bosh. You might as well be in purgatory; besides, it's no more credit to win then than if you were a professional.'

"'But you must have trained at Christ Church, Rock, for the Eight?'