A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team by Arshay Cooper

Author:Arshay Cooper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: 2020-06-28T23:00:00+00:00

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I’m terrified of catching a crab. A crab happens when a rower can’t remove the oar blade from the water at the finish of the drive (the part of the stroke where the rower is pulling), and a sloppy stroke occurs. This can happen when a rower loses his grip on the handle, makes an error in judging when to remove or release the blade from the water, or if the boat tips to the side and there’s nowhere for the rower to lower their hands to remove the blade. This usually means some timing problems for a few strokes. An over-the-head crab is even more serious. It’s when the oar handle forces the rower onto his back and the handle goes over his head. This usually means the crew has to stop rowing, recover the oar, and then continue. I’ve even heard of people being choked by an oar, or having the oar handle get caught in a rower’s stomach. The rower gets thrown out of the boat and the rest of the crew has to stop to get the rower back into the boat.

“Okay, guys, let’s bring it in,” Coach Victor says proudly. We say, “One, two, three, Manley Crew,” then we break. Usually after practices Coach Jessica, Coach Victor, and Ken drive us all home, dropping us off one by one. They all are far too kind, and I know their belief in us is limitless.

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