Cold, wet and exhilarating: Alexandria parent Southerlyn Marino learned so much about her high schooler’s crew-rowing that she wrote a book about it.
Marino’s youngest son Pierce (now 17) started rowing for Gonzaga College High School three years ago, and learning about the sport was a step-by-step, word-of-mouth process for her. Last month, Marino published Crew: A Guide to Rowing for parents who quickly want to get up to speed on the sport and know which side of the boat is starboard.
“I wanted to share what I learned,” Marino said. “It’s early, it’s muddy, it’s cold. You think it’s gonna be this grand sport. It’s not. You’re more like a birder, and you see your child for like six seconds, and you’re not really sure which one’s yours because they all kind of look alike in the river.”
Marino is a public relations consultant and started writing the book last summer.
“There’s a parent culture in every sport, for sure,” she said. “Like football has a super different culture from crew, and I couldn’t find any books about it to understand crew races, the structure, any of that.”
Marino said that the sport is a good outlet for her son.
“It’s a sport that can really transform them, and it can really help them develop and grow.
The book includes:
- How and where to get started
- Key features of rowing boats, gear and equipment
- Crew and seating positions
- Rowing strategies
- Training techniques
- Nutrition
- Rowing etiquette
- Competition and racing tips
- How to support your child’s crew journey
- Recovery and injury prevention techniques
- How to balance rowing and academic study
- The lifelong lessons of crew racing.
