My Kit

Photos By Novo Studio

Rowing Floats into Arkansas

Coach Ted Riedeburg is a true rowing advocate. Riedeburg rowed in high school and continued participating in the sport over the ensuing years. Several years ago, he was invited to Arkansas to help jump-start rowing in the state. Here, he shares his must-have items when he goes out on the water.

Ted Riedeburg, the director and head coach of Rock City Rowing, gets settled in for a little rowing practice.

 

Name: Ted Riedeburg
Occupation: Director and Head Coach with Rock City Rowing

Where I row: I first learned how to row as a freshman in high school on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, New York. Since then I have lived in Florida, and now Arkansas. Some of my favorite race courses I’ve been to over the years are in Sarasota, Florida; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Augusta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Now, I’m really looking forward to our relocation to Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. That is going to be a beautiful place to row.

Why I row: I enjoy the challenge of striving for the perfect stroke, either alone in a single or with a team in a bigger boat. The rhythm created with the sounds of the boat and water are like music, which creates a meditative state in which you are completely focused on making the rowing shell move efficiently over the surface of the water. There’s nothing else like it.

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Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses:
Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses:

“The glare off the water is sometimes worse than the sun itself, so rowers need a good pair of polarized wrap-arounds.”

NK Speed Coach
NK Speed Coach

“This handy device measures distance, speed and stroke rate to monitor progress across practice sessions and helps you keep a constant prescribed speed or tempo.”

Concept2 Sculling Oars
Concept2 Sculling Oars

“These are ‘Smoothie 2’ oars with a vortex edge, a good universal blade for various abilities. Sculling oars are approximately 9 feet long where sweep oars (for the ‘Big Boats’) are about 12 feet in length.”

WinTech Single Scull
WinTech Single Scull

“This is their midweight club trainer model, which is good for beginners or as a club boat. It’s durable and a little more forgiving than a stiffer, lighter racing boat.”

Concept2 Indoor Rower
Concept2 Indoor Rower

“This is the most common tool on land for increasing sport-specific fitness and strength and may be referred to as the ‘ERG’ or rower’s torture device. We also use it to teach basic technique to beginners.”