Rowing Through Cancer, Injury & Trauma: Three Body Odysseys at 2022 Head of the Charles
SHOW NOTES
Experts:
Dr. Kristine Karlson, MD: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Section Chief, Family Medicine; Director, Sports Concussion Program; Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine, Associate Professor of Orthopaedics, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth
Publications:
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe, DPT
Resources:
“I plan to row till my last breath.”
That’s a pretty strong endorsement for any sport. And we heard this deep love of rowing several times from committed rowers at the 2022 Head of the Charles Regatta (HOCR), the rowing world’s premier event, with 11,000 rowers competing and hundreds of thousands watching from the banks of the Charles River in Boston.
This episode features three body odysseys of competitors at the 2022 HOCR. First, Jules from Portland Oregon, who was introduced to rowing by a friend twenty years ago as she battled a recurrence of cancer. “I will never miss a day of rowing due to cancer,” Jules tells us, crediting the sport with providing physical and emotional resilience. “When I see myself as whole and healthy and strong, I heal quicker, I heal better when I go into surgeries.”
Ping, our second protagonist, overcame acute knee injuries last winter to be back at this year’s HOCR. She is a lifelong athlete and student of movement, also trained in traditional Chinese medicine, who discovered rowing in her fifties. And she credits her Minneapolis Rowing Club with welcoming her into a traditionally exclusive sport. “We have a lot of people who are very encouraging, who gave me opportunities to row in the same boat.” Now, a decade later, Ping is an elite rower in her age group introducing others to the sport she loves above all.
Finally, Ron’s introduction to rowing was anything but welcoming. Paralyzed from a head-on crash while cycling, he was initially ambivalent about getting out on the water while tightly strapped into a rowing seat. And, sure enough, during his first time on the water, Ron’s boat capsized despite many assurances of that impossibility.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Ron tells us with a wry smile. “A guy survives a head on crash with an SUV only to drown while giving rowing a shot.”
How did Ron survive initial capsizing and then develop into a competitive para rower with all the challenge that entails? Tune in for not one but three inspiring odysseys on the rewards and challenges of rowing. Learn more about this sport of a lifetime, instilling many more thousands of rowers around the world with the goal of participating at the Head of the Charles – the sport’s annual celebration of competition, teamwork, and community.
My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.
Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.
What's your body odyssey? Let us know.
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Rower 1
We are in Boston, Massachusetts, at the Head of the Charles Regatta.
Rower 2
We're at the Head of the Charles on a beautiful October day.
Rower 3
So I row at the Head of the Charles every year. Unfortunately, this year got a little back issue.
Rower 4
Really enjoying seeing everybody out on the river.
Robert Pease (co-host)
This is my Body Odyssey. I'm Robert Pease, and for this episode, our season finale, we're exploring the rewards and challenges of an active lifestyle through one of the world’s most distinctive sporting events, the Head of the Charles Regatta.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
I’m Valerie Wencis – now even more of a fan after covering this year’s Head of the Charles, which has been held annually every October since 1965 and currently attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Robert Pease (co-host)
11,000 rowers competing in boats of all sizes. “Eights,” meaning eight rowers, fours, pairs, and single sculls.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
But beyond competition, the Head of the Charles is also a celebration of rowing as a sport and pastime. And a reunion of many amateur athletes pursuing their passion far away from their teammates of years past.
Robert Pease (co-host)
There's women's, men's, and mixed events of all ages and adaptive rowing, which we'll get to later in the episode. We spent two days at the Head of the Charles walking the river banks watching pre-race preparations and post-race celebrations or commiserations.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
In fact, we spoke with dozens of rowers from all over Europe, the Pacific Northwest, and the whole East coast. Basically, wherever there's water and boats.
Robert Pease (co-host)
And I'm not sure this is exactly an exclusive, Valerie, but what we found is that rowers… they really love rowing.
Rower 5
I think rowing is the perfect exercise. Every muscle in your body is tested at some point.
Rower 6
Well, one of the really amazing things about rowing is just connecting with the other people in the boat. And when it's going well, feeling like you're really working in unison.
Rower 7
You know, the fluidity, the camaraderie, and the competitiveness.
Rower 8
When people watch it, they may think that it can look pretty boring on the water. My husband's actually one of those people. But once you start understanding every little detail that goes into it, it becomes extremely fascinating.
Rower 9
Oh, I just loved it immediately.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
So thanks for joining us, Jules. That's what you go by? And where are you from?
Jules
I'm from Portland, Oregon.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
So you came quite a distance. That's Jules, one of the many dedicated rowers at the Head of the Charles this year.
Jules
The biggest regatta in the country.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
She's a cancer survivor with infectious enthusiasm and optimism. And how many is this for you?
Jules
It's my third time rowing here. And I've been here a couple other times just to help my team out.
Robert Pease (co-host)
For Jules, trying out rowing was an experiment suggested by a friend at a particularly challenging time.
Jules
Yeah, I was about 40 and I had a recurrence of bladder cancer and I asked one of my friends, you know, gimme something to do on Tuesday morning, cuz chemo's gonna be Monday. And she said, put on your jogging clothes and go to this address at six o'clock tomorrow. I guarantee you will love it. And I literally had no idea what I was getting into.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
You had no idea you were gonna be rowing?
Jules
No, I didn't. And I trusted her and I went and there was a learn to row class that had just started, I don't know, a couple weeks earlier. They hadn't even hit the water yet. So I got on the erg a couple times. We got on the water. I thought, this is my sport. I feel so alive and so powerful and strong and I've never looked back. Been doing it for 20 years.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
That's amazing. And just like that…
Robert Pease (co-host)
Jules had run track in high school. She played volleyball in college, but these were mere flirtations compared to her romance, pun intended.
Jules
You know, rowing seems to attract kind of type A personalities, and yet once you get in the boat you have to shut up and row and you follow. Unless you're in the stroke seat, whatever you do is wrong if it's not exactly like what the person in front of you does. So it's a challenge mentally, it's a challenge emotionally and physically. It's highly technical. Muscle groups are doing opposite things at the same time, and learning that kind of coordination takes a really long time. So it keeps my interest because it is so challenging.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Even among these competitive rowers, Jules' dedication is exceptional considering the several rounds of cancer she's had to fight through.
Jules
Never. I will never miss a day due to cancer. And I will never stop rowing. That is my identity. That's how I identify as being whole and strong and a competitor at 63 years old.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Do you think that because of all of this rowing you do, you're not gonna miss a day due to cancer? Like, did that help with your cancer recovery each time?
Jules
Oh, I'm totally sure it does. There is a huge emotional and mental component to healing. It may not be as quantifiable as many physical methods, but I believe 100% that there's a huge emotional component to that. So when I see myself as whole and healed and strong, I heal quicker. I heal better when I go into surgeries, which I've had a number of, I always ask the anesthesiologist, which is the one who talks to you at that point, to make sure that the last thing they say to me is, Jules, you're gonna wake up feeling relaxed, refreshed, no pain, you're gonna heal easily. So I get people in my network to give me that healing mindset.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Jules is from Oregon, she rode in the mixed eights at the Head of the Charles – that's eight men and women, very likely a few type A personalities, but all working together in a precise rhythm.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Jules found a source of inner strength through rowing. And that’s a common theme with rowers. They talk about rowing as rhythmic and calming. There's something meditative about it.
Rower 1
You don't think about anything. At least I don't think about anything else but being in the boat. So I think about the water, I think about what I'm doing with my oars. I think about the birds and the trees, but not work.
Rower 2
And you have to be totally present to be able to do it. So for me, it's the one place in life where I am both physically and mentally a hundred percent right there.
Ping
Every stroke is different. And you really have to pay attention. So it's like a very active meditation and you cannot rush it. So it's just like such a therapeutic, healing sport for me.
Robert Pease (co-host)
We met Ping shortly after speaking with Jules. Ping is a traditional Chinese medical doctor and poetry professor who had really no exposure to rowing until her early fifties. But much like Jules, she immediately fell in love.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And she competed this year despite a running accident last winter, running on an icy day in her home city of Minneapolis, followed by another injury in the spring.
Ping
And then in spring, because the leg was so weakened, I was gardening and I slid backward and I tore my ACL. So just suddenly I couldn't walk.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Ping has long been an athlete and a student of movement, having first been a gymnast and a figure skater and a martial artist before discovering rowing. She's no stranger to injuries.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And her knowledge of Chinese traditional medicine informed her recovery. But she also knew what other help she'd need to compete again this year at the Head of the Charles.
Ping
I've been training with strength training and they specialize in sports medicine. So she's really good. So, and also I have a really good chiropractor and I have a really good fascia stretch person, a professional. So those three together really helped me recover faster.
Robert Pease (co-host)
So you're relatively new to rowing compared to some people here who have been rowing since you know, high school or college.
Ping
I started rowing 11 years ago and I think it's such a great sport for everyone. Whether you compete or just stay active, stay healthy, stay happy.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Rowing on her team, she's felt the camaraderie and inclusivity of her boat competing in a sport with an exclusive history.
Ping
In the Minneapolis Rowing Club, we have a lot of people who are very encouraging. Give me opportunities, are willing to row in the same boat as me. And you know, rowing is a very white elite sport still. Just look at the people here. But it's changing slowly and it's not easy to stick it out. I feel I have really earned my seat here. So I'm very proud of myself.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Ping also credits rowing with helping her professionally as a teacher and a writer who’s published over a dozen books.
Ping
You know, when I sit down I really work because of the movement it makes, like it pumps blood into my brain. And so when I sit down I can just start working with the best efficiency. It's like rowing. You have to use the best efficiency techniques. You know, the discipline I learned from rowing, I use it for my writing, and for my teaching, for my gardening, for my cooking, just everything. Once we have the cadence, the rhythm, actually the cadence and rhythm is the foundation of life, then we have endless energy. We never get tired, just like we do this thing. Then I just switch, do another, then I get rest from doing another thing. Then I switch to a different activity, you know.
Robert Pease (co-host)
But you're sticking with rowing though.
Ping
I am sticking with rowing. I plan to row till my last breath.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Some Daoism here on the banks of the Charles. In fact, discussions of rowing can quickly turn philosophical, such as expressing a deep appreciation of nature. Not only on beautiful fall days, but also cold winter mornings as the sun rises over a practice session and begins to warm the boat.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
But to attain those perfect moments there’s a ton of physical challenge involved in perfecting that rowing stroke over thousands, possibly tens of thousands of repetitions. And with repetition comes the risk for injuries. We were surprised that so many rowers were smiling while they told us about their injuries – but that’s how much they love rowing.
Rower 1
Funnily enough, when I did it in college, I had a low back injury cuz I was still learning the whole idea of using your legs more than your body and your arms.
Rower 2
I bruised my two vertebrae and my lower back, like all the way to the marrow. I've had shoulder issues where I've had to have calcium deposits removed from my shoulder tendons. So yeah. And I'm dealing with some knee stuff right now. I'm kind of a medical anomaly though. I joke about my mutant body.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
To better understand rowing injuries, we spoke to Dr. Kristine Karlson of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. She told us about the demands placed on the body by the repetitive actions of rowing.
Dr. Kristine Karlson
So as a sports medicine physician, I deal with this a lot. It's true that anything you do that's repetitive, you're going to have a stress injury or a body stress injury from that at some point. So the actual big stress fracture in rowing is stress fracture of the rib, which intuitively doesn't make a lot of sense.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Dr. Karlson is a former Olympic rower who has also served as a US Olympic rowing team physician.
Dr. Kristine Karlson
That's a difficult problem, because you can't take the stress off the rib and row differently. We also see people with back injuries, chronic pain in their back that's been just slowly evolving. And some of those end up with disc herniations.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Injuries aside, there is another hazard to rowing that we learned about from an 80 year old gentleman from the Pacific Northwest who competed in the Grand Veterans singles race.
Rower 9
Well, I've capsized a couple of times. How was that? Well, it was pretty interesting. I actually, the current of the river took me to a place where I couldn't push ashore, you know, so I ended up calling 911 and they came and rescued me. And everybody here knows all about that cuz it was in the news.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And sure enough, moments later, we heard a ripple of crowd noise along the river that didn't sound like the usual cheering.
Robert Pease (co-host)
A competing boat had just capsized at the Head of the Charles. That's a rare event. And not so dangerous in this case, since rescue boats were ready to pick the rowers up and tow the boat back to shore.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
But capsizing can be dangerous, such as in rough waters and for para rowers – which we’ll discuss with Ron, our final protagonist, in a moment. And capsizing also sets off huge waves of speculation among rowers themselves, probably all of whom have gone overboard at one point or another.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Did they snap an oar lock or had they caught a crab, as in sinking their stroke too deep into the water?
Robert Pease (co-host)
So Ron, thanks so much for joining us. Do you prefer Ron or Ronald or…?
Ron
Ron is good.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Last but hardly least, we sat down with Ron just after his event, the mixed para inclusion. Ron is paralyzed from the waist down. So for this event, he's paired with an able bodied rower for the three mile sprint upstream along the winding Charles.
Ron
It was beautiful. I mean, who could ask for 60 degree weather in Boston in October? So it was great. We had a great experience. We rode hard and all good.
Robert Pease (co-host)
So you're in the para event. How long have you been rowing and what led you to rowing?
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Ron then told us about a horrible accident 11 years ago that resulted in his paralysis. He'd been out cycling with friends when a sleepy driver and an SUV ran into him full speed. A near fatal collision and an arduous recovery afterwards, both physically and emotionally.
Ron
You know, it's a hard thing when you become disabled, because you wanna be as independent as possible. And that's one of the hardest things about moving on post an injury like I've had because I was so independent. I had a job where I was traveling extensively. I had a high intensive job running a desk on Wall Street and I was flying to Asia and I was just always so used to being independent. And now I'm not. And I hate that.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Sports and exercise had always been a big part of Ron's identity. So after his injury, friends kept suggesting all kinds of adaptive sports.
Ron
People said to me, why don't you try wheelchair basketball? Because that's the sport everybody knows. But I was a lousy basketball player when I was able bodied, so that really wasn't gonna work too well. I tried a few other things and then eventually a friend of mine said, you know what? Our rowing club is starting an adaptive program. Would you be interested in giving it a shot? So I said, sure.
Robert Pease (co-host)
And did you just love it right away, or was it a bit of work getting used to it?
Ron
Well, at first they have you on the erg, you know, the stationary rowers. And that was not a lot of fun. But I figured out, okay, I'm gonna give it a shot out on the water and that'll determine if I like it because that's really the experience. And you know, I used to do a lot on the water. I used to be a water skier and I used to be a kayaker and I used to swim. So the water is quite an attraction for me.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
An attraction, getting back on the water, but not without concerns.
Ron
I hadn't been swimming, you know, after my injury and I never learned how to swim again. And I was a little bit reluctant. I was a little bit concerned about what would happen if I capsized, right? Because I don't have full use of my core and I don't have use of my legs. So I'm in a fixed seat with straps to hold me in. So it's not really a good situation if I capsize. But people assured me that there are pontoons, there's no concern. You're not gonna capsize. So I figured well, okay then, it should be fine.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Again, this was Ron’s first time getting into the boat and out on the water as an adaptive rower. No small amount of anxiety there. And as you probably guessed by now, it wasn't all fine.
Ron
And the first day I went out, the riggers weren't attached. They fell off the boat, got on balance, and the next thing I know, I'm under the water.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Oh my God.
Ron
So I know what you're thinking. A guy survives a head on crash with an SUV only to drown while giving rowing a shot. But that didn't happen. I was able to pull my straps off and grab the boat and pull myself out. The rower I was with was a high school kid and she was petrified. And soon enough, the boat came over and pulled me onto the launch boat and everything was fine.
Robert Pease (co-host)
A lot of people would come out of that and say, I'm done with this sport. Did that cross your mind at all, or did you say, I'm not gonna let this set me back?
Ron
It might have for a bit, but not seriously. I knew that wasn't gonna stop me from doing it, and I certainly didn't want that. That wouldn't be the note for me to stop rowing with it. It would have to be a decision because it wasn't meeting my needs. It wasn't giving me exercise. It was too much of a pain to do it. I wasn't getting it, but no. That wasn't it.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And Ron did not let that stop him from rowing, which in itself is remarkable because so much of rowing is dependent on leg action. Some coaches say as much as two thirds of rowing propulsion, which set up an enormous compensation challenge for a para rower like Ron without lower body strength and stability.
Robert Pease (co-host)
We spoke to the Boston-based physical therapist, Lisa Lowe, about the challenges of para rowing. Lisa not only coaches, but is a para rower herself after a terrible car crash four years ago.
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe
So I actually competed in the same race as Ron did at Head of the Charles, just in a different category. So I'm a PR three rower rather than he, I believe is a PR one rower.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
She explained that there are three categories for para rowers. Ron is a PR one.
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe
A PR one rower is someone who primarily uses their shoulders and arms to move a boat. So they'll have a seat back that helps with their posture. They'll have strapping around their hips and their chest, and then they have pontoons on their boat to prevent any flipping, because that's obviously pretty dangerous. You know, it's absolutely incredible to me to think of rowing, in particular the Head of the Charles with just your arms and shoulders. It's a long way for any of us who are able to use more of our body. And so the fact that people, athletes are able to be competitive and row with arms and shoulders is just, it's a fantastic aspect of this sport.
Robert Pease (co-host)
We asked Ron about that physical challenge.
Ron
When I went through occupational therapy shortly after my injury, they were all about pushing yourself properly in a wheelchair, very concerned about the shoulders. So I'm very cognizant about my shoulders getting involved in a repetitive stress kind of situation. But I haven't had a problem. I mean, I've had some tenderness in my shoulders. But it's a more natural motion for your body to be doing this. Well, you can't really see me, can you? It's more natural, the rowing motion is a more natural motion than pushing a wheelchair motion.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Ron's Coach Greta had a huge role in helping Ron develop a stroke that was natural to him. Remember, the sport of para rowing is relatively new and undeveloped. There's very few coaches, not much accepted wisdom to work from.
Ron
I even looked at videos to see what was the proper way for me to row. I mean, there's very little for me to find. It's about taking the proper way to row if you're able bodied and kind of using some common sense and judgment and figuring out what works and what doesn't work when you're para rowing.
Robert Pease (co-host)
We also consulted coach and physical therapist Lisa Lowe, about the development of para rowing as a sport.
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe
I think para rowing is really in its infancy in this country. So the increased visibility for the sport at regattas like Head of the Charles, I think is huge. In an effort to help grow the numbers and the participation in para rowing in this country, you're hearing those stories more and more of people just being like, I wanna be competitive and this is my sport to do so, so here I am, and let's go.
Robert Pease (co-host)
And the sport has grown on Ron in surprising ways.
Ron
What surprised me the most, I think, is that, at first it was just something to do, sort of an activity for me to do because people are looking for activities for me to do and kind of reclaim my life. And then after a little while, it was more than just me doing activities. Because when you get involved in the club, it's not just about rowing. They're talking about the kids who are racing and the masters who are racing. And it becomes about the competition as well. Not in a bad way, in a good way. It's about pushing yourself to do the best you can possibly do regardless of your circumstance.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And after pushing himself through months and years of practice and competing in smaller regattas, Ron set his sights on the Head of the Charles, the rowing world's premier event, and he credits his teammates for reigniting his competitive fire.
Ron
And my rowing partner this year, he had no mercy for me. He made sure not to treat me like a disabled rower. He’d say, you're doing it wrong and I don't care what the issue is. I'm not gonna row with you unless you do it right. And that was great because I felt like an athlete, not a disabled athlete, an athlete again. And that's what it's about.
Robert Pease (co-host)
At the same time, Ron fully acknowledges that to feel like an athlete again on the water. He's had to accept some help along the way.
Ron
Greta. And the adaptive program is something that the entire club has bought into, and they've been there and they met me here at the finish and they've been incredibly supportive and it feels great. And then, but you have to know when not to push back and to accept the help when it comes, how it comes, and be grateful for it because people really are there for you. They're looking to help you. And it's a balance in knowing when to accept the help gracefully and when to try to do as much as you can on your own. And that's been one of the biggest challenges for me in my life over these last 11 years post-injury.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Many thanks to Ron for sharing his story. We wish him and his club's Adaptive Rowing program every possible success and hope to catch up with him this spring at his club when he gets off the erg and back on the water.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
We also hope to circle back with Jules and Ping on their odysseys; such inspiring women setting great examples for others with chronic conditions, acute illnesses or injuries and other challenges.
Robert Pease (co-host)
Thanks to all our guests this episode, and to the organizers and volunteers at the Head of the Charles, the World’s most beloved regatta, run so well it barely caught a crab this year. And remember you heard it first here on My Body Odyssey: rowers really love rowing.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
Whether practicing at the crack of dawn back at their boat clubs or competing with the very best here along the Charles River.
Robert Pease (co-host)
And that is our final Season One episode of My Body Odyssey on the rewards and challenges of active lifestyle. Though we do have a holiday bonus episode in production on the odysseys of some of our expert medical guests, including the physical therapist and para rower Lisa Lowe who we met briefly this episode.
Dr. Lisa Russell Lowe
So yet again, I learned a lot from being injured, which now honestly helps me a ton in my career. And it feels cool to have sort of melded my passions.
Valerie Wencis (co-host)
And Dr. Michael Riddell of York University. His own type one diabetes set him on a path toward world class research on diabetes and exercise.
Dr. Michael Riddell
I was diagnosed in around 1984. So I was a teenager at the time and didn't know anything about diabetes and quite frankly, the technology back then was pretty rudimentary. And that's what made me dig deep into the literature, always just hungry for learning more about why someone with type one diabetes has both low blood sugars and high blood sugars around exercise and nutrition.
And that's what made me dig deep into the literature, always just hungry for learning more about why someone with type one diabetes has both low blood sugars and high blood sugars around exercise and nutrition.
Robert Pease (co-host)
We hope you'll join us for that holiday bonus episode. Binge back on episodes you may have missed in season one, and let us know what you think of the show so far, as well as what you'd like to hear in season two starting up this winter. You can reach us through social media or our website, mybodyodyssey.com. My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge Production. Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney.