The unsung hero

It is usual that after a race, people always say how great the rowers were, how good the pacers were at setting the pace, how powerful the back-pack was at providing the engine power and how superb the coxswain was at steering the boat. In my opinion, drummers have always been the unsung heroes of the lot. The ones who people sometimes forget, just coz he or she sat through the whole race hitting a drum and blowing a whistle.

Alot of people underestimate the job as well as the importance of the drummer. The general conception is that the drummer's role is pretty useless, coz he or she just sits there and hits the drum. So anyone also can be a drummer.

NOT!

Fact is, the role of the drummer is equally important to that of the coxswain. For the drummer is the only person in the whole boat who is able to view the whole race, accurately. She is able to see exactly which boat is coming up, whether her boat is leading or lagging behind. This important individual then has to relay the message to the whole boat, whether there is the need to 'up-5' or 'push-10'.

The drummer and the coxswain therefore need to be in sync. Both need to know the race strategy at the back of their hands and know what to do in the event where they need to play catch-up. If the coxswain calls for any pushes, the drummer has to be able to convey that message to those in front. For that reason, the drummer and the coxswain have to have a flawless line of communication and not give out contradicting instructions.

Finding a great person to fill the drummer's seat is never easy. She needs to be able to motivate the rowers, psyche them up before the races when we line up at the start. More importantly, she needs to be very calm and composed so that she doesn't start screaming at us to 'go go go go!" But calmly talk us through the race set, telling us when to 'up' or go faster or longer.

I've rowed with really kan-jiong drummers as well as superb ones who give you the feeling that you just have to row and leave everything else to them. Great drummers aren't easy to find. For it is them, who together with the coxswain, take our hands and lead us through every single race set making sure that we emerge without regrets.

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oh and not to mention, drummers can't be too heavy... duh.
so now you know, me and the drummer's seat... not gonna happen in a million years.