I am so extremely proud of our two teams who just competed in France! They faced adversity, but posted the 2nd fastest 1K time out of 174 breast cancer teams! Unbelievable strength and determination! Sorry to have missed out on this! Let’s give them some big love!!!

This one's mostly for the steers, but I'd like everyone to weigh in as you feel called to. This week we have two world championships and another slew of mishaps, some more horrific than others. Everyone is quick to blame the steer — and while steer incompetency IS to blame much of the time, there's another elephant in the room... the equipment. The boats Champion has been churning out are tippier every year - especially the short boats. The oars they supply with them are increasingly heavier, thicker, shorter, and harder to handle. Try getting purchase in a turn with one of those things... it can be impossible. Yes, some of that is negated by a crew that is perfectly balanced front to back, side to side, and paddling-strength-wise. But when does that ever truly happen? Even with a PERFECT crew, one person can slip, one person can catch a wave, one person can lean in instead of out... and those things matter. So I'm curious - do you think the equipment needs to be better assessed, tested, regulated too? Making sure our steers have the required competencies is one thing, but imho we also need to make sure that when they get to a race they aren't suddenly fighting 17 new variables (and dangerous ones at that) all at once. Because a crew that practices in a BUK on a flat river is not going to paddle the same way in a champion on waves. let me know your thoughts on this.

For those who fly with paddles, how do you pack them, and do you check them or carry them on? I’m primarily curious about traveling with a single paddle, but I’d also love to hear how coaches manage carrying paddles for a whole team.

I am curious if others on here have had teammates become coaches. We have been an organized team since 2007. We have always had coaches who are not BCS team members. We have just begun to transition a teammate to become a coach in training. She’s doing a remarkable job! Great solid leader with clear and crisp commands. So my questions: 1) Does a coach have to steer or drum to coach or can you envision a world where a coach can be a paddler in the boat who coaches during rest periods as well as designs the workouts that the team will follow as called by the steerer or drummer? 2) If the only coaches on the team are teammates, can they still paddle competitively? If so, who decides if a coach qualifies to be on the most competitive boat rather than the second boat? *Thanks all! I am seriously considering becoming a coach, but I am SOOO competitive and I LOVE to paddle. I don’t mind steering some, but it isn’t my passion on the boat. I just don’t want to quit competing and I don’t want to give up paddling regularly (we practice 3 days a week).

Please help me congratulate @Christina Potter on her successful completion of the Level 2 Race Steering program. She sailed through the coursework, nailed her final exam, and completed her competency assessment. Congrats Christina!