Indiana University Athletics
Q & A with Indiana Rowing Assistant Coach Conny Kirsch
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Oct. 9, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana Women's Rowing welcomed three new faces to its coaching staff this season. In the second of a series of three Q&A features with the new staff, Assistant Coach Conny Kirsch took the time to answer some questions about her choice to continue his career at Indiana, her experiences thus far and her hopes for the program.
What brought you/attracted you to coaching at Indiana University?
I am very excited to be here in Bloomington and coach the athletes at Indiana University. Throughout the interview process and now that I am coaching here, I found that the University and the Athletic Department are fully supportive of our rowing program. Having been a former rower at one of the Big Ten universities, I was very intrigued by the possibility to coach in the Big Ten Conference! Indiana Rowing has all the potential to become a powerhouse within the country, and I believe that over the next few years we will make that happen.
How did you first get into coaching?
I had finished my master's degree in School Counseling at the beginning of the summer in 2006 and was looking for a new challenge in my life. I was coaching throughout that summer at a local rowing club in Columbus, Ohio, where I dealt with various levels of rowing experience from novice to competitive National Championship Masters rowers. I wanted to learn more about coaching and by riding in launches with other coaches, I then learned about the opportunity to coach at the University of Massachusetts. Throughout my years on the East Coast, I got to know many coaches and traveled around the country for recruiting and rowing conferences.
What are the aspects of coaching that you most enjoy?
I like to see my rowers make changes and little light bulbs going off in their heads when they discover something new! I like the attitude towards training within the Indiana Rowing team. There is a lot of competitiveness, but also smartness behind their output on the water. In addition to interactions with the rowers during the time of coaching, I like to get to know their characters and what makes them tick.
How have you grown as a coach since your first experiences?
I have grown tremendously by seeing my teams succeed, but also by making mistakes. It is true not only for coaches but for every human being on earth that we learn and grow every day by our interactions and conversations with other people. Coaching is a never ending learning process, and as much as we think we know everything there is to know, we become students again and again in the presence of other great rowing coaches.
How would you describe your "coaching style?"
Coaching rowing is more than endurance, technique and strength training. Rowing takes a lot more than simply wanting to put the oar in the water and go fast. It is very important to me to incorporate proper nutrition and health care information to ensure the athletes are performing to their potential. I believe that mental preparation and confidence play a big part of who is going to win the race in the end.
Who are your coaching mentors and what have you learned from them?
I have learned a lot from other assistant coaches, just to name a few: Pat Tynan (currently coaching the freshmen men at Yale) and Heather Putnam (current Varsity Assistant Coach at Rutgers) who were coaching with me on the East Coast. Both of those coaches have a great perspective on team mentality and how to communicate better as a coach. I also like to mention my friends and coaches Mary Shofner and Wendy Wilbur who coached with me at the Women's Junior B Sculling Development Camp at Saratoga Springs. They have great ideas on team building and bonding as well as how to get people fast from the technical and developmental aspects.
What are some of your interests outside of rowing?
A major pursuit in my life has been to get to know other cultures and traveling to many parts of the world. Coaching rowing can keep me very busy, and it is important to me to stay in touch with my friends and family. Bloomington offers great opportunities to enjoy my time outside of coaching because of the close knit community atmosphere. Here I can enjoy hiking, go out to ethnically varied restaurants, concerts and art galleries, as well as watch great college sports right on campus.
What are you most excited about when it comes to being a part of Indiana Women's Rowing?
Being part of such a great coaching staff and the rowing program with the potential to go really fast in the next years is what excites me day by day.
