by Kevin and Fiona
I think the key to becoming an effective steerer is to keep at it. The old adage is that practice makes perfect and it definitely applies to steering. The more time you spend doing it, in practice or at races, the more exposure you get to different conditions and subsequently, the more prepared you are to handle those situations.
The key to keeping your balance is to have a stable stance. Bend at the knees a bit to lower your center of gravity. Most importantly, keep your feet apart and have one slightly in front of the other. That way, you’ll be able to stabilize yourself whether the boat lurches forward/backward or side to side or any combination of the two.
Standing at the back, the steerer has a great vantage point from which to observe the entire boat. The most important thing to check is boat balance: making sure that the boat is not leaning too much to either side. Once you’re off the docks, the steerer should always stay vigilante and be aware of his or her surroundings in order to keep the crew safe. Of course, one will also need to pay attention to the nose of the boat to control the direction and also the drummer for any additional communications. If everything is fine, I’ll pay attention to the paddlers’ technique: checking things like timing or body rotation.
Paddlers can help by minimizing chatter and listening for any calls from the steerer. Especially if you’re in a race or if weather conditions rapidly change, the steerer may need to make sudden calls to keep the boat safe and reacting immediately to those calls is crucial. Additionally, it is helpful for paddlers to avoid shifting their weight suddenly by leaning to the other side of the boat or getting up as that can tip the boat.
The hardest part of the race is probably the start. There’s a ton going on and a lot of voices flying around. As a steerer, you have to discern the relevant instructions coming to you from the race starter and you have to quickly and efficiently relay those commands to your crew. You have to really be on top of the calls to make sure you reach the start line at precisely the right time (and hopefully with a bit of forward momentum).
For a 2000 meter race, there are buoys that demarcate the course and usually there’s one at the start and at the end of the turn as well as one at the apex of the turn. My approach is to begin turning before that first buoy and leave a yard or two of distance between my boat and it. Then, I try and scrape the apex buoy and the final buoy to complete a tight turn. Try to make as tight of a turn as conditions allow. If a boat right in front of you takes a wide turn, feel free to over take them on the inside.
For aspiring steerers, my only advice is to keep at it. We all start somewhere and I was certainly stuck doing donuts when I first tried it out. Most importantly, embrace the position. When you’re back there, you’re not just another paddler. You have to be commanding and decisive in the calls that you make and you can’t shy away from it because the boat is placing its trust in you.
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