SECTIONS

Product Feature

Worlds Bumpers

By now it’s common knowledge that the new Cox Box is “New and Improved” and has a colorful array of bumpers that allow you to personalize your unit. To promote that fact, and to support the World Championships this month, we have created a line of custom-made Cox Box bumpers for the coxswains racing at the World Championships. Check out the line of cans above. Let us know what you think of our artwork!

Monthly Special

Free Heart Rate Monitor

Buy a Speed Coach XL2 or XL4 and get a free Polar heart rate strap. $55 value!

Special applies to all orders through August 31.

Useful Tool

Heat Stress – Kestrel

Every coach has a short list of necessities that they bring along in the launch: megaphone, Interval 2000 rate watch, pen and pad, (full) gas can, coffee cup; that probably comes close to summing it up. Well we think a critical addition should be a Kestrel pocket weather meter. Rowing is so dependant upon the environment – air AND water – and accurate and safe rowing can only be achieved when you know the conditions. Kestrel makes a full line of weather meters that can provide data as simple as wind speed and air and water temp, or as complex as heat index, wind chill, crosswind, dew point, and barometric pressure. With base models costing just over $100, it’s a critical device that can keep your crew safer as well as provide you with the best information for racing conditions. The data collected at the local weather center can be drastically different than they are on your body of water. You can use the Kestrel to determine the water temperature, wind speed and direction, and other factors that will affect the results of your practices. Take a look at the full line of Kestrel products here.

Know your conditions.

Monthly Drill

Inside Arm Only

*(sweep rowers only, please!)

The catch is often thought to be the most important part of the rowing stroke. In a big boat, it can sometimes be ignored because the speed is so much faster, so just keeping up can be a big task. The quality of the catch determines the quality of the connection, and likewise, the quality of the release. Work on catching the water at the furthest reach by rowing inside arm only. Without the outside arm to impede reach, you can go much further into the catch, almost like a sculler, but with only one oar. Additionally, the boat is moving slower so you have more opportunity to feel the connection at the catch. Offer the mental image of a line of posts sticking up out of the water. The goal should be to lock the oar behind one post and pry the boat past it. Locking the blade into a tight puddle is a lot like locking behind a post. You have a solid point to pry off of so that all energy put into the foot plate is utilized to move the boat forward, not kick the boat backwards. Do this drill by pairs in a 4+/- and by 4s or 6s in an 8+. Eventually you can work up to rowing all 4 or all 8 if everyone stays over keel and reaches together.

*If you see a single sculler going in circles on the river, remind them that if they read this drill, it was intended for sweep boats only!

Recipe

Stir Fry – Rock Out With Your Wok Out

If you have a wok, it’s a great utensil for inventing stir fry recipes. The recipe listed below is one that I came up with recently that catered to what I had in my kitchen at the time. I don’t think I’ve ever made stir fry the same way on two different occasions. Take what you like from this recipe, or just use what you have lying around. Any vegetables mixed with chicken, beef strips, or pork strips work great. If you don’t have a wok, try a high-walled skillet instead. The wok is designed with a thin wall to allow for intense heat at the bottom and significantly less heat near the tops of the walls. This allows you to control how much heat each item receives. Try the technique below to achieve perfect results.

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bag stir fry vegetables (or vegetables of your choice)
• 1 can bamboo shoots, strained
• ½ pound mushrooms (cremini or shitake)
• 1 -1 ½ cups rice
• 2-3 Tbsp Sesame oil or vegetable oil

Sauce:

• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp Oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium)
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 Tbsp mirin wine or honey
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• Crushed red pepper to taste

To cook the rice, either follow the directions on the package, or try this easy technique:

Use a 2:1 ratio of water to rice. For example, 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Put into a large microwaveable dish with a lid. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, then at 50% power for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. This will only work for white rice, as brown rice takes longer and requires more water.*

Mix the ingredients of the sauce and whisk vigorously to blend the cornstarch and break up any lumps. Slice the chicken into strips and sprinkle lightly with S&P (salt and pepper). Heat the wok over very high heat and add the oil. I like to blend some sesame oil with some vegetable oil, but if you don’t have sesame, it’s not a problem. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and toss constantly, cooking just until cooked through (3-4 minutes). Remove the chicken and set aside, reserving any oil in the pan. Add all the vegetables together and toss constantly, cooking until tender (if using fresh mushrooms, you may want to add them first and cook for a minute or two before adding the rest of the vegetables). If using fresh vegetables, broccoli and snow peas go great in stir fry. Cook until the vegetables are hot, but still crisp – 3-5 minutes depending on how hot the pan is. Add the chicken back to the pan and toss everything together. Try to move everything to the sides and add the sauce to the bottom of the pan until it starts to bubble rapidly. Stir everything together and heat through for 1-2 minutes. If you prefer more sauce, you can add some additional soy sauce and chicken stock to make up the difference. Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you have them. Depending upon your consumption, this should provide good leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

*If you use brown rice, the nutritional benefits are much greater. Complex carbohydrates make for great long-term sustainable energy rather than a quick insulin spike associated with simple carbohydrates (white rice). However, I don’t have a quick way to cook brown rice in the microwave, so either follow the instructions, or check the internet – there are lots of different methods out there.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Canadian Henley Royal Regatta: August 6th – August 9th

To finish up the summer regatta schedule, we’ll be available at the Canadian Henley Royal Regatta from August 6th – August 9th. We’ll be working with our Canadian dealer Regatta Sport, so look for their tent and store.

• Master’s Nationals: August 13th – August 16th

Additionally, we’ll be at the Master’s Nationals from August 13th – August 16th in Camden, NJ. Come check us out there as well – we have a brand new product to unveil, and we’ll also be organizing clinics on how to get the most out of your NK products. Stay tuned for a full fall schedule in the upcoming newsletter.

Have something to say? Share an inspiring story, technical knowledge, or an interesting article. In return for an article that we publish in the newsletter, you will recieve a 10% discount on any one item from the NK Store. Submit your articles to: newsletter@nkhome.com

We have had such positive feedback about our Rowing Newsletters from people like you that we have decided to extract the articles and dedicate a forum to them. Feel free to bookmark the page, make suggestions, ask a question, or just leave some love for NK.
NK Rowing Articles Forum »

Knowledge Center

It's all here: technical support issues, FAQ's, application suggestions, and customer input and product reviews.

Registration Center

Register your NK product and look up registered products for warranty information.

Return Center

Return a product to NK for testing, calibration, repair or replacement.

Career Opportunities

Interested in becoming part of the NK Team? Check here for the latest position openings.