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Nielsen-Kellerman

Amplifying the Rowing World for Over 30 Years

NK is proud to support the United States Rowing Team with sponsorship and free NK products. This year’s 2009 US Women’s 8+ just won gold at the World Championships in Poznan, Poland. Coxswain Katelin Snyder used a custom-made US Cox Box to talk her women down the course and onto the top of the medals podium. Congratulations to the entire US team on their continued pursuit of rowing perfection!

Monthly Special

$50 off XL3 or XL4

The SpeedCoach XL3 and XL4 are amazing devices capable of providing tons of feedback for athletes and coaches alike. A coach can have one unit and wirelessly monitor up to 9 crews in real time, viewing and storing data such as speed, rating, piece time, and even heart rate.

This month, you can outfit your team with a full arsenal of SpeedCoach XLs and save a ton. Buy one XL3 or XL4 at regular price and receive $50 off each additional unit. There’s no limit to the savings, so get your friends to go in on an order with you and save even more!

All units must be on one order. Special applies to all orders through September 30.

New Product Spotlight

The next big thing from NK

Welcome to the future of rowing electronics – information without limitation. The new StrokeCoach with Surge Rate takes all the best features of the original StrokeCoach, combines them with some new bells and whistles, and packs it all into a go-anywhere unit that you can use in any seat of any boat.

The new StrokeCoach with Surge Rate uses a high-precision three-axis accelerometer with NK’s proprietary stroke algorithm to give you accurate stroke-by-stroke rating without any wiring harness or seat sensor. That’s a really fancy way of saying that it just plain works – period. Use it in bow seat of a quad. Or in 3 seat of an 8+. Or in your kayak or dragon boat. Wherever you take it, the new StrokeCoach will accurately provide you with rating, time, and stroke count.

New features added to the StrokeCoach with Surge Rate include a high resolution backlight for those early fall mornings and late evenings. Additionally, the StrokeCoach will record your rating every 10 seconds of a piece, allowing you to recall that information later for better training feedback. Without relying upon a seat sensor, you can now get feedback during drill work (1/2 slide, arms and back only, etc.) and while doing partial slide start sequences.

The new StrokeCoach retails for $179 and will be available in mid-October. We are offering a pre-order special for those who are immediately interested in purchasing one. For the first 50 customers to pre-order, you will receive your unit a month earlier than the general public (mid-September) and have the opportunity to receive $20 back just for giving us some feedback in the form of a quick survey. If you’re interested in pre-ordering, or if you would like more information, please get in touch with Patrick O’Dunne at podunne@nkhome.com or 610-447-1555 ext 216.

Featured Article

My Aching Flexors

By Merrill Hilf PT

I had a chance to try the new StrokeCoach with Surge Rate during Masters Nationals, a few weeks ago. It was the ultimate in convenience, no worrying about which boats were wired, I just strapped it on, and presto, instant stroke ratings. It was great to have a reliable rating without needing magnets or other hardware. Now, I can't really explain how the Surge works, so I'll focus on how body parts work, and leave the technical stuff to our NK engineers.

I was given a subject for a column (I'm always open to suggestions!), by a rower who wanted to know what he could do about tight hip flexors. To properly explain how to stretch hip flexors, it's always good to understand the anatomy behind the motion. Hip flexion consists of actively moving the thigh towards the trunk, however sitting is also hip flexion. So, whenever you are sitting, i.e. rowing, the hip flexors are active, versus being stretched when you are standing. There are two primary hip flexor muscles, the iliopsoas and the rectus femoris. The iliopsoas is a short, thick muscle that runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the anterior part of the pelvis. The rectus femoris is one of the quadriceps muscles (yes there are four of them), all located in the front of your thigh. The rectus femoris is the only quadricep muscle that crosses both the hip and knee joint. The other three quadricep muscles act to extend (straighten) the knee, they do not act on the hip joint.

Now that we understand what makes the hip flex or bend, we can figure out how to stretch those muscles. As I mentioned earlier, when you are standing up straight (not slouched), your hip flexors are being lengthened. So, an easy way to add extra stretch is to lie on your stomach, as flat as possible, and gently arch your back while trying to keep your pelvis on the floor. If your hip flexors are extremely tight, just lying flat on your stomach will be a challenge by itself. Another simple exercise is to get down on all fours, and tilt your pelvis backwards, making your back look like a hump.

All stretches should be performed slowly, held for 15-20 seconds, and done 3-4 times a day. Do not stretch to the point of agony, stretch until you feel the tightness, and then hold. Stretching needs to be incorporated into your daily routine, and is as important as the rest of your workout.

Monthly NK Tip

Reset SpeedCoach Gold®

At Master’s Nationals, we were asked by numerous SpeedCoach Gold users how to reset the memory and timer on the unit. For all of you Gold users out there who can never remember the button combination, here’s a quick overview:

• Turn the unit on and get to the rowing screen by pushing the top button 3 more times
• Push and hold the top button until ‘reset’ is displayed, then release
• Push the bottom button twice to select both memory and workout
• Push the top button once to lock in the selection
• Push the bottom button once to approve the reset

Overview: From the rowing screen, Top until reset, Bottom x2, Top, Bottom

Get Schooled

The Coxswain Encyclopedia

200 pages of racing, strategy, photos, safety and more. Written by elite coxswains, coaches and referees, it contains valuable information on how to motivate your crew, how to use the new Cox Box and the eight things you MUST know for racing. This is a must read for every coxswain!

$35 retail price. Proceeds to benefit Row4All, the national youth outreach program.

Recipe

Lasagna de Mexico

• 1 package lean ground turkey (usually 1-1 ½ pounds)
• 2-3 Tbsp chili powder
• 2-3 tsp cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ½ diced onion (preferably red)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed thoroughly)
• 1 can corn (drained) or 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 8 oz jar chunky salsa (however spicy you can handle)
• 8” tortillas cut in half (whole wheat if available)
• 1 ½ pounds shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 oz queso fresco (totally optional, may be harder to find)

Preheat oven to 425oF

In a large skillet, break up and cook the turkey. Add the chili powder and cumin (principal Mexican spices) to the turkey as it cooks. Once the turkey is 90% done, add the onions, black beans, and corn and heat through (1-2 minutes). Add the salsa, turn to medium low, and heat covered for 5 minutes.

In a 9x13 pan, scoop enough of the meat mixture to just cover the bottom. Cover this with a single layer of the tortillas, slightly overlapped on the edges. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and crumble a bit of queso fresco on top. Repeat this process for at least 3 layers, or until the meat mixture is gone. Top the final layer of tortillas with a liberal amount of cheese and bake in the oven until the cheese is browned and bubbly, and the edges of the tortillas are browned.

Let the lasagna rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. This should make 4-6 servings, depending upon your appetite.

*Nutritional benefits – ground turkey is a great replacement to ground beef. In a casserole like this, it’s hard to tell the difference, but turkey is significantly lower in fat (specifically saturated fat) and cholesterol. It’s a bit more expensive, but cheaper than ground chicken. If you use it for burgers, try adding a splash of olive oil to help bind the burger since it lacks the fat of ground beef. This is great because you can control the type of fat you’re adding to your food – olive oil being way more heart-healthy than animal fat.

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Head of the Charles: October 16th – October 18th

Look for NK in the main Expo tent area. We’ll be fully stocked with all of our products, and we’ll also be prepared to answer questions and offer technical support.

• Head of the Schuylkill: October 24th – October 25th

The Head of the Schuylkill is a 2-day event this year, and we’ll be present for both days. Look for us in the main vendor tent.

• Head of the Hooch: November 7th – November 8th

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee! NK will be present for the biggest southern head race of the season, located in Chattanooga, TN.

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

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