Last April, at our children’s elementary school fundraiser, my wife and I sat at one of 40 dinner tables. I struck up a conversation with a man who was in his late forties to mid fifties. His name was Jim and I found out that he was an avid runner until three years ago. He would run over forty miles per week and weighed fifty pounds less than when I met him. A growing pain in his left knee stopped him from running. Different doctors told him that the knee was irreparable. Uncertain of the success of knee replacement surgery, Jim waited to go under the knife until the pain and inability to move become so overwhelming that he saw no other way out. When I met Jim, it had been ten months since his joint surgery. He explained to me how hard he had to work to bring back flexibility to his leg and the pain that went with it. He was able to walk on an elliptical machine and pedal a recumbent stationary bike. I told him that this must be so darn boring after having been able to run freely for thousands of miles a year over his lifetime. Before I even asked the question I knew that he had never heard of indoor rowing. He was very intrigued by my accounts of the benefits of rowing and the competitive side of it and he accepted my invitation to come to the Iron Oarsman for a workout. Jim is now a regular at the Iron Oarsman. There were two comments he made during his first two rows: “Xeno! This feels so smooth and I feel my entire body working” and “I don’t remember the last time I was able to sweat this much.”
Callie’s Story
I met Callie (she is in her mid-fifties) six months ago when she first walked into the Iron Oarsman. I immediately felt her positive energy. Her sister researched a form of exercise that would be good for Callie in anticipation of hip replacement surgery. Rowing was the solution and I was the only location. After I heard of Callie’s medical future, I knew that chances were good that she could row. I carefully walked her to her rowing machine and once she was seated I made sure she was alright. She announced to me that she was highly uncoordinated and that I should not get frustrated with her slow learning ability. I told her that no one fell off the turnip truck knowing how to row. Callie learned fast and she loved every second of it. In the same fashion as Jim, rowing was extremely liberating for Callie too. She stayed with us for three months, and in early May went in for her hip replacement surgery. I spoke to her a couple days after the replacement and she sounded great. She told me that most of her rehab exercises were like rowing and how amazed the doctor and the physiotherapists were to witness her quick recovery. Here is her account in her own words:
Dear Xeno
Just wanted to thank you for getting me prepared for hip replacement surgery.
Because of your wonderful classes three months prior to surgery my therapists & doctor were amazed to see how quickly I recovered. My upper body & legs were strengthened to do the strenuous exercises for recovery.
My sister Joreen also attends your classes and did serious research on the best means of exercises for hips and knees and rowing was number one -- just as you are dear XENO
Callie
Callie returned to rowing in early July and is doing better than ever. Now, each time I watch Jim and Callie row, I feel a combination of joy and inner peace. I know that I introduced them to an activity that will improve their quality of life continuously for all their years to come.
The Story Of Blind Children at Camp Bloomfield, Malibu, California
Aerial Gilbert and her guide dog Hedda (http://www.guidedogs.com/bios-Gilbert.html) are friends of ours. Aerial is known in the rowing world as a competitive adaptive rower. We joined her last spring for the Junior Blind Olympics in Los Angeles. This summer she invited my family and I to join her at Camp Bloomfield, a summer camp for blind/visually impaired children in Malibu Canyon. Thanks to Loyola Marymount University’s crew program, six rowing machines were kindly loaned for the duration of the camp. I was given the opportunity to work with a group of eight children who ranged from 10 to 12 years of age. Every sentence I said to explain the rowing stroke stuck with the kids immediately and it was awesome to watch how quickly they understood rhythm and relaxation during the stroke cycle.
These three experiences make it extremely rewarding for me to keep publicizing the sport of indoor rowing. So many people throughout the world can and will improve their quality of life stroke by stroke and I look forward to helping mediate this dynamic change.
Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.
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