Tight Puddles
to us...
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BLADE
AND LIKE YOU WE HAVE IT ALL COVERED
from the start
to the finish
WELCOME TO TIGHT PUDDLES
We provide information on the pertinent aspects of the sport of rowing. It is often said that rowing is a simple sport made difficult by experts. We will endeavour to include issues that will make your experience more enjoyable. If you are new to the sport or experienced at any level, we would like to congratulate you for making the decision to be involved in this sport. We will attempt to keep it straight forward and to the point.
SERVICES WE OFFER
TECHNICAL
A boat is moved by a Lever called the oar with a blade attached at end of Shaft. We can take you right back to the basics so beginners have a clear picture of what they need to do. We can work with elite athletes and coaches on ways to improve their boat moving skills.
PROGRAM STRUCTURE & TRAINING
Not sure if you have the best allocation of resources? Where does weight training fit in your program? What should your junior coaches focus on? We can help with advice.
COACHING
Always remember the role of the coach is to help the athletes. One on one sessions, In and out of the boat. Communicating with athletes and others in your program.
ABOUT ME
John Cumper
As you can see by this grainy photograph I extracted from the archives, my best on water days, go back a while. We had not heard about carbon fibre Kevlar boat construction, or oars and sculls with varying blade shapes meant to enhance boat speed. We rowed in beautifully hand- crafted timber boats and oars. One thing that will never change is that it is not the cart that does the work it is the horse that pulls the cart. I was fortunate to become involved in the sport in my early teens. I competed at the elite level until my body reminded me, as did Quintus remark to Maximus as the Germanic Hordes attacked the Roman Legions in the movie “Gladiator”:
“People should know when they are conquered.”
Following university I qualified as a CPA, however, by circumstance, I began a career in Coaching. So here I am, still plying my trade. I spent 20 years working in the Elite system in Australia and fortunate to have coached crews at both World Championship and Olympic level. Now I work with the apprentices at the school level, hoping to impart my knowledge to them, hoping that rowing will equip them for the many challenges they will encounter along their journey.
TIGHT PUDDLES BOOK
I provide pertinent information on the sport of rowing from beginners to athletes, coaches, parents and those seeking general information about the sport.
"Having rowed myself since the tender age of twelve and having been around rowing ever since, I believe I can speak authoritatively on what we may call the unseen values of rowing—the social, moral, and spiritual values of this oldest of chronicled sports in the world. No didactic teaching will place these values in a young man’s soul. He has to get them by his own observation and lessons."
