This isn't the Make a Wish Foundation

As I may or may not have mentioned here before, I have a side job in my free time (read: ass-crack early pre-dawn hours), coaching rowing. It's something I love, and get a lot of enjoyment of, even as I've evolved from a young "hip" coach of high schoolers, into an older "experienced" coach of adults.

My current program is a group of adults with 1-6 years experience, who are interested in recreational, but not competitive rowing. This makes my job significantly easier, because I don't have to push them to a breaking point, mostly just get them back in one piece, and with no equipment damage (some days harder than others).

The program is made up of men and women between about 35 and 60 years old, most of whom are what we would politely call "out of shape." To their credit, they get up at 5am, 3 days a week, and come down and work out, and do their best to slow the ravages of age.

One of my rowers, in particular, has a harder fight than most. He's suffering from the early stages of Parkinson's Disease. His body is no longer able to stand up straight, his shoulders slump and round as though he has scoliosis. Despite this, he shows up, every single practice, never takes himself out, never complains. I want to admire him for that, I really do...

Except he's KILLING my boat...

I know its a non-competitive program, and so far, almost no one has complained to me about his situation and how it makes them worse. But he has lost all flexibility in his body, he doesn't have strength to pull his torso back up the slide in time for each stroke with the rest of the team, and his hands are so shaky that he's unable to drop his oar fully into the water to take a stroke. He mostly just waves it weakly over the river.

Today his oarlock popped open mid-row, and while its no burden to stop and let him fix the situation, we all had to sit there for 3 minutes and watch his hands shake as he tried to adjust the clasp. It's just sad and painful. I was hesitant even to take them out on the water today, as we had to row with just four today since so many other people were absent.

Knowing he'd be unable to keep up, and with the instability of a four, I was nervous to say the least. We did get back without any drama or incident, but I don't know how much longer I can argue that he's not a safety hazard. I don't want to ever be the kind of coach who cuts someone from a program, especially someone who loves rowing that much. He watched two daughters row in high school and college, and now has been rowing himself for 10-15 years.

But what do I do? His situation is limiting the other rowers ability to improve. They'll never have a boat that glides after strokes or is fully set as long as he's sitting there. I just sat there following them in the launch today, with no desire to really "coach" their technique, I just made sure they didn't collide into a bridge or buoy.

Am I being uncharitable by wanting to pull him? Or should I let him keep going for as long as he's physically capable?