Magazine-Winter-2025 - Flipbook - Page 44
R O L L TI DE
“It takes a whole community
to build up a team.”
–Kumari Lewis
Lewis is already highly dedicated to her team in her
first head coaching role. Her favorite moment early in
the season was when, in their first few weeks on the
water, one athlete asked Lewis if she felt like the team
was improving, and she replied, “Yes.” The athlete went
on to say that the team had reviewed film from the
first week of practices and felt that they could see a
difference in their rowing. This was very exciting for
Lewis to hear.
“You know, it’s not just the coaches who are nerding
out while watching the video,” Lewis said. “The athletes
do feel it, and they see it daily.”
She takes an innovative approach to coaching
that prioritizes the athletes’ mindsets and overall
preparation.
“I think rowing is such a mental sport, because you
have to be in the pain cave for a significant amount of
time.” The “pain cave” is what Lewis calls the time when
the rowers are working as hard as they possibly can
and pushing their bodies to their limits. She says that
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ALABAMA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
how long an athlete can exist in this state showcases
both their strength and maturity, and “that is something
to dive headfirst into.”
Rowing is certainly a grueling sport, as the team
arrives at the boathouse at 5:40 a.m. and begins
their day with meditation and breathwork. They then
participate in a tradition that Lewis calls a DMP, or daily
mental practice. This can include imagining responses
to scenarios, such as what happens when the team
shows up for a race and it does not go well, or listening
to a motivational podcast together. The team has also
started a gratitude wall with sticky notes listing things
they are thankful for, which can range from the support
of their parents to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
After their DMP, the team does a dynamic warmup
ending in what they call Bama Jacks, where they spell
out “Alabama” as they perform jumping jacks. Then
they go on a mile run and finally get out onto the water.
Lewis says sometimes they focus on technique, staying
in what she calls steady state, a pace that the rowers
