Coach Jim Dietz, Olympic Rower, Lends Expertise to Row New York

University of Massachusetts Women’s Rowing Coach Jim Dietz visited Row New York on Monday to share his rowing expertise with our staff. Coach Dietz, who built the UMass program from scratch, appeared on numerous U.S. National Teams and in U.S. Olympic entries in 1972, 1976, and 1980. He was inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame in 2010. For a day this week, he belonged to Row New York.

Dietz’s visit was designed to further improve the coaching that Row New York girls receive. He focused on his favored stroke technique with a special emphasis on posture. He demonstrated extraction drills, placement drills, progression drills, and more. He supplemented his talk with video. Dietz emphasized the importance of continuity in language and the stroke across our middle school and high school programs. Dietz’s lessons will prove valuable as we strive to boost speed and enhance integration between our programs.
As an added bonus, Dietz shared funny stories from his rowing experiences, told the story of rowing’s changes over the years, and spoke about athletes he rowed with and coached. His big red UMass pickup truck even graced Row New York’s parking lot.

Row New York thanks Coach Jim Dietz!