Reflection of 2025 and Moving Forward

Reflection of 2025 and Moving Forward

As I reflect on 2025, I want to share the key reasons that truly inspires most of us coaches:

• I coach because I LOVE building community; it fuels my passion for bringing people together.
• I coach because I LOVE witnessing the beauty of twenty people moving as one unit.
• I coach because I LOVE being on the water, immersed in nature; it truly feeds my soul.
• I coach because I BELIEVE in creating an environment where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully.
• I coach because I BELIEVE every paddler is capable of reaching their personal best.
• I coach because PADDLING has helped me confront and overcome my own self-limiting beliefs mentally, emotionally, and physically.
• I coach because I LOVE exploring the mechanics of the human body and discovering hidden sources of strength.
• I coach because PADDLING is a sport we can enjoy at every age and stage of life.
• I coach because PADDLING motivates me to stay active, healthy, and mobile.

On that note, turning 60 has brought new challenges to staying fit with familiar routines. My recovery time has increased, and heavy lifting now leaves me exhausted. I've adapted by learning new ways to balance my workouts.

I remain committed to learning about the body and recently completed an incredible course on the fascial system and its vital role in keeping us mobile as we age.

I learned that fascia, after years of repetitive movements, can become stuck in certain patterns. This can lead to pain, injury, and even tears in our tissues. What struck me most is that this explains why changing any aspect of our paddling can be so difficult.

When we train our bodies to move in a certain way, like perfecting a stroke, our fascial system locks in those patterns. That's why I can correct a paddler’s position,only to see them revert during high-intensity moments. Understanding this has been a revelation for me!

I won’t go into detail about the science behind the fascial system, but I will say that my training must evolve to accommodate my aging body. I no longer generate the synovial fluids needed to keep my joints and tissues healthy as I did in my forties.

I’ve started teaching yin yoga as one of the methods I now use to speed up recovery through fascial release. In the coming months, I’ll share classes and another go-to method to speed recovery: guided visualization. This method supports the parasympathetic nervous system, providing the equivalent of 4 hours of rest in just 20 minutes! These tools are helping me balance rest, recovery, and mobility, and I am excited to offer them in our sport.

I will also be sharing more about these methods in the module on “energy training” for the upcoming course in January (see below for details).

As we wrap up 2025 I am excited to be moving in a new direction in the sport. Stay tuned for more information.

Learn more about what we will be covering January 2026 in this LIVE training: https://cherylroose.com/dragon-boat-coaching-course-build-healthy-team-cultures