Penny Chuter was the leader responsible for standardising the selection of athletes and formalising the coach education methods used today by British Rowing. She also worked for FISA (World Rowing) as a coach on the development programme. Her insights into what makes athletes skilful, boats move fast and how to get the best out of a boat remain applicable today.
Athlete flow and bound versus free-flow patterns of movement are instructional for all students of Rowing technique and skilful movement of boats.
Listen to RowingChat with Penny Chuter on SoundCloud
Timestamps to the interview
01:00 Introduction and background in rowing
08:00 My whole life is surrounded by silver medals – as a coach and as an athlete.
10:00 Punting and coaching.
11:00 Open Skills and Closed Skills, Flow patterns in athletes – bound flow and free flow
18:00 How to spot bound versus free flow athletes – “Contained” or “Controlled” athletes
19:00 Seat racing when it’s best to use
23:00 The international athletes who are free flow types
26.00 Teaching flow characteristics
30:00 ARA internationally how it was run before the British National Lottery funding
33:00 The selection process
49:00 Trials and selection boards – Pairs matrix, seat racing, long distance assessments in small boats
51:00 Cornish Pilot Gigs – coaching. How to get the best out of this particular boat / crew
57:00 Underhand grip – a challenge to change technique
49:00 How to accelerate your learning – video review
55:00 FISA Fairness commission, the sexism in 1970s FISA and fighting for womens events
58:00 1987 Copenhagen World Champs were unfair. Martin Cross complained and was over-ruled. Then they introduced seeding based on Penny’s lobbying.
60:00 Introduced athletes representatives and appeals panel and the FISA Athletes Commission
