10 Questions With ... Ron Manly

We kick off Men's Crew Week with our first installment of "10 Questions With ..." which features rower Ron Manly.

1. For those not familiar with rowing, I understand that there are different roles and responsibilities for each guy in the boat. Take me through the boat and illustrate what some of these duties are? What is the key for getting maximum power and efficiency for each race?

"At the stern is the coxswain and usually they get pretty feisty, but they help steer the boat and they possess great leadership skills. The 8-seat is the stroke seat and he's the guy who keeps the stroke together. The 7-seat controls the other side's stroke. The 6-5 seat guys are the big guys on the boat who provide the power and leverage. The 4-3 guys are also big, but perhaps a bit less powerful than the 6-5. The 2-1 guys are a bit smaller because the boat narrows down, but they help keep the boat set. I'm usually in the 6-seat or in the 4-seat, depending on who I'm rowing with."

2. How did you become a rower? Did you play other sports growing up?? Tell us your journey from growing up to becoming a rower for OCC?

"It was always football for me. In high school, I was a right tackle and I played varsity football and basketball at (Corona del Mar HS). I was gonna be a lineman, but I kinda grew old of it. Since I began rowing, it's definitely the hardest sport I've ever done and that's why I fell in love with it. It's painful, but the feeling is such a high. It's a crazy sport in the sense that they use like 84% of their muscles."

3. Take me through a typical race … I assume it's a lot like a distance track race, where you start out strong, then maintain pace as long as you can before a big kick at the end, or is it a bit different than that? Are there outlying factors that might cause plans to change a bit?

"It kind of depends. Always, you want to get ahead at the front … it's such a mental game early and once you get ahead, you don't want to ever fall behind. Keep in mind that a 'big lead' is a boat length. The coxswain's responsibility is enormous. They'll announce your speed and strokes-per-minute ever 500 meters. They plan out our strategies and let us know when to take our power strokes, like a 'power-10'. With a bad coxswain, you can literally run into the boats next to you. I've seen it happen before."

4. It's been a weird year so far, thanks to COVID, so what have you been doing out of the water to maintain your strength and stamina for a return to the water??

"Coach Cam has done a really great job with all of us. Our guys record all of their workouts and it's monitored. We've worked with virtual boats which monitor times and speeds and helps keep us all competitive. I had left for awhile after we all got cut off back in March, but we've been working hard ever since. The guys have been doing some informal workouts and bike rides to keep in shape too."

5. As a local kid from the Newport Aquatic Center … have you ever seen the Newport Regatta before and if so, how excited are you to compete in this prestigious race and represent Orange Coast College against some of the top rowers in the area?

"Before I came to Orange Coast, I used to row on Saturday mornings and I would see OCC race and they'd hold the title of Giant Killers. It's always been a dream to get on this team and make it better. One of the really cool things about rowing is when you beat another school, you get to take their racing shirts. I can't wait to row against some of these big schools and go home with the other teams' shirts."

6. If I gave you a 24-hour pass from COVID and you could do anything that you used to do, what would it be?? What do you miss the most from this isolation??

"It's funny but I'd want to row and get back to my classes. I miss socializing with my friends and other classmates. Communicating in person makes such a big difference. As for rowing, we all miss the pain, we miss the room full of 60 guys working on the same goals."

7. All kids like to eat … what are your favorite meals??
   1. Favorite food in general – "Really like fried plantains and Cuban food. I also love BBQ chicken and rice."
   2. Favorite pre-race snack – "I eat Chips Ahoy cookies. It's something I do before a race. If the cookies aren't around, I'll sub that with some Velveeta cheese slices."
   3. Favorite post-game meal – "You're so exhausted … you deplete so many calories in such a short amount of time, so I like to eat rice, isolated proteins, chicken, maybe a shake. We need lots of hydration after a race. I'll even drink a bottle of Pedialyte before a race or to rehydrate afterwards."
8. When you're not competing, what do you enjoy doing?? Any hobbies or interests???

"I really like collecting shoes, like off-white Nikes. I also work at Trader Joe's so that can get pretty fun. I also lobster dive out in South Laguna and someday, I'd like to lobster dive at the Sea of Cortez."

9. In this COVID world there has been a LOT of TV binge watching going on … what are some of your favorite shows you've been hooked on over the past several months?

"I've been watching Breaking Bad. Everyone has been talking about it and it was insane! I also watched The Office and I love watching documentaries."

10. What are some of your plans after OCC?? Perhaps a career beyond crew??

"After college, I really want to go to the U.S. Naval Academy and serve my country. After that, I want to become a lawyer, like my dad. Whatever career I choose, I really want to help people."