Tobias Schroder
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Oxford University Boat Club Athlete
GB U23 National Team Athlete
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The work Stephen did with us at OUBC over the 2020 season was invaluable.
It was the first time in eight years of rowing that I had coaching for my attitude to training and racing.
Stephen met with us regularly throughout the season, first as a whole squad and then in a smaller group with more detailed discussions after we separated into the Blue Boat to prepare for the Boat Race.
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He helped us to build one killer instinct that we brought to both training and racing. When we had this attitude we knew that we would produce results. He put our performance in our control.
Too often in my past seasons and teams, we’ve been waiting to find the mindset needed to win. Stephen facilitated conversations between athletes that showed clearly what needed to be addressed to bring the best out of ourselves.
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Stephen didn’t build anything that we didn’t already have: he made us aware of what needed to be done to succeed at the highest level and helped us bring that attitude out from within ourselves.
The result was a boat that was like no other I’ve experienced in its passion and motivation to be the best it could be.
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Photo by AllMarkOne ©
Ollie Parish
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Cambridge University Boat Club
World Champion JM8+
World Silver Medalist JM4-
Henley Royal Regatta Record Holder
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It was great working with Stephen over the last 2 years.
The impact on me directly was pretty stabilising, over the course of the 2 years I feel like I've become more self-aware with my actions and how they impact the people around me. Having the tools to really get the boat around me moving was instrumental in the success there.
Being intrinsically motivated was another really simple one, able to be bulletproof in the face of any setbacks.
On the group as a whole, I think there was definitely a big impact, especially when we separated into a first 8.
I think regards to building performance and consistency he has helped a lot, having a very very clear focus for each piece or each session just to get one thing right really boosts engagement and progress. Having a defined process each session we do really helps with nerves and confidence when it comes to racing as well, especially at Henley.
Douwe De Graaf
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Harvard University Boat Club
Double World Champion JM4- Current World Record Holder
Henley Royal Regatta Record Holder
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Stephen was a hugely useful component of our training programme for the 2018 season.
From day 1, in our first few whole team discussions, he helped us to slowly gain an idea of what we wanted to be - both on and off the water - to ultimately make us reach our full potential. The idea was to create a “Paul’s Mindset” which the whole team could buy into. This mindset evolved over the year but the main principles were constant. This not only strengthened team spirit but increased consistency (SPSBC 2018 dubbed best junior team in history).
Although very useful in maintaining consistency - Stephen was probably most useful in the run-up to races. As nerves increased and tensions heightened this was the time that things could fall apart most easily. He helped us enter a race day with the exact same expectations of ourselves and of our teammates. This made sure we were all on the same page as we got onto the start line and confident that we all knew exactly what we were doing and that everyone was backing each other up.
George Dickinson
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Princeton University Boat Club
World Champion JM8+
Henley Royal Regatta Record Holder Lightweight JM 2km National Record
Working with Stephen early in the season significantly improved the group's overall consistency he was able to keep us focused on the end goal when we were far out from the racing season
I also thought it takes time before we start seeing more actual boat speed from working with Stephen and I’m glad we had since the end of our 2017 season
Specifically, I thought the times when Stephen made the most difference was before SHORR 2018, focusing on simple aspects made a huge difference for the race.
Another example was Henley when we talked about the process of preparing for the race and managing ourselves throughout.
Our talks before big races managing people’s nerves and building confidence about doing what we would do on a regular basis and having a set plan around racing.