The coaching bug bit New Canaan's Nate Kelly hard. But Kelly, the assistant to Yan Vengerovskiy at the Norwalk-based Maritime Rowing Club, is not done competing.
Thus, the 23-year-old St. Luke's and Trinity College graduate is faced with a balancing conundrum that is not easily solved. There are not enough hours in the day to train for a shot at making a national rowing team as well as to dedicate himself to the New Canaan girls crew team, which he coaches for Maritime. He squeezes each day like a lemon, getting the last drop of energy out of himself and his young rowers.
"It makes for a full day, that's for sure,'' Kelly said. "I'd rather have a lot of things going on. A lot of times the girls see me at my worst. I've been up since 5 and have in two hard workouts before I get with them. It's very hard to balance it all."
Kelly, a former member of the under-23 national team, joined Vengerovskiy nine months ago. He used to row with Maritime and knows Vengerovskiy's methods. He also knew that coaching was something he wanted to pursue.
"I knew halfway through college,'' Kelly said. "The last nine months have only reinforced that. It's a sport I've lived for nine years. It's something I know and I'm familiar with. Being able to shape part of the future as a coach is great."
Kelly picked up the sport as a high school freshman at St. Luke's and rowed for four years at Maritime under Vengerovskiy. He had an outstanding career at Trinity, where he earned All-Conference honors as a senior, which was the first year the New England Small College Athletic Conference named an all-league team. He rowed with Sebastian Kirwan on the U-23 national team in the men's 2x in 2009.
Kelly still harbors Olympic dreams, which makes it difficult to commit full time to coaching. "Next year but would a stretch, but who knows after that,'' Kelly said. "I have to do my own training until I produce fast enough at selections and time trials to get a shot to make it."
While he juggles coaching and training, he has found some challenges. "Being able to communicate technical aspects can be hard,'' Kelly said. "Sometimes I can see it in my head, but communicating it to the team is the hard part." He also supervises the girls, who sometimes need a little prodding. "That has been an adventure,'' Kelley said. "In the beginning I thought it might be tough. I quickly found out these girls are willing to go hard. You just need to motivate them a little more than guys."
Kelly and New Canaan is at its most important meet of the season this weekend in Massachusetts. The top three finishers in the Northeast Regional will advance to next month's U.S. Youth Championships. It will be Kelly's first time at a major race where he will have to be content on the sidelines.
"Even during the race when I'm watching, I get butterflies in my stomach,'' Kelly said. "I'm remembering my own high school experiences what it was like to race. I get fired up. When you see the coach gets fired up, it can only help you as an athlete. They know that you're invested in it."
Do you think Nate Kelly can successfully combine the dual rigors of coaching and training? Start the discussion below!
Click here to follow Daily Voice and receive free news updates.
