ROYLEROW PERFORMANCE TRAINING PROGRAMS

Rowing Coach: Marlene Royle, OTR

INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL, Vol. 22, No.26, Page 9

Rowing is more than a hobby for Lawyer By Scott Olson

Sport, in general, is gaining speed

Christopher Haigh might block out 60 minutes of his day to go for a run, another hour to lift weights and yet another hour to row his scull. Between workouts, he spits out more hours- the billable kind- for the Barnes & Thornburg law firm.

The 30-year-old intellectual property lawyer, whose job is to help clients file patents, lately has been stepping up his daily training regime in his quest to become a top-notch rower.

As a member of the Indianapolis Rowing Center, Haigh competed Aug. 24 in the finals of the Masters National Championship Regatta at Eagle Creek Park. He and his rowing pal, Terry Hardy, a partner at accounting firm Arthur Anderson LLP, placed fifth in doubles competition. The two, along with to women rowers, finished fourth in the quad races.

Sculls are sleek rowing boats that hold one, two or four people. Although his best finishes during the masters championship included partners, Haigh's focus has become singles races. "For a few years I didn't make it out as much because my time was limited," Haigh said. "But now I devote six to seven days a week to it."

The Purdue University graduate, who holds an engineering degree, has an interest in politics that led him to work for the state Senate. He attended law school in the evenings and graduated from the Indiana University School of Law in 1999.

Since becoming more serious about rowing, he's hired a personal coach with a national reputation. Marlene Royle claimed a national collegiate title while rowing for Boston University in 1982 and has tried out for the women's Olympic rowing team. She coaches at Craftsbury Sculling Center in Vermont and provides advice through e-mail and videotape. Haigh has attended two of her rowing camps and won the regatta there this summer.

Royle, a registered occupational therapist, has coached Haigh only a few months, but is impressed by his determination. "He's pretty talented and powerful athlete," she said. "I would expect next year he could do some serious damage on the national level."

Normal masters races, for rowers over 27 years old, are 1,000 meters long. Haigh hopes to compete next year in at least 10 events. He won a silver medal at the Midwest regional held three weeks before the national competition and won the Head of the Licking race near Cincinnati last year. He intends to row at an Oct. 13 regatta on Lake Lemon near Bloomington.

At the lake, Haigh attended a rowing camp led by Jim Dietz, a three-time Olympian who coached two teams at the Sydney Olympics. Haigh said he learned a lot from the man who has won 45 U.S. national championships. "He torn apart my technique and my boat," Haigh said. 

Single sculls are expensive, running from $4,000 to $9,000. They're normally about 27 feet long and weigh 30 pounds. The lightweight boats are made of carbon and fiber material.

The U.S. Rowing Association is headquartered downtown and has 16,000 individual and 750 organizational members. the sport is growing in popularity, according to association spokesman Brett Johnson, especially at the collegiate and junior levels. The NCAA five years ago began sanctioning women's rowing as a collegiate sport. "Generally, physiologists compare [rowing] to cross-country skiing," Johnson said. "It is upper-torso oriented, but much of the power of the stroke comes from leg drive. You really get a full-body workout." Haigh can vouch for that as he says he's often sore.

The Fort Wayne native's love for water dates to his childhood. He's been a water-ski instructor, but knew nothing about rowing until he arrived at Purdue. He broke his leg during his freshman year while "climbing things he shouldn't have been," but made the rowing team as a sophomore. He bulked up to about 200 pounds in an attempt to row with the heavyweight team. But when he failed to make the "A" squad, he lost weight to try his chances the second semester on the lightweight team. At 152 pounds he made the first squad.

Besides his training duties, Haigh finds time to coach a rowing team of about 18 students at the private International School of Indiana, which his stepson attends. The team, which Barnes & Thornburg supported by donating uniforms, is practicing in hopes of competing against other schools next year.

"[Rowing] has become a very important part of the physical education and athletic programs here," Head of School Alain Webber said. "Chris has given a great deal of motivation. He had that kind of charisma that got kids very excited."

Haigh admitted one of his goals is to introduce the sport to as many people as possible. It's already working at home. His wife Mariatheresa, also a lawyer, has recently taken up rowing and helps coach the school's team.

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