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From Learn to Row to the British Rowing Indoor Championships: Ulf Herzog’s story

One year ago, Ulf Herzog was taking his first rowing strokes; now he’s racing the British Rowing Indoor Championships

For 12 years, Ulf Herzog would cycle past Royal Chester RC during his commute to work. After being inspired by his daughter picking up the sport at university, he took his first strokes on the River Dee as part of a e. Fast-forward 12 months, and he’s preparing for his first trip to the British Rowing Indoor Championships.

Ulf has always been involved with sport. Whether it’s cycling, volleyball, or netball, there’s always been something to keep him busy, and rowing might just be his favourite to date.

I thought; why didn’t I try and reach out to them 12 years earlier!

After an advert popped up on his daughter’s Instagram feed, she said to Ulf, ‘Why don’t you try this one?’

“I rocked up there, signed up for the British Rowing-supported Learn to Row course, and I really, really enjoyed it. I thought; why didn’t I try and reach out to them 12 years earlier!”

Ulf takes a lot of inspiration from his family. His younger daughter has been involved with netball and Ulf has also given this a go in recent years.

“Originally, I have been playing volleyball for 15-20 years back in Germany. I moved over here to England, and let’s face it, Volleyball is not the number one sport over here.

“When I moved to Chester in 2012, I started cycling properly, but mainly on my own on road trips over the border into Wales to ride up some hills. It’s all a bit weather-dependent as well, it can be right tricky when it’s snowy, wet, or windy, and you are some 60 km away from home, trying to make it back safely on these roads and conditions, hoping to be on time and still for a late breakfast on Saturday mornings.

“My younger daughter plays netball, so I’ve done some mixed netball just to try something new. This was fun, and we went with our team (the West Cheshire Warriors) and took part in the Men’s and Mixed National Championships over in Loughborough, but ultimately it wasn’t really the right sport for me.”

Rowing, it seems, is a bit of Ulf. Specifically, erging is a bit of Ulf. Originally from just south of Berlin, he and his family have made Chester their home, and he’s been welcomed into Royal Chester RC with open arms.

“I’m nowhere near decent, but I enjoy it and that’s all that matters to me. I really love the erging. Maybe because it’s simpler than being on the water and trying not to fall in, but that’s fine, we’re getting there!

“I’ve really enjoyed being on the local river, and it’s a really friendly club. It’s quite a competitive club if you want it to be, and I’m quite a competitive sports person. I’m not necessarily after the win, but if you want to beat me, you have to work hard; that’s what matters to me.

“I love the erging. I go to my erg sessions, I give it my all, but I don’t need to be there every day. People in my age group are still pushing themselves, and that’s what I’m thriving on. I love rowing, and erging is one side of this sport. I’m getting a little bit better at it, so I just want to keep trying. I’m looking forward to the whole atmosphere of the British Rowing Indoor Championships, seeing what the competition is like, seeing what the competitors are like, and it fits with my schedule very nicely.”

Ulf will be racing in the Masters 50-54 Open 2000m at this year’s British Rowing Indoor Championships, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Ulf owes a huge thanks to his first coach, Peter English. Peter was the one who suggested racing at BRIC, and while Ulf has progressed now from the Dev1 Squad to Senior Dev Squad, Peter is still checking in with him regularly and is keen to know how he is progressing with the BRIC preparations.

Competitors will be travelling from across the UK and around the world to race at this year’s Championships, which once again will have two days of racing and offer a wide range of distances for individuals, pairs, and teams to race over.

My preference at the moment is for sculling because of the balance and stability. Am I good at it? No. Absolutely not.

BRIC won’t be the first British Rowing Championship that Ulf has entered. Back in June, he and his clubmates raced at the British Rowing Masters Championship in Nottingham.

“We were pretty much a novice crew when we raced the British Rowing Masters Championships. We got given a handicap as we were the youngest of the D crews. We had two people who were in the Masters C age group and as a crew we were placed in the Masters D race. We were beaten by a country mile, but it was good fun,” he said with a laugh.

“I’ve loved the competitive races that I’ve been involved with so far. Trentham was a negative highlight. Our rudder broke 10 strokes into the race, and everyone was wondering why we were going on a big curve, but the rudder was stuck on bowside, and we couldn’t do anything about it and had to abandon the race

“It’s great to see all the clubs coming together and all the camaraderie with all the different teams at competitions. Obviously, the longer you’re in, the more people you get to know. I find this quite nice. It certainly helps with motivation in the cold and wet winters” added Ulf.

While BRIC is the big goal in the not-too-distant future, Ulf has more plans for the next 12 months. He was racing at the Dee Autumn Head on his home water just last weekend, and has his sights set firmly on mastering all the boat classes.

“I definitely want to go in a single. I haven’t managed it this year yet. Everyone says they like the eights because they are the fastest boats, but there are seven more people who can mess things up,” he said jokingly.

“If you are in a single and you capsize or you come last, it’s only ever because of you.”

“I want to find out if I prefer sweep or sculling. My preference at the moment is for sculling because of the balance and stability. Am I good at it? No. Absolutely not, I’m actually faster sweeping, but ultimately, the goal for me is to learn to row in a single, go out in the single, go out without falling in, and participate in a race as well. Until then, I’ll keep rowing in fours and doubles and hopefully winning something soon! I’ll have to work a lot more on the technique, though. I know it takes years to learn how to row properly, but I’m working on it and there is still plenty of time.”