Coach Nicki Plucinksi: “First, Do What’s Hard”
Nicki Plucinski discovered rowing as a teenager in Victoria, Australia. Though “woefully uninformed” going into her first 2k race, Nicki’s effort caught her coach’s attention and that day left a lasting impression. Nearly 30 years later, Nicki has turned that early experience into a mission. She founded Ratio Theory Rowing to give athletes the attention, direction, and information they need to succeed.
In this conversation, we explore the rowing lessons that carry into everyday life, the work ethic and mindset behind Nicki’s coaching, the science that drives her approach, and why self-care is a non-negotiable part of long-term success.
GUEST:
Nicki Plucinksi,
Founder of Ratio Theory Rowing
IG: @ratio_thoery_rowing | FB: @ratiotheoryrowing | Tiktok:@ratiotheoryrowing
Affiliations: Melbourne Rowing Club, Ratio Theory Rowing
This episode was made possible in part by RowSource and our Patrons
QUICK LOOK
01:04 - Rowing Week on a scale of 1-10: 7 (back on the water after a long hiatus!)
02:15 - The Huddle
05:11 - Hot Seat Q&A
08:46 - Nicki doesn’t remember making a decision to row as a teen, but next thing she knew she was selected for camp
13:04 - Growing up in a sport household
15:25 - Rowing lessons that have carried over into our everyday lives
24:33 - transition to coaching
27:49 - the work ethic, mentality, and science behind her coaching success
33:22 - Ratio Theory Rowing designed to support athletes in big clubs who aren’t getting the coaching or structure they want to reach their goals
36:30 - the importance of self-care: rest, nutrition, time-management, core strength, mobility, warmdowns
48:27 - Nicki’s description of the perfect stroke
49:11 - Steady State Network news and notes
Episode Mentions
🎧 = Listen to a Steady State Podcast episode
SCHOLASTIC & YOUTH PROGRAMS
Ballarat Clarendon College
UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Melbourne University Boat Club
WORLD ROWING
Under 19 Championships
Steady State Podcast is hosted and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering, books show guests, and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel writes our scripts and e-newsletter, and manages the website and social media. Our theme music is Open Mind by Soundroll.
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