Coach Monte is a very busy man. We began this interview immediately following the end of the summer racing season, and we are happy to have finalized the entire thing. Click below to read the whole interview.
Adam: You've been a part of a lot of boathouses on Boathouse Row (Crescent, PennAC, Fairmount, Vesper). Tell us how you got the job at Vesper for the summer, and how Vesper stands out from the rest of BHR.
Monte: It's true! I feel like I've definitely made my rounds on Boathouse Row! Vesper was a very unique experience for me, I was certainly honored and excited by the opportunity to coach the summer U23/Intermediate Men this past summer. Vesper has a storied tradition, so to be apart of that was really cool for me. It's interesting how it came about... Paul Bugenhagen, the former Head Coach at Bucknell, had been coaching at Vesper for the last few summers and during that time he developed quite the friendship with Michiel Bartman, the Elite Coach at Vesper. Michiel came to one of our practices at Bucknell and actually opted to ride in the launch with me rather than Paul, which was exciting and a bit nerve-racking! You have to remember that Michiel has quite the rowing resume - with 3 Olympic medals, he is as close to rowing royalty as it gets! We had a great launch ride; we talked rowing, he watched my crew, gave me some pointers, etc. One day I came into the office at Bucknell and Paul told me that Michiel had called and asked if I might be interested in coaching at Vesper. The rest is history!
Adam: What were you hoping to teach your athletes over the summer? How good of a job do you think you did with that?
Monte: This summer the group was very unique. The biggest thing we focused on this summer was becoming better racers. I feel like the work we did on the water, technically, was phenomenal. It was great to work with a group of guys that were big, strong, skilled and really open to learning and winning. I can honestly say, we probably only had 5 bad practices all summer. My mantra is always to just pick up where we left off the previous session and for the most part we were able to do that every day. The guys made some great technical changes and the quality of our rowing was very high. Our biggest weakness as a group was our racing ability. The splits and times these guys could drop in practice was outstanding, but for some reason when we got out on the race course we would just choke.
This point was made clear to me and the group at the Independence Day Regatta. Sure, we made the final in every event we entered but we weren't very competitive...at least not where we should have been given what could be produced in practice. With only 12 guys and with each guy rowing in 3 or 4 events, once you couple together all of the heats, semis and finals it definitely adds up. At IDR our youth (and relative inexperience on the whole) showed big time. Most of these guys never raced that many times before and most of them never pushed themselves as hard as is required to win these events. By the end, the guys were exhausted both mentally and physically and our results certainly showed that. Summer rowing is different than college rowing and they learned the hard way. The biggest thing we worked on between IDR and Club Nationals was our racing persona. I can say that the guys improved dramatically in that area and raced well at Nationals.
Adam: Did you learn anything over the summer, either from coaches or your athletes?
Monte: I learned a ton! Working with this level of a group was an experience in and of itself. I am a big believer in that every experience is one you can learn from. Probably the biggest thing was how to create a team from a bunch of random athletes. I think our group developed a real sense of identity. Certainly many of those lessons are helping now that I am a Head Coach with my own program.
Adam: You and Coach Zinter have developed quite a entertaining rivalry over the past couple years as freshman coaches at Bucknell and Holy Cross, respectively. How was it to coach against him again over the summer? What was the end result?
Monte: In some ways, I feel like the Zinter-Monte showdown is never-ending! Nick is a great friend and a great coach. He knows rowing, knows what he wants, and knows how to get athletes to get there. Every time my crews line up against his I expect nothing but a battle. Nick and I are extremely competitive with each other and in general. I think the bond we share is unique and not many friendships could stand up to the stresses ours gets put under from time to time, but I will say there is no one else I'd rather team up with than him. I think together we would be quite formidable but until then, may the best crew win!
This summer was a true test of our friendship. I am not sure which is bigger, the Vesper-PennAC rivalry or the Monte-Zinter rivalry! Not only were we coaching against each other but we were also living together. As you can imagine that led to some interesting times but in the end it was awesome! I would definitely do it all over again. The end result is that I think that experience strengthened 2 things: first our friendship and second... our rivalry! Nick had a phenomenal summer with his crews and I am glad that he got on that Canadian Henley dock because as a Buffalo native, I know how much that meant to him.
As an alum, I know with certainty that Holy Cross is extremely lucky to have Nick guiding the freshmen classes through this Eastern Sprint era of the program. Without Nick and his abilities on the water as a coxswain, we would have never been able to turn so many heads in the early days of Holy Cross' inclusion at the Sprints. He pushed us; demanded more from us. Nick knows what needs to happen in the moment, how the boat should feel, what it should look like and most importantly how to get athletes to get there.
Adam: What was the highlight of the summer for you as a coach? What was the low point?
Monte: The highlight would definitely be the Senior Men's 8+ race at the Club Nationals. When you consider the results of IDR, even though we took silver it was still an incredible result. We easily increased in speed by 15 seconds between those two points. As an addendum, Nationals as a whole, was quite a high point. We put a boat in the final in every event we entered, overall a great team performance!
The low point was definitely the time period between Nationals and Henley. Quite a few things were going on at the time with our squad and we definitely hit a rough patch. As a coach, usually the last person I am thinking about is myself. Sure, I want to win, I want my crew to win, but really I want them to have a great time and truly enjoy the endeavor itself. Also as a coach, you have to admit when you make mistakes and most importantly - learn from them. Our preparation for Canada after Nationals was wrong. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing... trying to find more speed, looking at different people but in the end we were focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time. Our Henley results show it and I take the blame for that.
I think the highest point for me really is the relationship that I was able to form with the guys. They were a great group and I miss working with them. I know they are taking the lessons learned this summer and applying them to their college teams... I know I am.
Adam: It sounds like everything at Bucknell happened very quickly; one minute Paul was there, the next, he was gone and you were suddenly the head coach. Can you describe how it all happened?
Monte: Quick is an apt description. Literally the entire process took about 6 days. I knew that Paul applied and then was offered the job at Hobart and it was pretty clear that everyone: administration, alumni, team, etc, wanted me to step in at Bucknell as head coach, so while it happened fast, it was very natural. I have coached every athlete on the team as freshmen, so the move up to head coach wasn't too much of a leap. Certainly the lessons I've learned from Paul are aiding me now. I always told him, "I don't want your job" and the funny part is now I have it! Sometimes life just happens and you need to be there, ready to deal with it. In truth, I couldn't be more honored and excited about the opportunity to lead the Bucknell program!
Adam: What goals do you have for yourself in your first year of operating as a head coach for a fast collegiate program? What goals do you have for the athletes?
Monte: The legacy that the athletes at Bucknell have been able to create over the last few years is remarkable. We truly have a great culture here. As for goals, certainly we want to "win." Every year over the last 6 years we've been able to look back and say "that was the best year in Bucknell crew history," and our goal is make sure we can say that again this year.
Adam: Will we be seeing another Bucknell/HC duel in the spring? What will the results be?
Monte: I am confident that both programs will find the time to race this spring. Coach Pearson and I have already discussed some logistics. I know for our program it is certainly a highlight of the spring season and in many ways the continuation of what used to be the Patriot League Challenge. Obviously for me it's always a great weekend to come "home" and face my alma mater in friendly competition.
If the past is any indication, I think the results will be close. Over the last three years, the collective margin in the V8 probably doesn't even total three seconds, which is pretty remarkable. In the lower boats, it's always a crap shoot.
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