Iron Ore

During rowing season, if a member of the rowing club ergs a 2K time of under 8 minutes for girls, and under 7 minutes for boys, they are recognized with a special award. It’s super hard to get those times, and it’s a big deal when it happens. The Banana got iron ore times the last two years of high school, and this year Mr. TOF had a big goal of dropping several seconds to join her.

His opening 2K time of the season was six or seven seconds away from the goal, and that meant that by the end of the season, he might definitely be in reach of that special milestone. Then he fractured his wrist and wasn’t allowed to erg almost all summer. The doctor finally cleared him to erg and row a tiny bit very carefully right before the very last week of rowing. About four days later, without telling anyone in his family, he erged a 2K at the boathouse before rowing practice and ended up being one measly second away from the goal time (after not doing anything athletic all summer). Promptly he fell off the erg, almost passed out, and threw up at least 8 times. He did not get to go out in a boat at rowing that day.

Because he could finally row, Mr. TOF signed up for fall rowing with a few friends who competed in the Head of the Mississippi in the Cities last weekend. Last Wednesday he got permission to erg a 2K at home that could count as Iron Ore if he got the goal time. We came home from viola, and I took Peanut Maximus outside to play so Mr. TOF would be able to erg in the mudroom without interruptions and distractions. After a bit I heard an exhausted shout from that general direction, and remembering how he almost passed out and threw up multiple times last time, I figured I had better check in on him.

I found him lying on the ground next to the erg, and when he could talk again, he stated that he made it, with relief in his voice, that turned to excitement when he could breathe and move again. The first thing he did, before he even got up off the floor was call his sister to tell her the news.