Manny Valentin: Stress Points and Athletic Performance for Rowers of Color Through the Lens of Sports Psychology Artwork

Rowing in Color

Denise Aquino and Patricia Destine are two women of color who are dedicated to promoting diversity within the sport of rowing. Both are former rowers turned coxswains turned coaches in the sport. Together they have almost 25 years of experience on the erg, at regattas, in the launch, or at the boathouse. No stranger to navigation or microphones, these former coxswains amplify what it’s like to navigate the topic of race within the white-dominated sport of rowing. Like most bodies of water, the tide is changing; there are more American rowers of color than there has ever been. You’ll hear from people who represented the U.S. in international races to folks who just started to row this year. Tune in to listen to a mix of interviews, special co-hosts, and tag-team shows from hosts, Denise and Patricia. Whether a rower or not, you’re not going to want to miss. Hit subscribe and enjoy.

All Episodes

Rowing in Color

Manny Valentin: Stress Points and Athletic Performance for Rowers of Color Through the Lens of Sports Psychology

September 24, 2020 • Season 1 • Episode 32

#032 - Manny Valentin is the Head Boys’ Rowing Coach at Saratoga Rowing Association and identifies as an American with Puerto Rican lineage.

In this episode, we talked about:

How he identifies [1:22]
Books Manny recommends for fellow Americans with Puerto Rican heritage [7:48]
How Manny got into rowing [9:24]
Advice for younger coaches [14:45]
What was it like to be the only coach of color in various spaces [18:20]
The role anxiety plays in sports psychology as it relates to non-white athletes in predominantly white spaces [20:40]
Manny’s philosophy on athletic performance and sports psychology as it relates to triggers and racial events of 2020 [24:15]
Onee way Manny prepares his rowers for peak athletic performance [28:30]
His approach to increase diversity in our sport [31:05]
Discussing “you can’t be what you can’t see” through the lens of sports psychology [38:36]

… and much more.

Books mentioned in this episode include:

The War Against All Puerto Ricans, by Nelson Denis
Fantasy Island, by Ed Morales
New York Young Lords and the Struggle for Liberation, by Darrel Wanzer-Serrano

To get in touch with Manny, please reach him on Instagram @coach.valentin

We hope that the conversation in this podcast helps us all in the rowing world -- no matter your race -- to unify the rowing sport through diversity.

If you have a response to this or any episode, we want to hear it. Send us your voice message at www.speakpipe.com/rowingincolor or just check out our Linktree (linktr.ee/rowingincolor). If you don't follow us on IG already, find us @rowingincolor.

Lastly, if you can, please hit "follow" or "subscribe" wherever you listen to podcasts. If you can, please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcast -- it would really mean a lot.

We hope you and yours are well. Stay safe.