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

Rowing in Color

#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.
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