There are lots of team sports out there. Football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, just to name a few. In those sports, the teams that win a lot and end up with championship trophies are the ones that work together well, but having a superstar can matter too. Sometimes having that one person who can throw touchdowns, shoot three-pointers, hit the ball out of the park, or score goals better than anyone else helps the team on its path to victory.

We took the Kerby’s staff out last week to try a different sport. One that isn’t like these other team sports. One that requires each person to play their part and work together in complete unison with everyone else on the team. I’m talking about Kim’s and my latest obsession – rowing. I’ve been rowing for a full year now, and Kim has been at it for two, so I guess it is sort of creeping from obsession to lifestyle.

But I wanted to share a rowing experience with the staff, not just so they had some sense of what I talk about all of the time, but also because rowing a crew boat is a team sport that truly relies on everyone being in sync and doing their part. So through Tampa Athletic Club’s team building program, we went out last Tuesday and everyone got a chance to get in a boat.

I happened to pick the hottest day of the year, so thankfully the staff is used to being hot and out in the sun. We started by learning the rowing stroke on ergs (that’s the short term for rowing machines or ergometers), and if you’ve ever used one at your gym, you are probably using it incorrectly, at least as far as rowing form is concerned. We all jumped on the machines and got a sense of how to use your legs, body, and arms to create a fluid rowing stroke. And then we got out on the water. We had enough people to fill up two eight-person boats and then everyone got to put their new knowledge to work. I’d venture to say that no one found it easy. Rowing is a full body sport. You activate up to 86% of your muscles to move the boat. And you quickly learn that it is a leg sport, not an arm sport. It’s also a brain sport, because to get the rowing stroke correct and work your blade properly, it takes a lot of concentration.

And that’s what makes it the ultimate team sport. If one person is out of sync, the boat slows down. If one person messes up or wears out, the boat slows down. It takes repeating a perfect stroke over and over, in time with seven other people, to really move a boat. And it’s this team sport aspect that makes this a wonderful team building activity. In the week since we were out on the water, we’ve talked in our morning huddles about how we can apply the team mentality needed for rowing into our workplace here at Kerby’s, and I think the lessons go beyond that. When our relationships with our family, our friends, our spouses, and all the people around us are in sync, our happiness and joy grow. When we are out of sync, we can feel lost and like we are floundering. When we work together with the people around us, instead of against them, we all move forward, just like a crew boat.

After a few hours on the water, we started to get it together. The visual of rowing, what you see when you’re on the riverside watching a crew row, is way different than what you feel in the boat. To the observer it looks peaceful and serene, but when you are in the boat, sweating and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone physically and mentally, it sometimes feels like the wheels are going to come off. But when the rowing comes together, it is a transcendent feeling and you start to feel a true sense of the word team.

I’m not sure we would describe our Learn to Row quite like that, but we made progress and learned some great lessons about being a team. Now, back at the Garden Center, we are ready to push through the month of August and can smell the pumpkin spice around the corner. We’ll get through back-to-school and be ready to plant our veggie gardens and decorate our landscapes for the fall season. I can feel the cool air now! Maybe that’s just the air conditioner. We’re starting to get our fall schedule into place, so we hope you’ll come see us to learn all about Veggies in Florida on September 20 and then come Kick Off Fall with us on September 27. You can think of Kerby’s as part of your team, and we’ll make sure your garden is in sync to have the best harvests and prettiest flowers you’ve ever had.

And, of course, I got ahead of myself. Before fall arrives, we’ve got Plants & Pets! Come out with your fur babies, your tortoises, your llamas, and your pythons. Whatever kind of pet you’ve got, we want to meet them! August 23rd, from 9 am to 12 pm, it will be all about two of our favorite things: plants and pets. At 9:30 am, we’ll have our Pet Parade (register here) and throughout the morning, you can chat with vendors and pet organizations while letting your pet enjoy a few fun activities. All morning long, there will be a complimentary photo booth, and when you get hot, Tikiz Shaved Ice will be selling tasty sno-cones. See the website for more info, and we can’t wait to see you and your pets on August 23rd.