How do some people row so fast?

I'm new to Hydrow, so maybe I'm weak, but when doing those weekly 1 minute races, I'm usually in the middle of the pack when I look at the leaderboards. I can try to average around 50 s/m for the entire minute, and can never seem to get close to the top 25%.

How does everyone maximize speed/distance? Is there an optimal way to row on the Hydrow? What s/m should I reach to get to top 10% for example?

Edit: In the 1 minute January Race: Week 1 of 4, I got a 2:06.4/500 avg, 51 S/M avg, and 237 total meters. I was rank 237 out of 497.

Thanks.