New Experiences with Crew

So, after getting over that first hurdle of getting used to one another, we were of course slowly but surely becoming rowers! First, before we could get out on the water of the Charles, we had to learn how to actually row! Our practices for the first month of fall were in the rowing tanks everyday and there we learned proper technique. After our coach had determined that we were ready for the real thing, we began our practices out on the river, in an actual boat, in actual water!! Going from the safe, secure tanks to choppy river water is easier said than done. I can remember our very first practice out on the water; we spent most of it learning how to balance the boat so that it wouldn't lean over to one side! Eventually, we did get the hang of it. It felt so good to feel like REAL rowers, even though we were only novice, and had a long way to go before we were ready to compete. Another important part of being a rower is early morning practices. For the first months, we had our practices during the afternoon, but mid-semester, it was time for us to begin the real thing: waking up at 5:00am every morning, riding our bicycles down to the boathouse, and getting out on the river, in the (usually) freezing cold temperatures. This is where our real stamina was tested!! We had built our endurance up though, so we were able to handle it. Besides all of these new experiences, we had begun competing!! Our first competition was absolutely nerve-racking. We were competing against some of the best womens' colleges in the area, and I remember feeling completely unprepared. Although we never won first place, the feeling you get after completing a long, hard, race is like no other I have ever experienced. We were truly a team now!!

Early morning on the Charles