The Boat Club

Rowing

When people talk about how much they love crew, they rarely say that they row because the oar handle feels good in their hand, or the seats are comfortable. Non-rowers ask, "Is crew fun?" Well, think about the basics of the sport: going up and down the slide, putting the blade in the water, over and over and over. No. It's not fun. What's fun about that? Sure, sometimes there's interesting scenery, and sometimes the weather's nice. It's fun to hang out with your teammates after practice. But, catch-finish, catch-finish? It's not quite a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. But, there seems to be something in addition to the actual rowing that makes it irresistible.

There are some things I know I like about the sport. I like waking up in the morning and feeling my whole body ache. I can feel every muscle and know it is there. I know I am alive. On days when I'm doing sprint pieces, I love to feel the lactic acid burn in my legs. Then after a rest, the first few strokes of the next piece feel like a dream as the lactic acid is used up by pushing off the foot stretchers. I could go on, but are these the reasons I, or anyone else rows? No. They are merely the symptoms of a greater love.

Hard work. As a rower, you get to test yourself. Everyday, you go out and row as hard as you are capable of. You push your body and mind to their limits, and by doing so, you expand those limits. That's what people talk about when they talk about crew. They talk about how hard they've worked. They talk about how great it feels to achieve new milestones. They boast about achieving feats they once thought they could not and doing things others choke at the thought of trying. "Anything is possible in the sport of rowing." Anybody can win a race, if they've worked hard. That's what's great. If you decide every day that you're going to be a champion, you can be one.

Some ways to tell you are a rower.

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This page was last updated on: 07/08/2002

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