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I enjoy being outside on the water. Sunshine. Fresh air. Flocks of geese or pairs of swans nearby. An occasional little fish making a circular ripple in the water. Grassy parks along the riverbank. It feels peaceful and serene to be so close to nature. Compared to doing some solo stationary exercise machine at the gym, I find that rowing with a crew team is much more enjoyable. Feeling the rhythmic “swoosh” of the oars and boat through the water, as all eight rowers move powerfully yet gracefully in sync. Focusing on breathing, movement, and posture, totally in the moment. Feeding on the intensity of supercharged teammates during the excitement of a race. Feeling invigorated and energized, like a shot of espresso lasting the entire day. Gentle Giant Rowing Club has a pleasant social atmosphere. We row hard and race hard, but keep a lighthearted attitude about it. The shorter 1 km distance we row as “Masters” is much easier than the full 2,000 meter “sprints” we had to row in college. Barbeques after the races are not uncommon. An interesting diversity of characters, mutual respect, and sense of humor help to keep it fun. Rowing and racing together build a strong sense of camaraderie. I am happy I found the Gentle Giant crew team, for its convenient location, its bucolic natural environment, its invigorating exercise, and its fun social atmosphere. Although I had been rowing about 7 years before coming to the Gentle Giant Rowing Club, I found a home river and club immediately. The Giants quickly welcomed me into the boats. Not only are the rowers friendly, but they are committed to improving their fitness and rowing technique. The competition between rowers, something I had faced at my previous club, is noticeably absent. Sure, we have seat racing, but even when someone wins a race, there are congratulations and support by the members of the team.Training during the winter for the Crash B’s was tough, however, knowing that I would see friends at 6 AM (almost) made it fun! We worked hard, cheered each other on and supported each other during the 2k’s the day of the competition. We vowed to work even harder the next year and honestly look forward to the tough workouts. Many of us who are rowers have been on team sports, but nothing compares to being in an 8 or a 4 and feeling totally connected to other people. Rowing raises the idea of team to another level. The connections extend to fund raisers for the team, work days at the boathouse and social events at nearby restaurants. As the spring approaches, I am really looking forward to seeing my friends and fellow rowers as the sun is just coming up. We must really love it! _______________________________ Growing up as someone who absolutely hated very many things, including sports, crew was something I felt obligated to do at the beginning because of the effort someone had put in attempts to convince me. But with the wide variety of personalities each person had, it allowed me to enjoy myself. I opened myself to the possibilities of friendship that I had forgotten about earlier. The largest effect came from the races. Spending on average seven hours away from those not interested in crew surrounded by a supportive team that only thinks of each other, there is no way for me not to accept their kindness and humor. When I first heard of crew I didn’t know what it was exactly. I first heard about it from my cousin my freshman year of high school. I didn’t think it was a sport at first but when I decided to take it up in the fall of sophomore year my opinion on it completely changed. My first day of practice consisted of an on land workout. It was very intense and because of it I changed my mind and thought of Crew as sport just from a workout, which we didn’t even do on the water. From the workouts we did on the water, on land, and in the erg room that season I realized this sport requires determination, dedication and desire. Determination is essential in bettering one’s self. A rower is determined in becoming better and better every single practice. This determination to become better is always in the back of a rower’s head. The dedication that Crew demands can sometimes be overwhelming. It requires a rower to have proper time management seeing as how practice is held every single day of the week. The desire to be a winner is probably the most important part to rower’s mind set before and during a race. Crew was the first team sport I took up and what it made me learn was how important it is to not let your team mates down. I developed determination and desire because of Crew. When I am dedicated to something I can positively say it’s because Crew made me that way. Crew changed me as a person, I originally wasn’t too much caring of other people but Crew actually made me into a caring one. The feed back of other people can only make a rower better. I use feedback as a way to fix my mistakes, better myself and prepare myself for future challenges. Crew, to me, means change: A change in lifestyle, a change in how your life will be lived after taking part in this amazing sport. In the spring of my freshman year, I decided to start rowing crew and I have been ever since. This decision has changed me, transformed me physically and mentally into the person that I am now proud to be. Starting crew has most definitely and most obviously made me a healthier person, more physically fit, and someone that genuinely enjoys exercising now. Is great to think that through doing a sport that I love, I can prolong my health and hopefully in the grand scheme of things live longer. More than this physically difference in me is the sheer happiness that I have been able to experience in starting crew. The camaraderie of crew, a sport that is so teamwork oriented has enriched me, and has helped me to make connections and bonds to some extraordinary people; friends and coaches. You need teamwork to carry the boats and oars, to load up the trailers, to set up the chase boat, and we all have to be ready to help each other out at a moments notice. Having someone always at your side at practice is an amazing feeling. It is even more amazing and exciting that almost every single day, I get to spend a few hours with these people who I have grown to call my “crew family.” We have all become close, sharing laughs together, inside jokes, and we even work hard and sweat together, most importantly we give it our all together, and “empty the tank” together. We have all felt the tiredness of the early morning Regattas, and have been there, tired as we are, together. In the boat, when you feel and hear the catch, the finish, and the feathering together, and when you pass other boats, gaining speed you gain a true appreciation for the sport. You form a love and a passion for the togetherness above all else, and that is the feeling about crew that I will never forget, I cannot imagine my life without rowing. _______________________________ Initially I joined crew because while most in my class had sports backgrounds from their childhoods, I did not. Crew seemed optimal as you were to be taught everything. I remember my first day of crew, we walked to practice that day and prior to that I had never walked so much in my life (which was rather unimpressive considering it was barely a mile distance). I struggled that season since it was my first, but I made an oath to myself that I wouldn't give up and I didn't. By the time spring season had arrived I ran the distance I so previously struggled to walk, I eventually walked twenty miles during the walk for hunger. The reason I joined crew was to have an experience with something new that I have never tried before, and to get exercise at the same time. When I first joined crew, I thought it was just about rowing, but I learned that it is more than that; it’s about teamwork. Another reason I’m taking crew is because I’ll be able to write down a sport that I took during high school on my college application. |
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