Testimonials - read what some of our high school rowers feel about GGRC.

Crew allowed me to enjoy myself. ..I opened up to the possibilities of friendship that I had forgotten about earlier…To me, the crew team has become a family. With our two coaches as parents, each of us works in hope of becoming a greater part of the whole. I return to try my best because of the respect I have for this family which taught me to both work hard and enjoy my time while doing it. Crew is a way of life. It is the way I live.

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When I first heard of crew I didn't know what it was exactly… My first day of practice consisted of an on-land workout. ..It was intense and from the workouts we did on the water, on land, and in the erg room I realized this sport requires determination, dedication and desire… Crew was the first team sport I took up and it made me learn how important it is to not let your team mates down…Crew changed me as a person… 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           . 

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Starting crew has most definitely and obviously made me a healthier person, more physically fit, and someone who genuinely enjoys exercising now... More than this physical difference in me is the sheer happiness I experience in 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 to be ready to help each other out at a moment's notice…In the boat, 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…

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Initially I joined crew because while most in my class had sports backgrounds from their childhoods, I did not…I remember my first day of crew, we walked to practice… 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 previously struggled to walk; I eventually walked twenty miles during the walk for hunger. 

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The unique attribute about crew that made me stay with it is that it is a true team sport.  it's never about how many home runs one player gets, or how many touch downs someone makes. It's about a boat, a team, not about one person's ability over his/her teammates…After joining crew I have made more friends than I have ever had. They accepted me and gave me the chance to prove that I could push myself and never give up.

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Crew has made me a stronger, harder working, more determined person.  I wouldn't rather be spending my afternoons, weekends, the time that it took took to write this for anything else. This is because despite the pain, the exhaustion, and the hard work it was and will always be worth it because this is where I belong.