Women's Rowing Journal - Page Kannor
11/7/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Nov. 7, 2005
No amount of rowing, running, erging or lifting could have prepared me for my first ever real regatta. When someone told me there would be about 65 boats at the Head of the Schuylkill, my jaw hit the floor as I tried to imagine that many people sharing one river. Then I realized that those 65 boats were merely the boats in my own heat, the ones I would be racing against.
Coming from Boise, Idaho, I was like the 99% of the rest of the state's population in my ignorance of crew; before a couple of summers ago I knew nothing about the sport. When I randomly signed up for a weeklong camp at Cal Berkeley I fell in love with it--the rhythm, the movement, the aesthetics. It took me as close as I've ever felt to flying. I knew I wanted to continue rowing, but I never expected to enter Bucknell's rowing program after about 2 days of experience.
As soon as I got off the bus in Philadelphia at the Schuylkill, I felt like a 4-year old on Christmas morning. I couldn't stop ogling at the rows and rows of boats, trailers, tents and people in spandex and sweatshirts. I couldn't walk anywhere without being nearly decapitated by a passing boat or dodging the plethora of passersby. When it finally came time to race, I couldn't stop smiling. The whole day, the whole season had built up to this and yet somehow I was more excited than nervous. After what felt like years of waiting, it was our turn to cross the starting line. I felt the connection. We soared, we focused, we put all of ourselves into those 4,500 meters. We walked on 3 boats. It felt like 5 minutes went by and then the whole thing was over--I couldn't believe it. I was still grinning like an idiot.
The group of girls on Bucknell's rowing team is a truly spectacular one. I feel really lucky to be part of such a welcoming, friendly squad. The race at the Schuylkill was better than anything any of us had ever expected, and I'm so excited to continue working hard, pushing ourselves and each other and emerging in the spring better than ever before.
-Page Kannor '09