Women's Rowing Diary - Amy Van Nostrand
4/1/2005 7:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
April 1, 2005
"All hands down...attention...go!" And thus begins both the longest and shortest seven minutes of our lives. With each stroke we bring ourselves closer to that finish line, closer to that long-awaited call of "paddle" after we have successfully made it the 2,000 meters to the finish.
There's nothing quite like the intensity and atmosphere of a race. We had been told what it was like, but there is a big difference between hearing about it and experiencing it for ourselves. The adrenaline kicks in at the starting line and pulls you through to the end. We made it across, our minds still reeling and not believing that it was already over (though our legs could surely believe it!). We not only finished the race, but exceeded our own expectations. Truthfully, when I heard that our boat had made it to the final, I wasn't sure I could do it again. Everyone said you just have to look inside, find the fire, intensity, and energy to push yourself over the edge. But for me, that intensity didn't come from inside. It came from everyone else in the boat with me. I pulled for them. I pulled for all of the hard work we've put in and for the hopes I have for the spring. I knew that we all wanted to show that sometimes the underdog could come out on top.
Now the motivation at practice is no longer working for the races in the spring. They are finally here. Our new motivation is that we can do better. We can push that much harder to achieve our goals and get that better time. Like our shirts say, we can do it!
-Amy Van Nostrand `08