Women's Rowing Journal - Sophie Bird
4/21/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
April 21, 2005
When I came to Bucknell in the fall I knew that I wanted to give rowing a shot, having never done it before. When it all started, I had no idea that I would stick with it for so long. In high school I was never a morning person. I tended to roll out of bed 15 minutes before class started, and rush out the door. It never occurred to me that I would ever voluntarily wake up at 5 a.m. only to go to physically intensive workouts; I mean, let's be honest, I quit the volleyball team because I thought running a mile before practice was not for me.
It really amazes me that I have stuck with this for so long, but joining the women's rowing team has definitely been the best decision I have made here at Bucknell. It has introduced me to my best friends, kept me in shape, and forced me to break out of my previously lazy lifestyle. And although everyone has had at least one "Why am I doing this?" moment, the answer becomes quite clear every Saturday afternoon when you are sitting in the boat surrounded by the seven people closest to you, struggling for air after just giving it your all in a 2k. Crossing that finish line knowing that you did your best is more than enough of a pay off for all of those 5:30 a.m. practices.
This past weekend we had a big win over Fairfield and Drexel. It was awesome to be sitting in the bow seat able to see how completely in unison we all were. From the start five, until the sprint for the last 300 meters our slides were controlled, our catches together, and every one of us was pushing as hard as possible on every drive. It was hands down the best race thus far, and the fact that we won only added to it. I'm looking forward to a repeat of that feeling this coming Sunday at Patriots.
Sophie Bird '08