Women's Rowing Journal - Katie Kessler
11/1/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Nov. 1, 2006
The Head of the Charles was an amazing experience for me. I am a first-year coxswain and did not know the four rowers in my boat before we started training together. Over the practice period, however, I got to know them very well. The friendship and strong trust between competitors working together toward a common goal that grew between us over that time was the most rewarding aspect of the experience for me.
We trained hard through two preparatory races, the Head of the Genesee and the Navy Day Regatta, but the most pivotal moment for me of this journey, was the last turn on the Charles, just under the famous Elliot Street Bridge. We were coming up fast on another crew. I believe it was the University of Maryland. The coxswain would not yield to us at all. In fact, with every stroke, she was moving her boat into our line to race. As coxswains often do, I had to make split-second decision, the hardest one I have ever had to make. I had to tell the rowers to stop rowing in order for us to change direction and pass the boat on the opposite side. At that precise moment there was nothing else that I could have done to avoid a collision, but the decision was so tough, because I knew that the consequences could be huge for our time. Luckily, it was the other crew that felt the brunt of the effect, receiving a full minute penalty. It felt horrible in the moment to command the boat to stop rowing, not knowing if it would cost us the win, but I had to presume that if we had become entangled with the other boat, we would have lost even more time. When we finally heard the results, we were excited to see that we had managed to pull off the win by two seconds!
Coxing is all about making the best possible decisions with only a moment's notice and I was relieved to see that on that day, although we encountered an obstacle in our path, I was able to make the better choice, allowing the hard work of the rowers in my boat throughout the fall and especially on the Charles, to pay off in the end. Standing up on the podium receiving our medals was one of the best feelings that I have ever experienced. It was one of accomplishment and fulfillment.
This win is already serving as a huge motivator to work hard through our winter training that has just begun. I know that if we continue to work this hard that we are going to have a very successful spring season.
- Katie Kessler '10