Women's Rowing Journal - Devon Mitchell
1/18/2007 7:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Jan. 18, 2007
Since last year's winter training trip was spent at home in Lewisburg, Pa., everyone was anxious all fall to learn where we would be going this year. Coach Kish announced the options as Georgia, Florida, or Texas. As a first-year student and rower at Bucknell, I was secretly hoping for Miami, a popular destination for collegiate crews, so when Coach later revealed that Georgia was the chosen destination, I was, needless to say, a little less than overjoyed. Having never been on a training trip before, I envisioned sunshine and calm, blue water to ease the pain of three-a-day practices, which is a little different from the chilly waters of Georgia, that we got, and yet after only eight days here, I have realized this to be a very meaningful experience, not only for my rowing but for my character as well.
Every stroke we take moves us closer to our goals for the spring season. Every drill we do to quicken our "entries" and "suspend" on the oar will make us faster, better rowers ready to tackle the fierce competition we will face in the spring - Navy, Princeton, and Dartmouth to name a few. What we learn here will give us the means to leave our legacies behind with Bucknell, with the extent of that impact left up to each individual. How much will we be willing to sacrifice? How far will we be willing to push ourselves to discover our full potential?
After this trip I have never been so confident in my team's ability and desire to put it all on the line. Everyone here wants to take this program to the next level, and I have no doubt that we will succeed in this endeavor. I've felt it from the beginning - that, I'm a part of something very special here at Bucknell. We're a team on the rise, a force to be reckoned with. If you haven't heard of us, you will soon enough!
- Devon Mitchell '10