Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Cherith Elliott
5/15/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 15, 2008
Our final papers are written, final exams completed, assignments turned in and books have been sold back to the bookstore. Freshman year is complete and it has been an exciting experience through academics, rowing, and meeting new classmates and rowers. Most of our friends have packed up and headed home for summer, but for us, this has been the beginning of a different part of our year here at Bucknell. We started a new routine of practicing hard, resting hard, and focusing on our upcoming competitions. The first stop was the Dad Vail Regatta. We went to Philadelphia to represent the entire Bucknell women's rowing team. Even though the team was geographically divided that weekend, the distance had no affect on the encouragement and support that we received from the other crews back at home. It was comforting to find that the whole team already knew how each race went before we even got off the water. The coaches were on the phone with the rowers at home updating them on everything that happened during our final race.
At the regatta, vendors lined the sidewalks selling all kinds of clothes, spandex, food, drinks, boats, etc. For every race, the grandstands were full. This type of large, popular, and intense regatta was a whole new experience for many of the rowers. Even though it was very tempting, we didn't let our focus break. We prepared and raced at every opportunity like it was our last. As we advanced, the competition became more intense, the number of boats waiting up at the start lessened, and our excitement grew every time we went out on the water. We launched with one goal in mind - to have a great row and our best race yet. Coming away with a medal, we were all so proud of our accomplishment and how we represented our team.
Throughout the whole weekend, the team bonded and became closer with each other. Racing is truly the most exciting part of this sport. The feelings that rush through our bodies exhilarate and push us to reach for our goals. Racing is a time for focus, pushing beyond your limits, but also a time for fun. That is what we pushed for at the race. We went out on the Schuylkill River and had fun racing at our highest level with our friends and fellow boat mates. Together we had some great races and pushed our limits further than we had before.
As we returned to campus, we got back into the groove of training hard, resting hard and preparing for our next competition. The next stride will help us to push even farther beyond our limits to get us down the course faster and stronger. Good luck at Eastern Sprints ladies. Let's go Bison!
- Cherith Elliott '11
