Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Katherine Brewster-Duffy
5/28/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
May 28, 2008
I came to Bucknell as a freshman, with no rowing experience and no idea what the sport of rowing entailed, but I had a love for anything having to do with the water. After four years of Bucknell Women's Rowing I am proud to say I have become the person I am today. I am proud of what has been accomplished. While it is easy to judge accomplishments by championships and medals, it is more intriguing to reflect on the path leading to them. As a team we have had our ups and downs, but it is the growth process that will remain with me the forever.
Freshman year I can vividly recall watching the Varsity 8 race at the Dad Vail Regatta and how they recorded the best finish ever, second in the Petite Final. I can still remember the look of pride on the rowers and coaches' faces as our program took another step forward, becoming stronger and faster. It was this memory that drove me to row my sophomore year. It was also then that I questioned my ability to commit to such an intense and rigorous sport. But by battling though winter training I was able to help my team record our first ever Patriot League Championship, an upset that surprised the rowers and our coaches, as well as our competition. Propelled by this success I came back junior year with a new focus and respect for the sport of rowing. The team worked intensely throughout the year to find a new faster gear and more success. As senior year progressed and the spring racing season came upon us I found myself with a new respect for the sport and admiration for my teammates.
Now, as I sit and reflect on the weekend of Eastern Sprints I cannot help but smile. Not a simple smile but rather one which represents an immense range of emotions. It is representative of my rowing career, my time at Bucknell, and the growth I have experienced. There was the accomplishment in just being at the Cooper River with such prestigious programs, to be surrounded by crews of incredible speed and know that we belonged. I felt a mix of amazement, fear, bewilderment, and excitement. We had nothing to lose and everything to gain. And gain we did.
The race day was very hectic. There was unpredictable weather. We were shuttled back and forth between the race course and the hotel to maximize rest. As well as multiple changes of race start times. Our team handled it all with grace and confidence. But after all of this craziness, once in the boat and focusing on the women in front of you, all the peripheral noise vanished and we could just be rowers. By the time our final was upon us we had risen above the madness and we rowed the race of our lives, falling to Dartmouth by a mere 0.1 of a second.
Now I feel accomplished and proud. I cannot wait for what is coming next. Although one might see a loss at the close of a season as a disappointment, I choose to see how far Bucknell Women's rowing as come. The weekend of Sprints may seem like a culmination but for me it will always be a highlight along a journey which I am so very proud to be a part of.
- Katherine Brewster-Duffy '08
