Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Elizabeth Regan
6/18/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
June 18, 2008
"'Ello `ave you ever been to England before?" The smiling English gentleman took my passport. I had entered a world far far away from Lewisburg, Pa.
Twenty women piled into two foreign and backwards vehicles and we embarked on our journey. After navigating some narrow and winding country roads, we pulled up to beautiful cottages, engulfed in picturesque English gardens, which would be our homes for the next two weeks. We had arrived at our destination: Henley, the most beautiful and quaint town in all of England. Sounds like a fairytale, right? Well that is just the beginning.
That evening, as we settled into our new living environment and Jennie and Mary incessantly practiced their horrible English accents, my flat mate Carol kept saying "I am so happy, I am so happy." We all laughed but that pretty much summed up how everyone was feeling. For the 10 days prior, following a successful championship season, my teammates and I continued training. We had the dream of competing overseas, in a place rich with rowing history, and now that dream had come true.
Rowing on the Thames River has been incredible. It is hard to fathom the amount of history that lies on the water. Everyday we pass by the one and only Leander boathouse, the first rowing club ever. It is also the sight of the famous Oxford v. Cambridge race that has been taking place since the 19th century. Last Thursday we got a chance to travel to Cambridge to see the "bumps" races. The bumps are probably the only rowing competition where the competitors collide with each other on purpose. If they bump the boat ahead of them, they proudly don foliage in their hair as they advance a place for the next year. It was fun to see the cheering from the crowds and be a part of an English tradition.
Our first "regehtta," as an Englishman advised me to pronounce it, was the Reading Amateur Regatta. Instead of driving our boats there, we were able to row them there. Although the row there took over three hours, the beautiful scenery and locks made the time fly by.
And then we were there, the grand final of our first regatta in England. As we were rowing up to the start of the race against University of Dublin, I observed the emblem on the back of my teammate, Emily's, uniform. It was an American flag and the words Patriot League. It was here that it really occurred to me that I was not just representing Bucknell or the Patriot League in this race but the United States of America. I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of something so special.
Winning the regatta was great and I was so proud of my teammates, but the feeling of being a part of something bigger is irreplaceable. As my days in England are coming to a close I want to soak up every moment and make each stroke better because our story of Henley 2008 can be retold, but it can not be rewritten.
- Elizabeth Regan '10
