Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Meghan O'Reilly
6/9/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
June 9, 2009
School's out for the summer at Bucknell. Exams are finished, the seniors have graduated, and campus is essentially empty. But for me and the other lightweight rowers still here in Lewisburg training for the IRA, it feels like the year has just begun. Of course we've been working hard for months: erging, lifting, waking up at 5 a.m. for what seems like an eternity. But with a completely new lineup and revved up practice schedule, things definitely feel new.
Bucknell is like a cocoon right now. Even though we spend the majority of our time rowing, rowing is our only responsibility, and like little kids on summer vacation, we're enjoying our time off from "the real world". The campus is pristine: quiet, green, entirely our own. I know I'll always remember these weeks of training, for although they seem so separate from the typical bustle of Bucknell life, they actually emblematize my experience here. With class out of session, alone with my teammates, I've realized these four weeks are a microcosm of my entire four years at Bucknell-a brief moment to dedicate entirely to a single effort and process.
I'm sure I'll never forget what happens in California at the IRA (and not just because I've never been out west before). When I think about the IRA, I think about serious rowing: big, old programs, speed, glory, legitimate athletes. I think about how crazy it is that I will actually be representing my school there, racing against people that look like they belong in Nike ads. Getting to race across the country at a national championship is probably the biggest athletic opportunity I could ever dream of having. I feel lucky to get to go. But whatever experience we have out there at that glitzy regatta with big time crews, it's secondary to the hard work we're doing here in sleepy Lewisburg, where there is no glory in rowing except for the simple devotion we invest towards it: where there is only a boat, a muddy river, and a lot of sweat. We'll always remember the sweat because it's forging us into what we'll be at the IRA and who we'll be long after as individuals in the "real world". But when the race is over, my memories of our time together will be just as enduring as those of the rowing itself: the daily trips to the Freez, the Sunday excursions, the wiffle ball games, even the sing-a-longs in the vans on the way to practice. Getting to race in California is an awesome opportunity, but getting to simply be a part of this team, getting to work hard everyday with my best friends---that's an even better one.
- Meghan O'Reilly '10
