Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Lea Rosen
4/23/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
April 23, 2010
I can't believe that the Patriot League Championship is in two days. It honestly seems like yesterday I was sitting in a classroom with the entire team for the very first time. I only knew a few of the freshmen, and almost none of the upperclassmen.
Thinking about it as a whole, this year so far seems to be a complete blur. But when I take the time and think about it, I can still remember details about each month and each transition from fall to winter and now to spring. Rowing singles in the fall at first seems like an entirely different year, but I can still remember the very first time I went in one. I remember my main focus was to keep it set and to keep myself out of the water. I managed not to flip, and by the next practice, a few days later, it already started to feel familiar. I can still remember the first time I fully stood up in my single. I remember the first time I carried my single down to the dock by myself. But as soon as I started to feel comfortable and familiar with my single, we transitioned into the winter portion of our season.
As we moved through the winter, growing stronger everyday as a team I felt myself really starting to bond with the team. As we moved into finals week and around the time where we practiced without coaches, I found myself doing a few of the workouts on my own. I immediately realized I didn't like this nearly as much as I did when I was surrounded my team members. I found that the same workout was so much harder when I did it by myself than it was when I did it along side of my teammates.
When we came back from winter break early to go down to Georgia for our first training trip of the year, I wasn't sure what to expect. But the very first night when the team met for dinner, the excitement was tangible. Getting out on the water in Georgia for the first time since the fall was so exciting it was difficult to come back and stay inside.
As a team we made it through it and we've now been on the water for many weeks. Though we're all in our different boats, most with different coaches, we are still pushing together and moving as a team. It's so exciting every weekend traveling with the team and racing. The feelings I had in the classroom on the first day have disappeared and have gone so far away that it's almost weird to think that I was once so nervous and unfamiliar with everything. Now that Patriots is this weekend and we leave for Princeton today, I've never been so proud to be apart of such a close team. Even though the season isn't over, I am so proud of all that we as a team have accomplished since I've been there that I'm honored to be included in it.
- Lea Rosen '13
