Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Allegra Colandro
3/8/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
March 8, 2011
In rowing, track and field, baseball, softball, tennis, and all other outdoor sports, the weather has a huge impact. For the student-athletes involved in these sports, the weather can influence the effectiveness of a practice and even the outcome of a contest. However, I feel that rowers have a unique relationship with the weather. We are placed smack dab in the middle of a lake or river where the wind is amplified, there are no trees to provide cover from rain or sun, and lightning can strike at any time. The weather is unpredictable, unstoppable, and at times makes practice and competition unfeasible. Yet driving head winds, freezing rain, and snow can serve as training tools and force each rower to give more.
The current temperature here in Lewisburg this morning at 7 a.m. was 26 degrees; it felt like 18 degrees. Although the Susquehanna River is in flood stage, our team surely would have been out on the water. We would have layered up as we did last Saturday for the first time this year in Lewisburg. On Saturday, we all debated on the way to the river whether to put on three or four top layers. We all wore hats and thermal socks. By the time the buses pulled into the boathouse, we were all ready to finally get our hands on our oars.
Despite the cold numbing the insides of our noses and the backs of our throats, I could feel the excitement in my boat and the two boats that flanked mine. The cold was worth the thrill of the press on the drive and the relaxation of the recovery.
During that practice, I recall focusing in on the stitching of the hat worn by my teammate in front of me. At that time of pure focus, I began to forget it was early March. In that moment, I blocked out cold, the wind, and the wakes. They were just one more obstacle to conquer -- similar to overcoming the wave of pain on the leg press, the loss of breath during the last 300 meters of a 2,000-meter erg race, and the bow ball of the eight in the next lane over. In that moment, pictured it was late April and envisioned the commencement of the championship season only a few days away. I felt a rush of excitement and then sadness as thoughts of April drifted in and out of my head.
Before I know it, ice will not cover my oarlocks, I will be rowing in shorts and a t-shirt with the sun at my back, and it will be May of my senior year. Each row from now on, no mater if it we are pelted by wind, thrashed by rain, or frozen with ice in our hair, my teammates and I will make the most of each row. For some of us, this season will be our first and for others it will be our last, but I am sure we will all do our best to make it our fastest.
- Allegra Colandro '11
