Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Hannah Lindgren
9/26/2012 8:00:00 AM | Women's Rowing
Sept. 26, 2012
During the fall workouts I had heard the Bucknell Women's Rowing team was planning on attending the Henley Women's Regatta in England in June 2012. As a freshman walk-on with no rowing experience, I didn't expect this to be an opportunity for me. So when the coaches selected me to row in the Varsity 8 at Henley, I was thrilled! The team met at the airport in Philadelphia and the excitement was palpable. As we were walking to the gate, someone asked me if we were headed to Henley. He said he used to row at Amherst and he was bummed that he never had the chance to go. He spoke with such wistfulness that it made me realize this was truly an opportunity of a lifetime.
The city of London was ready for visitors. Our trip was right after the Queen's Jubilee and weeks before the Olympics. Union Jacks were displayed in riotous abundance in the streets and storefronts. When Londoners heard our accents, I answered endless questions about cheesesteaks and Rocky. We posed for pictures in the now empty iconic red telephone booths and reveled in the excitement of a city poised to throw a party for the world.
As an individual and a student-athlete the highlights were many. Jilli, Helena, Gabriella and I stayed with a lovely family with two boys. They welcomed us wholeheartedly. We met their friends and they came to cheer us on during our races at Henley. They teased us about our overuse of the word "awesome" and suggested we substitute it with the words "epic" and "brilliant".
As a team we toured Windsor Castle and crammed into the village pub a few times for fish and chips. We were the first American team to row the Olympic course at Eton where we scrimmaged and beat the University of Dublin. We rowed through the breathtaking locks from Henley to Reading to race against the local favorite Vesta rowing club. Since it took about three hours to row through the locks, we were a little weary upon our arrival and lost to Vesta. Days later we had our revenge and beat them at Henley. We won two races before losing to the eventual regatta champions, the Great Britain U-23 National Team. While we were not expected to beat them in our final race, it was hilarious to see the look of shock on Coach Dan's face when we were hanging in there until the halfway point of the race.
I would like to thank Bucknell University, my coaches and the generous benefactors that made this trip possible. The opportunity to row at the Women's Henley Regatta was indeed a trip of a lifetime. We bonded as a group and I watched with bittersweet reflection as our seniors rowed in the final regatta of their respective college careers. And to quote my British family, it was quite simply EPIC!
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