Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Rowing Journal - Megan Mullin
4/22/2014 5:35:00 PM | Women's Rowing
Coming on to this team as a walk-on novice, I was unaware of the positive influences that a sport like rowing can have on a person both mentally and physically. In high school I was quite active, playing soccer and lacrosse and dancing for almost my entire life, but the idea of a college Varsity Division I sport seemed like a far-off dream for me.
So when I showed up to Bucknell in the fall of 2013 I was given the chance to start a rowing career with a group of girls just like me, athletic but having never picked up a boat let alone an oar before. The learn-to-row program on the very first day solidified my desire to be on this team even though up until that day I had never set foot, or sat I suppose, in a nine-person boat.
Looking back now the fall seems like the distant past, going from learn to row, to our very first row with the recruits to the tough winter season in our erg room, to where I am today in the Freshman Eight boat. It amazes me what my team as a whole has accomplished in these past few months, we have grown stronger together, we have stepped up when things get rough and cheered for each other, we have pushed each other, and we have succeeded and failed together. I got to watch as girls around me pushed themselves further and further to reach both personal and team goals giving me the confidence to do the same, our team sees the importance of feeding off one another's energy and that is exactly what we do. The support that I received from not only family but new friends and teammates was incredible, knowing that when I walked into the erg room or I walked down to the boathouse that I had 61 supporters behind me is a feeling that can't be described.
I will always remember my first-ever season race at the Murphy Cup a few weekends ago and it is not because of the cold weather or the persistent rain or the drenched clothing, it is because I got to be a part of a group of nine girls who were willing to push themselves to the very edge, as hard and as fast as we could so we could come out on top, the excitement built with each stroke we took until before I knew it the 2,000 meters was behind us and I had won my very first race as a rower. We as a team are now striving to push and pull harder and faster every race and I am excited to see where my boat can go.
Sometimes slowly, but definitely surely, my fellow novices and I are getting the hang of rowing and with the support and kind, helpful words of my teammates we are growing day by day as we push towards our goal of Dad Vails. What I am a part of is one team, not 61 individual players, we are one team that wins together that loses together and most importantly supports each other. Although I did not know what I was truly about to begin back in August, I do know for sure, one of the best things I have done in college so far is walking into the Forum in the Elaine Langone Center to learn about how I could get involved in the Bucknell Women's Rowing program.
