Bucknell University Athletics
Novice Journals - Fall 2015
10/8/2015 4:25:00 PM | Women's Rowing
Hands on!” The coxswain calmly gets us into order.
This is something I am not used to since I was a field sport athlete in high school. Playing soccer and lacrosse was all in the reaction. It was running and jogging around most of the time with no certain direction. Rowing is completely different from anything I have ever done. The first day of practice I knew I was in for a tough experience to learn this sport. The mentality and individual strength needed of each person in the boat is imperative for success. If one person does not quite drive through the water or tap down the right way, the boat offsets; it's that easy to mess up the rhythm.
Rowing has been a fun and educational experience. I am getting in shape very quickly, which is always a plus, and also I am training my mind to focus in on one thing for a period of time. An extra benefit – my blisters are now starting to turn to calluses so I can hold onto the oar without cringing.
I have made a lot of new friends because of rowing, and I probably would not have met them otherwise. We have done team-building activities and we have all gotten closer. This is a sport in which everyone trusts everyone else to put in their best effort.
- Jordan Edmonds - Novice Rower
My mother came home one day with a letter from the Bucknell women's rowing team with an invitation to participate in the Learn-To-Row program. Having never rowed before, I was quite intimidated by the offer, but knowing that college is a place to try new things, I replied, stating my interest and excitement to join.
Having been experienced with challenges while being part of the lacrosse and cross country team back in high school, I expected to transition into the new sport with ease. However after the first 5K workout on the erg, the hard truth about rowing came down like an avalanche: the mental strength and power required for this sport was much stronger than I had previously expected. Discovering new blisters and experiencing soreness in muscles I never knew I had brought me thoughts that this was not the sport for me. However seeing my teammates pushing and working through the same struggles brought me strength and revived my interest in the sport again.
Rowing is a unique sport that requires the cooperation of every member of the team. Other team sports, such as lacrosse, consist of players with different roles and qualities. However, every rower follows the same actions from synchronizing to the power of the rower in the stroke seat to keeping the height of the oars steady to keep the boat balanced. With the unity and harmony required for this sport, strong bonds and friendships within the members of the team were naturally built throughout the few weeks.
The progress our team has made in the past six weeks is almost unbelievable. From being terrified of tipping the boat over on our first day on the water to keeping the boat completely set and running at our first regatta six weeks later, I am amazed by our improvement and I am looking forward to the progress the team will make during the seasons lying ahead!
- Grace Kim - Novice Rower
So far rowing has been really fun. During learn-to-row I was often frustrated because my technique was awful and I felt as though I could not keep the boat set. Because of this I felt as though I should not try out for the team; however the second-to-last day of learn-to-row I had a good set, so I thought I had the potential for improvement. After trying out I was so excited to learn more about the sport and to further improve my technique. I know I am still not stellar with my technique, and I have a lot to learn, but I do feel progress and it is extremely exciting. I love the unity of the sport, we all rely on each other. No matter how much you want to give up you cannot because the whole boat is relying upon you. Through rowing I have found a new will within myself; normally I would have given up in the face of such hardships but I knew that I could not.
This leads me in to this past weekend's race. It was incredible, ironically. Even though I was exhausted and I couldn't push any more, I kept going, and afterwards, even though we didn't win, I was so proud of our boat because we went 4,000 meters at a 29-32 stroke rate the whole time, something that we have never really done before. Meanwhile, the boat was set the whole time. Having the boat set the whole time made me so proud, even though we didn't win, I felt like that regatta was a triumph, for me and the boat. I was a soccer player in high school and I really missed having a team, I missed the competitive edge and the comradery of teammates. I am glad to have that back and I am excited to continue rowing!
- Sabrina Malagon - Novice Rower
It's race day! For the second morning in a row, we had to be on the busses, ready to go down to the river by 8:55 a.m. sharp. After a drowsy, wet, cold day on the water yesterday (Saturday), we were all feeling encouraged by the slightly warmer, brighter weather this morning. The skies above were clear and there were signs of sunshine for the first time in six days! Half asleep, we piled onto the busses and took off.
We arrived at the boathouse where Lehigh and Drexel were waiting for us and, in a timely manner, did out pre-row rituals: 30 squat jumps (in sets of 10, of course) and dynamic stretching. We launched the boats and set out on our “warmup row.” Calm water and no wind was a blessing. Eventually, we made it to the power lines, aka the starting line, and because we were so efficient getting there (we didn't “way enough” once the whole way!), we had lots of time to rest while the other novice boats and the varsity teams caught up. It was a good opportunity to rest, catch our breath, and hype ourselves up for the upcoming race back. We were inspired and slightly intimidated by the vigor and speed the other boats had upon arriving at the starting line . . . one day we'll be them! To say we were slightly surprised when the horn went off for the start of the race would be an understatement. However, we quickly pulled ourselves together and set off down the river. Considering we had only been on the water for approximately six weeks before that day, we were pretty steady as we rowed our boat down the stream! We maintained a good pace, kept the boat set, and didn't have to stop! We couldn't have made it through without our wonderful coxswain who kept us fully motivated the whole time. Without her, the race would have felt endless. We were passed by all the varsity boats (no big surprised), but did pretty well for our first time racing; we weren't far behind! By the end, we were all exhausted as you could imagine, but were pleased with our performance.
Prior to the race, our boat set three goals:
1. Don't finish last
2. Eat lots of brunch
3. Finish
. . . (in that order). It is safe to say that we succeeded in accomplishing all three of these goals, and we also maintained a positive attitude while we were at it!
All in all, we would consider the day to be a huge learning experience, being our first race, but it was a fun one. It was a great opportunity to work together as a team, as rowing is incredibly dependent on the ability to work in unison. A day full of surprises, excitement, and success, we all had fun and gained an appreciation for our new sport. To conclude the day, we “ate 'em up” as one big team, novice and varsity girls together.
- Emily Parker - Novice Rower
