Rowing, the Best Team Sport

Rowing, the Best Team Sport

Rowing, the thrilling team sport that gets you physically/mentally fit and provides you a second family with many friends. In the sport of crew, teamwork is very crucial. With that teamwork comes new friends and wonderful coaches. Even though you might think this is a physical sport it is also considered to be a mental sport. Just think, baseball has nine innings, approximately two hours of play and a lot can change in that period of time for a loss or win. With crew you only have about seven minutes to get your eight man boat down a two thousand-meter racecourse to receive a medal or win. If you have the lead it is mentally hard to come back and win for the rowers behind the top three boats.

Aside of the teamwork going on is the individual effort that you yourself is contributing to the boat. As you are out on the water in the eight man boat you always need to give it your all even if it means pain. In fact, our coach just tells us to eat pain. As you are giving 100% and in pain, your brain is working 100% too. Handle height, legs down quick and hands down and away quick along with the part of feathering the blade. Those are the things you focus on during a race. Oh yeah you also have a cool little person screaming at you to pull harder. They are known as the coxswain (Cox-in). When the coach isn't there listen to them because they are the assistant coaches. All this is the first stride you take to get that gold medal.

Come on you can do one more push up! When you're in the gym you do not have the support of teammates. At crew you will not give up because of the support you have from your teammates behind you. In the gym you can just say, "Oh that set can be done another day," and give up. We have in crew on Tuesday and Thursday a 2k-meter ergometer (erg) test to see who will be in an 8A boat, that is our eight fastest men of our crew. These are the days that you need your friends behind you pushing you so your time comes true that the couch gives you. I know this might seem harsh but when it is all over with you feel very great about the way you look and how you just pulled on the 2k test. In the years I have played baseball running around the bases for thirty minutes was a pain. With rowing I now look forward to those longer runs because it builds stamina and cardiovascular fitness for the win on race day. With life being a great big challenge crew is preparing me for that challenge in many ways. Working