Going upstream with the crew team
Was it just a dream, or did that actually happen to me? I asked myself during my 9 am class. My memory was a cold, dark, wet blur. I looked at my notebook and noticed a damp corner. It must have really happened, then. I had actually accomplished a lifelong dream- attending a Hopkins crew practice.
Which I'm very proud of, even though I don't quite remember it all. The sequence is as follows: an alarm clock going off at 4:30, cold cobblestones pressing through my converse on the walk to the library. A dark silent bus ride through an empty Baltimore, muddy grass, cold fingertips rubbing my drooping eyes. Wind whipping, engine rumbling, voices screaming, counting from 1 to 28.
I'll admit my account may be a bit foggy, but I can assure you I speak the truth when I talk about the characteristics of people that make up the crew team. These athletes are driven. Truly, unquestionably dedicated to their team and to the sport. Looking back, these adjectives seem perfectly appropriate. But I admit that at the time, the only word I could think of was "crazy."
So call the crew team whatever you like- but be careful, because they could easily attack you while you sleep. These athletes posses both the physical strength to power a 220-pound boat as well as the mental ability to beat the sun to rising. Quite a deadly combination!
But there's no need to be afraid of them. The team was extremely friendly to me and eager to talk about the sport (once everyone awoke from their naps on the bus ride to the harbor, that is). During our boat ride alongside the women's team, I asked coach Steve Perry about the team's attitude.
"This sport has excellent sportsmanship. It's a different kind of competition. Teams help each other out. There's no name-calling, no yelling at each other," he hollered across our "racing shell."
But in reality, yelling is one of the most important aspects of the sport. As I watched the rowers propel the boats, I was astonished by the rhythm and power that stemmed from the coxswain's loud commands. Though many sports claim to have a "rhythm" or "flow" to them, the sport of rowing depends almost entirely on the two.
Which I'm very proud of, even though I don't quite remember it all. The sequence is as follows: an alarm clock going off at 4:30, cold cobblestones pressing through my converse on the walk to the library. A dark silent bus ride through an empty Baltimore, muddy grass, cold fingertips rubbing my drooping eyes. Wind whipping, engine rumbling, voices screaming, counting from 1 to 28.
I'll admit my account may be a bit foggy, but I can assure you I speak the truth when I talk about the characteristics of people that make up the crew team. These athletes are driven. Truly, unquestionably dedicated to their team and to the sport. Looking back, these adjectives seem perfectly appropriate. But I admit that at the time, the only word I could think of was "crazy."
So call the crew team whatever you like- but be careful, because they could easily attack you while you sleep. These athletes posses both the physical strength to power a 220-pound boat as well as the mental ability to beat the sun to rising. Quite a deadly combination!
But there's no need to be afraid of them. The team was extremely friendly to me and eager to talk about the sport (once everyone awoke from their naps on the bus ride to the harbor, that is). During our boat ride alongside the women's team, I asked coach Steve Perry about the team's attitude.
"This sport has excellent sportsmanship. It's a different kind of competition. Teams help each other out. There's no name-calling, no yelling at each other," he hollered across our "racing shell."
But in reality, yelling is one of the most important aspects of the sport. As I watched the rowers propel the boats, I was astonished by the rhythm and power that stemmed from the coxswain's loud commands. Though many sports claim to have a "rhythm" or "flow" to them, the sport of rowing depends almost entirely on the two.
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Fred Smith
Fred Smith
posted 4/14/08 @ 10:21 AM EST
Great story and coverage of an oft overlooked sport and super bunch of student athletes. This writer always goes above and beyond to research her sports and the people on the teams and the coaches. (Continued…)
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