Back in the Day

I used to be a rower. In college and for a few years afterwards. It took me a long time to find a sport that was mine - basketball, volleyball, softball they never fit. (Remember I grew up when "girl sports" were distinct from "boy sports"). In college I joined the rowing team because I met a few of the club members and they seemed to be nice enough. I also thought it would be great to be on the water. And it might help me fend off that Freshman 15.

I raced at some pretty big events across the midwest, east and Canada. I was a decent rower - nothing amazing, but pretty dependable in the engine room of an 8. My "career" fizzled out as real life and real work got in the way.

But here's a guy who started on that same Lake Sag, moved his racing to a beautiful stretch of the Mississippi under the Lake St. bridge, and then took it all the way to Beijing. He never thought of rowing either. He joined because the practice times fit his schedule. Rowing can be like that. It sneaks up on you and sucks you into practices 2 or 3 times a day, getting out of bed at 5am, and physical pain that most people really try to avoid.

I'll be watching the finals on Sunday with some old rowing friends from CBS/SJU. We will surely reminisce about early mornings at the boathouse, road trips to race in Iowa, and yes, all of the Crew house parties. We are all still friends today because rowing connected us and gave us that shared history. It will be amazing to watch someone with that same story fighting for a spot on the podium.