Meet Gunnar Wainwright, a junior in the college majoring in International Studies and minoring in Arabic. A native of Little Silver, NJ, Gunnar is a member of the Young Democrats of Emory and is also a member of the Emory Crew Team. Read on to learn about Gunnar’s role as President of Club Sports at how you can get involved!
Emory’s Club Crew Team
HCE (Her Campus Emory): How did you become involved with Club Sports at Emory?
Gunnar Wainwright (GW): I played soccer and did track and field in high school. My senior year my mom encouraged me to try rowing at a local club. I was tall enough that we thought it could be help me in the admission processes of some of my reach schools. Because I started late, teams had already filled their rosters for freshman, although I had been admitted to GWU and had an invite from the coach to be a walk on. I decided to come to Emory for its academic record, and I knew I wanted to continue the sport I had fallen in love with so quickly. By September, I was rowing for the crew team.
HCE: What made you decide to be president of Club Sports?
GW: I had been involved in Emory Crew for two years when I ran for Club Sports President. I serve as the Public Relations Chair of the crew team so I am in charge of social media and monthly pdf newsletters called the “crewsletters.” Club Sports had given me such incredible opportunities, from the friendships made to the chances to race D1 schools across the country, that I wanted to give more Emory students the opportunities I was given through crew. Come election time, there was little interest in the president position so I jumped on the opportunity. Running unopposed wasn’t bad either.
HCE: What is your role as president of Club Sports at Emory?
GW: The role of the Club Sports President is to organize and oversee the Club Sports Executive Council and the larger Club Sports Council. We, the Executive Council, are in charge of running Club Sports. Typically we are reminding clubs about upcoming events, assisting in uploading Org Sync information and assisting in operations like travel and competition. As president I am also on the Club Sports Budget Committee, which reviews funding requests from the clubs.
HCE: What has been the biggest challenge as President?
GW: Money is always tight. Its challenging having a limited amount of money and having to distribute it appropriately. It’s up to us to decide who gets what. Everyone’s requests are usually reasonable, but it kills me and the other executive members to have to comprise on things that would help these teams not only be successful now, but in the future as well.
HCE: What is the most rewarding aspect of Club Sports?
GW: The most rewarding aspect of Club Sports are the friendships and the lessons learned. My friends and I were strangers when we started. Today, we’ve been through so much that they are some of my closest friends. The lessons Club Sports can teach are also important. Rowing has taught me more about myself than anything else I have ever done. Your potential as a person can be scary to think about, and it was for me when I started rowing. Rowing is all about constantly recognizing your limits and pushing them every day. The goal is to push your physical limit to that last stroke of that final in a regatta. I take this mindset to everything I do now, and it has really helped me understand my potential. You always have more to give. As President, I want more students at Emory to get out of Club Sports what I have gotten out of it so far. They can be a really positive thing.
HCE: Do you have any suggestions for students interested in joining Club Sports?
GW: You can do it! Club Sports may seem like a lot of your time, but you can make it work. I’ve known graduates of almost every major who committed to 8 practices a week during their time at Emory. Its definitely worth it. You can find out more about club sports by checking out the Play Emory website here.