As her Twitter bio says, “I am an art major and a student athlete, because that makes so much sense.” Welcome to the life of sophomore University of Delaware varsity crew coxswain, Jamie Noce.
In her home town of Baldwinsville, NY she began rowing in the eighth grade with Syracuse Chargers Rowing Club. Throughout high school, she qualified three times for the Scholastic Rowing Nationals and placed 6th overall during her senior season. She was also named a three time All-District Scholar Athlete as well as being named co-captain and MVP her senior year. In her first college season as a freshman, Jamie lead her crew to a 4th place finish at the Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta. She was named, “Athlete of the Week” along with her eight rowers. This also led her to earning her first year varsity letter. Bedsides on the water guiding the boat and giving directions, you can easily find Jamie late at night in the art studio.
I got the chance to sit down with the accomplished coxswain and talented art student and here is what she had to say.
N: Explain exactly what a coxswain does.
J: I am mainly the leader in the boat, running through workouts given by coaches, and steering. I keep everyone in line and headed in the correct direction. I play the mental side behind the physical work of the rowers. My key role is to motivate.
N: Describe a typical day in the life of Jamie Noce.
J: On a typical in season day, I attempt to get out of bed at 4 am and pack up for a 5am practice. Returning when every other student usually gets up, I get ready and go to my classes. I then usually have strength training as a team in the afternoon and then head over to the studio to work on projects. By the end of the day I manage to grab something quick for dinner, do some homework, and head to bed at a reasonable time.
N: What’s it about rowing that you enjoy the most?
J: I enjoy the fact that it is a team sport and no one outshines another member. We work together to achieve one common goal.
N: How do you manage your time with going to practices and time consuming art projects?
J: Prioritize. I complete assignments that need to get done first before I become too overwhelmed. I also keep all my deadlines in mind at all times.
N: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from rowing?
J: I have learned to be patient and understand different people’s ways of learning. Coming to a new school and interacting with new a crew, it was hard to value their individual experience levels. Basically, I have learned to adapt to each team member’s behavior.
N: What is the one piece of advice you would give a senior in high school interested in rowing for the University of Delaware next year?
J: I would tell them that Rowing takes up a lot of your time. It’s important to balance it out because it is easy to lose sight of your social and academic life. Never fall behind in your academics.
N: What do people think when you tell them you’re an art major and student athlete?
J: That I’m crazy. Art and rowing are extremely time-consuming and it is uncommon for athletes to be majoring in fine arts.
N: Which style do you find yourself representing more often, athletic or artsy?
J: Depends on the day, if I have an art critique then I usually find myself more artsy and dressed up but on most days it’s athletic and comfortable.
N: If you had to pursue a life of rowing or art what would it be?
J: In an ideal world, I would try to do both.
N: Why?
J: They are and will be huge impacts in my life. I couldn’t see myself without one of them.