The Florida State Rowing Club was established in the 1980’s and is a program I have been involved with for the past three years.
Coming into my freshman year of college, I had about as much athletic experience as a sloth. For as many times as my parents offered to sign me up for soccer lessons when I was little, I was just never interested in a sport outside of playing kickball at P.E. So, when I showed up to the student union just after my first week of living in Tallahassee and got handed a flyer that said, “FSU Rowing – Do you have what it takes?” I honestly didn’t know. It was a loaded question. Had I realized it would come to mean are you capable of getting up at 5 a.m. multiple days during the week, learning how to trailer boats, and possibly rescuing a sinking shell in freezing water— I would’ve said hell no.
Regardless, I worked up the courage to show up to my first practice found at the far end of a barren two-lane road off of Lake Talquin. To this day that first time on the water was one of the most disorienting encounters of my life. I remember it being so dark that I could barely see the whites of the blades in front of me when I was asked to try taking a stroke holding an oar that was still so unfamiliar to my hands. But I also remember how clearly I could see the stars, and then the sunrise that followed. It’s an image I continued to go back to that whole semester, and subsequently the next six semesters after it too.
Looking back as a senior, it’s been a little over three years of my life in which time I’ve had four different coaches, traveled throughout several different states in the southeast region, spent a year working on our executive board as the fundraising chair, raced at about 20 regattas, celebrated our women’s novice medal at a national championship, and seen a seemingly endless number of sunrises just like the one that convinced me to keep coming back.
This week, Tallahassee was hit by a category four hurricane, and to a program that doesn’t have shelter for our equipment is absolutely terrifying. The aftermath left a handful of fallen trees blocking both the entrance to our property as well as the walkway to our dock— a mess that is going to take at least a full day with a couple of chainsaws and a wheel barrel to clean up —but other than that, all of our boats remained safe. This can either be seen as a sign that someone is looking out for us in the universe, or maybe it’s just luck, but who knows? Either way, you can find 47 of the most dedicated people I know at practice Monday morning, back to what we know.
As rowers, because of the way the boat is manufactured, the boat’s forward momentum goes in the direction opposite of your eyesight– which just means you literally can’t see where you’re going. Nonetheless, the sport has always given me the sense that I’m headed in the right direction. Rowing has given me a place to call my home, people to call my family, and a whole set of skills I never knew I needed. More than anything, rowing me has inspired me to work towards my goals, taught me how to get by with what you’ve got in front of you, and given me a sense of accountability and responsibility. My teammates have shown me kindness, friendship, and encouragement. It’s because of that that I am able to get up every day and do something for a purpose outside of my own personal gain.
I guess you could say there’s no one else I’d rather have in my boat.
Every day FSU Rowing continues to grow and develop. To stay updated on our progress or learn how to contribute to our cause follow us on our social media platforms:
Instagram: @fsurowing
Facebook: @FloridaStateRowing
All images courtesy of FSU Rowing Public Relations Chair, Samantha Kunin