Learnings from rowing
Coming back to Stanford for my junior year, after a year and a half away due to the pandemic, I was craving a new community. A friend introduced me to the Lightweight Rowing Team, a D1 varsity team at Stanford that had taken walk-ons in the past. I was attracted to this because of my love of fitness – I would run, cycle, and weighlift frequently – and my desire to be part of a team. For a couple months, while waiting for the try-out period to begin, I debated whether or not I would do it, weighing questions like – Do I have time for this? Will I enjoy being a varsity student athlete? Will I be able to balance rowing and school?
I ultimately decided to walk on to the team because I wanted to challenge myself. And it sure has been challenging – learning to row was a steep learning curve. It’s uniquely difficult in that it requires not only a really strong fitness foundation but also an intense focus on precision and detail. The amount of detail work can be overwhelming, but focusing on technique has taught me how to “lock in” even in a chaotic, unbalanced boat. On the water, I typically row in boats of either four or eight people, and every rower needs to be in sync for our rhythm for work. Thus, there’s an emphasis on timing in all parts of the stroke, from the moment our blades enter the water to when we finish with arms drawn in, and again and again.
In my experience, there is no workout more difficult than a hard rowing workout. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into in this regard when I joined the team, and I’ve been surprised at and proud of how far I can push myself both physically and mentally. Due to the repetitive nature of rowing and the technical skill required to row well, the sport requires a sustained focus that I hadn’t practiced before. These skills that I’ve learned on the water have made me a better learner in the classroom.
I’ve balanced a very busy schedule with rowing, spending 20+ hours per week training (not including the daily hour-long commute to and from the boathouse). In addition to this training, I’ve been a full-time Stanford student in the midst of my Product Design program, and wanting to maintain my social relationships and other extracurriculars.
Many people have asked me why I would choose to join a sport, halfway into my college career, where I have to wake up at 5am every day (valid question). A major reason I’ve stuck with this sport is because of the tremendous personal growth I’ve experienced from the fitness, technique, ethos, and community of rowing. My team has grown and changed a lot over the last year, as the majority of upperclassmen left the team while a large class of freshmen came in. Because of this, I stepped up as a team leader this year despite being the newest on the team to the sport. Through this, I’ve learned the true meaning of grit, patience, devotion, teamwork, and persistence through rowing, and it has made me a stronger person.
