"Rowing, particularly sculling, inflicts on the individual in every race a level of pain associated with few other sports. There was certainly pain in football during a head-on collision, pain in other sports on the occasion of a serious injury. That was more the threat of pain; in rowing there was the absolute guarantee of it every time." -- David Halberstam
A lot of people ask me why I row. Waking up at 5:00 in the morning, spending hours a week in sheer pain on the water, and tearing my hands raw on the oar aren't easily explained to those who don't understand what rowing has to offer. I don't row for the people on the team, although they have been valuable to me beyond words this year. I don't row for the physical action of the sport, because rowing honestly hurts more than anything I've ever felt before in my life. I certainly don't row for the lost hours of sleep and the exhaustion that unavoidably accompany long practices. I suppose I was attracted to rowing in the fall because it offered me something to do: a way to get outside on those beautiful fall afternoons. However, after a long winter of indoor training and into a competetive spring season, my reasons for loving the sport have inevitably shifted—crew has evolved from a hobby to a pure obsession and captured my complete dedicaton.
I like setting goals and the consequent temptation to break them. I like intense competition—against myself, other team members, and other schools. I like finishing a practice knowing that what I did will pay off sometime in the nearing future. I like the psychological aspect of the sport; rowing is a combination of strength and a mental attitude superior to that of your opponent. The feeling of unity yet individuality in an eight is unparalleled in life—I am a crucial part of something much more powerful than myself. Above all, however, I love pushing myself close to my physical limit and discovering that I can achieve goals so much further beyond those which I intially expected. There is a certain satisfaction unique to rowing that comes from showing the world I can accomplish whatever I want to. No one else is allowed to set my limits.