"Rowing isn't a fun sport...but it sure as hell is addictive!" 

After a long and stressful regatta, one of my top varsity rowers whispers this into my ear.  At the time, I simply dismissed it as a drunk muttering yet now to think of it, there is a certain amount of truth that lies in this statement.  3hrs a day on the water, 2hrs at the gym, 1hr in the erg room, 6 days a week... as a crew, my boys and I spend 36hrs solely for the purpose of physically rowing (not including transportation time to the boathouse, regatta days, rigging and what not, no wonder I have no life!) 

As college students we have about 6-10 hrs of class every day, some of them have jobs as well.  Our ideal bubble of: parties, drinking, parties, sleep, maybe class, vacations have clearly been shattered like a plate on brick floors.  Never mind partying, rarely do we even have a chance to see friends outside of rowing.  Obviously, there are disadvantages to the sport because the amount of time it demands.  Yet we all manage somehow to maintain the above average grades, jobs, on top of giving it 100% at practice in order to perform our best at our regattas.

Why?  Addiction.

Rowing is like a drug.  Once you take it, you can't stop.  Take cigarettes for example.  People always say they are "going to quit" or that they want to.  Reality check, they never do.  Yet when they take that first step to quit, they think it's easier than said...until the second week when they feel like they are not functioning properly.  Out of order if you will.  Their heads start spinning and they don't know their ports from starboards, (I mean left and right :) ).  So then, they eventually have one and they tell themselves, "only one.  It won't hurt.  I'll go back to quitting again tomorrow."  Next thing you know, they've got an entire pack in their pocket on standby. 

The parallel? 

When in crew, we all think about how much easier life would be if it weren't for rowing.  We could sleep in, party with friends, spend more time on schoolwork, and go to Cancun for spring break.  Grass is greener on the other side, always!  Once you walk away from rowing, of course you naturally wake up before the sun rises and you force yourself back to bed.  Its nice for the first couple of days.  Its what you've always dreamed of.  You can go to any party you please, get drunk every night and its just a blast.  But gradually things start to change...you miss your rower friends but of course, they don't have "time to chat" and you are damn aware of that.  You have all the time you have ever dreamed of that you actually don't know what to do with it.  Slowly your grades begin to drop, and life is falling apart.  Then at that moment, your old coach calls you because their coxswain has fallen sick and they desperately need you to sub for the rest of the week.  Strangely, your heart beats faster and you can't stop smiling.  You get back out on the water and realize how much you miss it.  That day, you tell your coach you want to come back. 

The rest of this story is up to you. 

Either the coach welcomes you back to the old crew and the boys embrace you in their well-muscled arms or they turn the cold shoulder because you "abandoned" them and only want the most dedicated coxswains for their boat.  Either way, the lesson learned is the same: once addicted, you will experience withdrawal.

Amongst all the addictions out there, rowing is probably one of the healthiest there is.  I know we all despise it sometimes (if not most) yet it is a love-hate relationship and nothing compares to that feeling of crossing the finish line with eight of your boys in front of you when the stroke hugs you and you can tell them through the coxbox, "another job well done boys."  Of course, the dirty water throw-it isn't favored but just think about it...what if you had NONE of it? 

So all coxswains, good luck - they need you!

Tiffany