What do you Row for?
I’m assuming most of you are familiar with my blog so I’ll
not dwell on awkward ice breaker introductions. Today will hopefully hold some
deeper meaning that non-rowers can relate to.
“Why do you get up so early to train?”, “Why do you do this
to yourself?” (When they see my blisters). It’s easy to brush these questions aside,
but at times I do question: Why do I actually row?
I row for my crew
At its heart, rowing is a team sport. You may not like
your team members, but regardless of feelings you have to pull together to make
the boat work. On race day, you need to be there for your crew because if you
aren’t, you not only let yourself down, but you let down those around you.
I row to prove that I
can
Rowing brings many struggles. It will push you to places
you’ve never wanted to go. For some, these tough times will break you and
you’ll just want to give up and go home. But I know from giving up on other
sports, this is one I refuse to give up on. I do it to prove to myself and my
loved ones that I can overcome tough tests and push myself to be better than I
was yesterday.
I row because it’s
what I love
I love rowing. I know I will say how much I hate it, the
training, the time consumption, but beneath all that I really do love what I
do. Nothing beats crossing a finish line; the relief once you drop your blade
and collapse in your seat. Realising your crew has won and receiving your
medal. The medal doesn’t just say that you’ve won a race; it says that you have
overcome everything to get where you are and you have earned this medal well
before you crossed that finish line.
There may be pain, but in the end I look back and remember
the guys who were there through it all with me. I look at the medals to
remember the work it took to get those wins. There are far more important
things in life than rowing, but rowing is an important part of my life and that
is why I do it.
In dedication to Roy Markwell
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