We had our first race last weekend. I was part of the novice women's 8 boat and we had two novice men's 8 boats compete, as well. And we won! It was pouring down rain when we were on the water and we were drenched, but we kept it together as a team - with the support of the whole DC Strokes organization - and pulled a win by about two or three boat lengths.
The day started early with a 5:30 a.m. pick up and a 7 a.m. meet time at the boat house. My crew raced at about 10 a.m. and we stayed through to the last race - about 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. Our coaches say not all teams are like that. But at DC Strokes, we're one team, not seperated by novice, club and competitive factions. And that's nice. Hearing all those people cheer as you pull away from another boat really makes you glad you're part of a cohesive group. It was amazing. I'm hooked. Competing is definately my thing.
Go ahead; Watch a quick clip of us winning. You know you want to.
Since we won, we got the fine opportunity to dunk our coxswain - That's the one who yells and keeps you on track: Clip 1 and clip 2.
Here are some more team pics:
Ahhh, I love rowing.
LOVE it!!!
ReplyDelete