Intro: For starters, thank you TeamLiquid.net. This has been the first gaming forum site I have seen in a long time that has a nice community and dedicated admins. So thank you.
I'd just like to get this out of the way, I'm short. I mean, I am above average hight, but for a D1 athlete I am tiny. 5'9 and 150lbs. For some sports this would be okay, but for Men's Heavyweight rowing this is an extremely disadvantage. For those of use that are not well aquatinted with rowing let me show you a video that will clear things up:
I started rowing my Soph year of high school and I'll be the first to admit it, I sucked. Until late in my Junior year I wasn't placed in top boats. Since then, I have won a lot of medals, been injured three times, broke boats, and done about everything possible including medaling in every boat class except for 2.
Here are some pictures of me:
^2010 Training Camp.
^2nd Place at Nationals in the Junior 8+ (most prestigious event is the 8+, the video is in the spoiler below).
^2009 Head of the Charles, which is one of the biggest races in the world. A disappointing 6th place finish, missing 2nd place by 2 seconds!
Anyways, I failed to get recruited as a Lightweight rower (155lbs or below) because I got injured and it looked like I wasn't going to be able to row anymore. I went to my safety school, Syracuse University (which is still awesome).
But, I didn't think I would be able to compete at that level. Despite bring home 20 odd medals in high school, I felt outclassed as I walked-on to the team. I was the shortest by at least 4 inches and most people outweighed me by 50lbs. Not to say that I wouldn't give it a shot, I made it into the first boat for my first two races, and I remain there going into the spring season (with Nationals in June). I really hope I can stay there, but it's a challenge. 20 hour practice weeks, races every weekend, and a full schedule leave me with little to no time for anything else. Still, I get about an hour or so of Starcraft a day, currently at 2K masters and 2.6K random 2v2 (I was rank 38 in the world for 2v2 RT 2 months ago! haha).
The real message I am trying to get across here is that you can do anything you want. Syracuse finished 6th in the nation last year in rowing. If you told my that I would be in the first boat on a 6th ranked HEAVYWEIGHT team, I would have laughed in your face. But rowing, just like everything else, rewards hard work and commitment. I have made some huge sacrifices for my sport, but I love every second of it (not to mention I was fat before!). I really want to make Lightweight National Team at some point in my life, I have some pretty good erg times and solid technique. It would be an honor to represent my country at world championships or the olympics.
A little more about me: I worked as a writer on GameReplays.org, in the Company of Heroes section. I had a top 5 account for Panzer Elite and several top 15 accounts for other factions. I have some high level guides posted on that site.
Rowing does not reward hard work. It rewards being one tough son of a bitch. I still have nightmares about my crew practice. "Pain? You still have a mile left. Keep rowing!" AGGGHHHH
Anyway, good luck with crew. And I guess I'm glad you still have time to be in Masters.
On January 22 2011 05:36 tofucake wrote: Rowing does not reward hard work. It rewards being one tough son of a bitch. I still have nightmares about my crew practice. "Pain? You still have a mile left. Keep rowing!" AGGGHHHH
Anyway, good luck with crew. And I guess I'm glad you still have time to be in Masters.
Being Successful in Rowing: A Masochist's Story.
Remember, lactic acid is your body reminding you that you're alive.
On January 22 2011 19:05 Zidane wrote: I"m curious what club team did you row for?
I rowed for CRI (Community Rowing Inc) during the normal race seasons and the summer as well. I will be doing a U23 program this summer as I am too old for Junior events as of last month.
On January 23 2011 10:44 Zidane wrote: Oh alright, goodluck on the U23 program. Being on a D1 rowing team must be pretty demanding as it is.
Your old video brought back good old memories when I used to cox in highschool. + Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyaGx5r4xyI We're St. Ignatius in that video, ahh good times. Went on to England after that, it was an amazing year
Wow... this is weird. I coxed for the boat that won Stotesbury (Thomas Jefferson) in 2006, we also went on to try our luck in the Princess Elizabeth Cup that year. Major difference is that while you guys beat King's School, Chester comfortably in the finals, we lost to them by about 3/4 of a length in the quarterfinals. I still regret not asserting our space better, they were all the way over on our side and if there had been a collision they'd surely have been dq'd. Steered the straightest race of my life in the one case I shouldn't have... ahh, that still gets to me. I probably met you over at Henley, Zidane. Quite the coincidence that we'd both be here.
Enough derailment though, congrats to tc on your accomplishment! I know a guy that coxed for Syracuse, but he just graduated this past spring so you probably don't know him.
Haha yeah this is a nice surprise. Sorry to hear about your Henley race, no need to be overcritical of yourself though - hindsight is always 20/20. Its rough being in a different country let alone a unique race course having wooden beams going down the sides with English people screaming at you all the way down the course -_-
On January 23 2011 16:45 Zidane wrote: Haha yeah this is a nice surprise. Sorry to hear about your Henley race, no need to be overcritical of yourself though - hindsight is always 20/20. Its rough being in a different country let alone a unique race course having wooden beams going down the sides with English people screaming at you all the way down the course -_-
Canadian Henley is brutal... Royal Henley... I don't even wanna imagine it...
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