The Princeton Hot Seat is a new recurring photo blog to highlight the transient nature of the rowing community in the Princeton, New Jersey area.  It's open to anyone directly involved with the sport of rowing that comes to Princeton on rowing "business".  Could be rowers, coxswains, coaches, boatmen, officials, etc.

How does the Hot Seat Work?

Each subject gets four questions to answer, the first of which is simply, why are you here (in Princeton)?  Then the subject randomly draws the remaining three from a pool of pre-determined questions, of which half are rowing related, half are not...and can be pretty random.  They get one pass.

Up first is USA National Team rower, and two-time Olympic champion Caroline Lind Shald.

Princeton Hot Seat - Why are you in Princeton?

Caroline Lind Shald - I'm here to row on the national team.  I've been here since college, but on the national team since 2005.

PHS - What's your favorite body of water that you've rowed on?

CLS - Definitely the Rotsee in Lucerne, Switzerland.  It's my favorite because it's set in mountains that are straight out of The Sound of Music. The water is almost always flat and peaceful so I always have a good experience there.

PHS - If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?

CLS - If I had one power, it would be to be able to speak every language in the world fluently, with the cultural context of that language.  That would be incredibly handy.

PHS - Do you recall any mid-race coxwswain calls that you'll remember for the rest of your life?

CLS - At the 750 to go in the Beijing Olympic final, Mary Whipple yelled, "We're gonna fuckin' win!"  Everyone in the boat could just sense that was the critical moment, so when she said that, the boat just took off and we won.