row2k Features
Interview
Oregon State's Chen Oshri
February 24, 2014
Erik Dresser, row2k.com

Oshri racing at U23s in Trakai

This week's spring collegiate preview interview is with Oregon State rower Chen Oshri. Oshri is from Israel and talks about how she got her start in rowing, her military service, and racing at the U23 World Championships.


row2k - How did you get your start in rowing and how did you find your way to Oregon State?
Chen Oshri - Before I started rowing, I trained in Track and field, I was middle distance runner. Unfortunately I quit because some reasons involved with politics. After quitting I was really unmotivated to train, so I didn’t workout for more than 6 month, until one day I decided to look for a new challenge. I really like to race and compete, so I was looking for a competitive sport that doesn’t require too much experience, because I was already 17. I’d never heard of rowing before, but I had a friend that was looking for a doubles partner, and she asked me if I want to come and try it, so I did! I’m not sure how much I even liked it from the beginning, but I just wanted to train and compete. Slowly I started to fall in love with the sport, and take practices more seriously.

After I finished my military service, I wanted to keep rowing, but I also wanted to study. Universities in Israel don’t have sports teams like here in the US, and it would be almost impossible to combine 10 practices a week with the school schedule. I decided to look for universities in the US that have good rowing programs. I was talking to some coaches, but eventually I came to visit Oregon State, and I loved it here, so I decided to try and come here.

row2k - What are some the differences between rowing in the U.S. and Israel?
Chen Oshri - Rowing is Israel is very different. As I said before, we don’t have rowing teams in universities or high schools. We have only 4 clubs, and not a lot of rivers or lakes to row, so it is not a very popular sport. Most people don't even know about it. There are not many rowers like here, and most of the time I trained alone. This is the biggest difference for me. I really like to have a big team, it makes the rowing experience so much more fun and competitive.

row2k - You served for two years in the Israeli military before coming to OSU, what was that like?
Chen Oshri - After graduating from high school in Israel, everyone has to do mandatory military service. It’s 2 years for the girls, and 3 for the boys. At the time I was part of the Israeli team, so I got special conditions as a solider athlete. I still needed to do the basic training for a month, but after I finished, I got the “special” condition that allowed me to train twice a day, while also serving for 6 hours a day at my base. I spent the majority of service as non-commissioned officer at the base, which was close to my rowing club. My military experience was a little bit different from my friends who served full time, but it was still a very strict system. It was not always easy to train, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it. I learned a lot about myself, and how to deal with different situations.

row2k - You've raced at several U23 World Championships, what have you learned in international competition that you can apply to racing collegiately in the USA?
Chen Oshri - I learned how to prepare myself before a race. I have some rituals that help me to relax and keep the focus just on myself before a race, even if it’s very crowded and my competitors look really strong and scary. I learned to build confidence and do MY race.

row2k - What do you like most about the sport of rowing?
Chen Oshri - I like the challenge of rowing. I like to set myself goals, and work for them until I achieve them. It’s so satisfying! Especially because the practices in rowing are so hard, it’s so fun to push the limits and see how far I can go every practice. I also like the fact that it’s a sport which requires different areas of training like aerobic, anaerobic, power training, and technique. It makes it harder, but practices are more interesting and it develops different skills.

row2k - What has been your most memorable race so far and why?
Chen Oshri - The repechage in the U23 in Lithuania was absolutely my best moment. The conditions were pretty rough that day. It was very windy and wavy. Pretty hard conditions for a single to row. Just the top two qualified for the semi-final. There were 4 boats and I came with the slowest time from the heats. I didn’t know what to expect, especially with those conditions, but my coach told me to keep my stroke rate above 32 all the way, and that’s what I did. I was so focused and tried to ignore the wind and the waves that went all over my boat. I was third all the way, but I could see the end of the boat of the girl who was in front of me. In the last 500m, I realized that I still had a chance, and I pushed it so hard until I beat her and I qualified for the semi-final. It was the best feeling in the world.

row2k - How has this season gone, and what are your goals for the spring?
Chen Oshri - So far the season is going pretty well. We train hard, and there are so many new personal records! Our goal for the spring is to qualify for nationals.

row2k - What are you studying at Oregon State and do you have any plans yet for after college?
Chen Oshri - I study Biology and pre-med. After I finish school, I want to coach rowing for a little bit. I want to pass and teach other people from my experiences. And I hope I could do it here in the US, just because it is so developed and there are so many rowers compared to Israel. After that, I want to keep studying in the health profession, and I’m thinking about med school, but I’m not sure if I want to do that in Israel or here.



SUPPORT ROW2K
If you enjoy and rely on row2k, we need your help to be able to keep doing all this. Though row2k sometimes looks like a big, outside-funded operation, it mainly runs on enthusiasm and grit. Help us keep it coming, thank you! Learn more.



Rowing Features
Rowing Headlines
ADVERTISEMENT
row2k media is not responsible for external ad content
Get our Newsletter!

Support row2k!

Tremendous thanks to our
row2k supporters!

Get Social with row2k!
Like row2k on Facebook Follow row2k on Twitter Follow row2k on Instagram Follow row2k on Youtube Connect with row2k on LinkedIn

Get the row2k app!

row2k rowing store!

Get our Newsletter!
Enter your email address to receive our weekly newsletter.

Support row2k!


Advertiser Index
Advertise on row2k