row2k Features
Interview
Louisville's Hannah Ritter
February 5, 2013
Erik Dresser, row2k.com

Ritter (3-seat) at 2011 Head Of The Charles

This week's row2k Interview is with Louisville junior Hannah Ritter; a ballerina in high school who chose to go to college and row instead of joining the circus.

row2k - How did you get your start in rowing and why did you decide to row at Louisville?
Hannah Ritter - My answer to this question is very unexciting. I received a letter in the mail about Louisville’s novice program and decided it was something I wanted to try! I remember it promoted instant friends, family, good exercise, and guaranteed lack of boredom (read “free time”). I’m sure there was something about the prestige of being a Division I Athlete, the chance to compete at the Big East Conference championship, and possibly NCAAs, but I didn’t register that.

At the time, being a Division I Athlete meant nothing to me; I hardly knew what NCAA stood for. So my reasons for joining the team had nothing to do with bragging rights; as far as I was concerned, I didn’t see why anyone would care. I wanted a chance to start from the bottom, from square one, or more accurately, from square zero, and claw my way onto some sort of level of understanding. I wanted a challenge! Not for any sort of personal justification or deep life-long dream, but mostly because I knew I would be bored out of my mind if I tackled college without having something to focus my time and energy on. The second I stepped inside the boathouse, I knew I belonged there. Every single object I saw looked like it came from outer space, but I loved it all. I was ready for something new and rowing was my perfect avenue.

row2k - What was your athletic background prior to college?
Hannah Ritter - When I was four years old, I asked my mom if I could take ballet lessons, and then somehow just never stopped showing up for class. For fourteen years I lived in a world of pink tights, leotards, buns, tutus, and pointe shoes. As a kid I took class only on Saturday, but as I got older, classes became more frequent until I had class six days a week with anywhere from two to five different rehearsals in the evenings. By the time I reached high school I was dancing over 20 hours a week, performing multiple times a year with my ballet school either in local events or regional performances.

row2k - How does dance compare to rowing?
Hannah Ritter - I have found many more similarities between ballet and rowing than I ever imagined could exist. Most noticeably for me is how patient you must be with both activities. It takes an exhaustive amount of time and focus to dance with grace, and having learned patience from ballet, I’ve been able to apply it within my training. Rowing is much more of an instant gratification sport than dancing is. When you row well, you have numbers in your face, or medals on your chest, but you typically don’t win anything after you’ve danced a great performance. Training long-term, however, for ballet and rowing is very similar; you must have confidence that the time you are spending now will pay off when you need it most. There is a huge trust factor with both of these activities; you have to believe that if you do the work, then you’ll be able to enjoy the results in the future. I have found that this trust does pay off, and the effort you put in today is always worth the outcome.

row2k - Why did you ultimately decide against joining a dance company?
Hannah Ritter - By my senior year in high school I had auditioned for the American Ballet Theatre’s summer program twice, been accepted each time, yet still had not attended. I was stalling the process of entering the “real-world” of ballet and I wasn’t sure why. Once I graduated high school I would have to decide whether to start auditioning for dance companies, major in ballet at college, or stop my career in dance entirely. This decision was so stressful that around this time I decided I was going to, literally, run away and join the circus. Instead of choosing between ballet and school, I was going to audition for The Circus Center of San Francisco and train to be a contortionist. I was contacting the Center regularly and even filmed my audition video, but never sent it in. In the end I realized I couldn’t give up going to college, simply because it was an opportunity that so few people had the chance to seize. I am sometimes practical to a fault; I knew if I had a degree in my hands, my life would be that much simpler. My logicality dominated over my passions, but I don’t regret my decision. Not dancing meant that I discovered rowing, and this has completely re-written my future for the better.

row2k - What do you like most about the sport of rowing?
Hannah Ritter - My favorite thing about the sport of rowing is how it eventually brainwashes you to be concerned about another entity over your own self, and to happily accept that idea. The longer I spend with my team the more I find every silly little decision I make is hinging off whether it will help them or not. Most of it is additive; I eat better so I feel better, so I can pull better numbers and in doing so I know this motivates the girls who I’m more directly competitive with to pull faster, which increased the speed of the team as a whole. I don’t mean to think like this, but I can’t stop! It’s an amazing feeling to be a part of this team; it’s such a powerful unit which you can directly impact with your own smallest actions.

row2k - What are your strengths as both a student and an athlete?
Hannah Ritter - I once memorized a fifty stanza poem in 6th grade! I’m not certain if memorization is a strength so much as a quirky talent, but it’s certainly helped me pass more than a couple exams. I can memorize because I have a great ability to shut down and focus, which helps me a lot in my life. When I am studying, I can ignore the world and concentrate on my books. This focus also translates well to a boat, because I can concentrate on specific tiny portions of my stroke and correct them. I also have good muscle memory from learning so much choreography throughout my life, so I’m able to integrate these new changes into my stroke rather quickly. Although there are some exceptions to this, after a couple of rows I’m used to any changes and generally forget that I ever rowed any differently.

row2k - What has been your most memorable race so far and why?
Hannah Ritter - My sophomore year was my first year on varsity, and at the end of that fall season we raced at the Head of the Hooch. We were sending a bunch of 4+s down the course, and I seat-raced into the top 4+. This in itself was almost overwhelmingly exciting, but what made it even better was that this boat just flew. Every time we five girls were together that fall, something just clicked into place; the world could have exploded, but we’d still have that perfect run. We ended up taking silver at the race by a very small margin, which anyone can agree is such a bittersweet experience. But that race taught me what it feels like to be in a boat where every single girl is giving 110% to every single stroke, and how incredible it feels to be a part of that. I never wanted a race to feel any different, and since that race I strive to replicate the perfection of that boat every time I strap in my feet.

row2k - Now your sister is a novice on your team, what's it like having a sibling involved and how does she like the sport?
Hannah Ritter - I have to say, it is extremely funny having my sister on the team. Last semester, at least once a week someone would come up and inform me, using one example or another, that Molly and I were "the same person". We run alike, we stand alike, our hair is the same color, and the list goes on. Now the novelty has worn off, and I’m enjoying watching her experience all the milestones that I hit my novice year. She had a huge 10k PR at the end of the fall, and I saw she understood then how awesome it feels to get faster, and why it’s worth all the boring meters in practice to reach the exciting ones in a race. I asked her how she liked it, and she said she adores the sport. It’s the only thing she’s ever done that she feels is beneficial on a physical, mental, and emotional level. She said she’s ready for spring season to get here already, because she wants to race. I’m going to risk another comparison here, and say I feel exactly the same way!

row2k - What are you studying at Louisville and do you have any plans yet for after graduation?
Hannah Ritter - I’m majoring in Computer Information Systems and minoring in Entrepreneurship. My plans for after graduation are very vague, but I definitely have a bucket list. I’d like to return to dancing in some form, because I definitely miss it. I want to get a job in technology, and maybe move closer to my extended family on the East Coast. I, as every other rower it seems, absolutely adore the city of Boston, so maybe I’ll end up over in that area of the world. I don’t really have a plan, but so long as I am not bored I know I will find a way to be happy. Maybe I’ll finally go off and join the circus, who can say! But what I know for sure is that rowing will always be a part of my life; I only discovered it two years ago but already I can’t imagine a life without it.

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