Junior Sculler Eliza Kallfelz of the Narraganset Boat Club has experienced probably one of the steepest progress curves the sport has seen in recent years, with Kallfelz going from novice to Junior National Team to Head of the Charles champ in just about a year. row2k caught up with Kallfelz after her win in Boston, and spoke with her about her quick pickup in the sport.
Row2k: Your trajectory is a little unusual, to say the least. What are your coaches doing to keep it new, or to keep it fresh for you?
Eliza Kallfelz: My dad is one of my coaches, so he is always around. He's a very good coach. It's challenging too, right now, because I am only rowing twice a week in the fall, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Row2k: You won the Head of the Charles on two practices a week?
EK: Yes, in the fall. But I have been training all summer in the single. I'm on a strange trajectory, I guess, but I hope that I'll continue to improve!
Row2k: Does it continue to be fun, or are you starting to feel any kind of pressure?
EK: A little bit, but it's not as pressured as I thought it would be. I think it's difficult, because now people have expectations of me, but if I continue to work hard I can probably pull it off.
Row2k: How do you make that distinction between your own expectations and the expectations of others?
EK: In the beginning I could, because I was new to the sport, but now that I have expectations and others have expectations, it's hard to distinguish them because they are the same, a bit, but I am just trying to focus on what's best for me and how well I can do.
Row2k: What are your immediate goals?
EK: I am not sure yet! Definitely, hopefully the Junior National Team next summer, and definitely rowing in college.
Row2k: What's the single best thing, for you, about rowing right now?
EK: I really like the people. I've done swimming, I've done some other sports, and I've never met as many great people as I have in this sport. It's what makes all the regattas so much fun. Of course there's the stress during the competition, but the people that I have met in rowing are my favorite part about it.
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