1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
I played every sport you could name through middle school and when I reached Claremont Secondary (shout out!) rowing was a new sport that I had not tried so I figured I'd give the try outs a go. My first time in a rowing shell was very memorable because it was a mixed eight in terms of gender and experience level, so I was terrified to anger any of the senior boys that were in the boat so I just locked my eyes on the oar lock of the closest port side and tried to make my blade move in exact time with that and not catch a crab!!!
2. Was there a practice, race or other event when you fell in love with the sport, or when you knew you might not be too bad at rowing? When you thought you could make the national team?
Ok, these are different moments for me. I fell in love with rowing the very first time I did it, although I doubt you could have called it rowing. I realized I wasn't too bad at it when I was rowing for VCRC and was much shorter and smaller than everyone and still managed to be one of the top pairs all the time. I figured I could make the National team once I tried out for the junior national team and made it, ha! I'm always a bit surprised when I make any team. I think I work really hard and often times my training and results reflect that I have a good shot at achieving decent results but it's always so hard to believe that you've become a person who has reached the highest level of your sport. I spent so many years seeing myself as someone that was mediocre in every sport so I can't believe most of the time that rowing has become for me what it is. I love that though.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
I think I'd have to say the best race I have ever rowed with someone was the World champ final in 2010. Tracy and I attacked the head wind really well, I think we had a great race plan for the conditions and we stuck to it and stayed relentless against the conditions and obviously it paid off. Winning a world champ race was the best feeling in rowing I have ever had. I have a lot of worst practices.
Hahaha. However, my worst race was in Poland in 2009 when I caught a massive crab and the boat turned completely sideways in the lane. Sheryl and I had to recover from that and then start from a dead stop again, kudos to her for staying calm though because we picked it up and finished second and qualified for the semi without having to race the rep. Later that night I arrived at the coach's room for a video session on the race and I found the entire men's eight watching my crab on repeat on the tv and laughing their arses off. Not embarrassing at all.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
I've done a lot of extra rows over the years that I have never told current teammates or coaches about at the time. I think those small efforts, over time, add up to great improvements. I also think it creates a mentality of hard work and not settling for second.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
Two things: first, always find a way to love rowing. It's not rocket science that you're going to perform better at something that you enjoy doing and is not a slug fest. That doesn't mean you have to love it all the time and that doesn't mean you aren't going to hate training some days, but your overall, average feeling of the sport should be one of enjoyment.
Second, don't ever, ever, ever let others determine your potential. You possess the drive and determination to be however good you want to be. Yes, there will be coaches and teammates that know how to make you better than you thought you could be, but there should be no one that makes you feel that your potential is worse than you believe it to be. Be relentless and don't quit.
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