Claire Collins graduated from Princeton in 2019 and is currently set to race 2 seat in the United States W4- at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
1. What inspired you to go to your first rowing practice; was there anything memorable about it?
I was on the swim team in high school and I was trying to decide what sport I would play in the spring of my freshman year. My swim coach suggested I go to one of the winter erg practices. So I went one weekend...and I really enjoyed it! I think I liked the powerful feeling you can get on the erg hearing the fan. After that practice, I was coaxed into signing up for Crash B's, which was a month away. I erged a couple more times before heading to Boston to do my first 2k. The atmosphere, the people, and the feeling of accomplishing a 2k, all solidified my decision that I would try for the rowing team that spring...and I hadn't even been on the water yet!
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?
I think I fell in love with the sport gradually. I really liked the hard work and strength it took and I really liked the people I rowed with. There are things you can feel in rowing through teamwork and how in-tune you are with your body, that you just can't feel anywhere else. There is one day that comes to mind in college where maybe I thought I could make the national team. It was December and we were doing one of our harder erg workouts: 6x2k. Instead of dreading it all day, I was actually getting more and more pumped for this practice the closer we got to it. Everyone thought I was a little psychotic for actually getting excited for this workout, but I really wanted to break 7 min on the 6th 2k of the workout. When the workout came, my energy worked in my favor and it went just according to plan, I broke 7 min on the 6th 2k. It was this practice that I realized how powerful my mind is and also that I might be crazy enough to make the national team one day.
3. Best race/practice, worst race/practice?
Best race: So many good ones, but our (Princeton) race at the 2019 Ivy League Championships was pretty special. Leading up to the V8 race, we had been watching as one Princeton boat after the next won their event. Wow, the nerves were flowing, but the excitement and anticipation was growing. It was crazy to see our team actually accomplishing the goals we had set a year prior. By the time our race came, you could feel every person in our boat was nervous but confident through the inspiration from our teammates. Our teammates were able to fight incredibly hard because of how we practiced. We ended up winning the V8 and I felt horrible physically after the race, but it was so much fun to celebrate with the whole team. It doesn't always happen in our sport, but it was a very special feeling to have everyone see how much their hard work and trust in each other pays off.
Worst race: In 2017, I was in the 8+ for the US U23 Team. It was a very special boat. We had a lot of fun that summer. We set the U23 World Record in the heat only to have Canada break it by 0.1 right after us in their heat. So we were all primed for the final. Our race was going just as we had visualized it, calm start and moving through the middle. We were edging ahead of Canada and in the lead for the gold when my seat broke. It was a new seat model and it was probably 100 degrees in Plovidiv, Bulgaria that day and the seat got warped and would not move. 700 m to go. In a split second decision, I somehow punched the seat off the tracks and under my feet and slid my butt up and down the deck of the boat for the last 700m of the race. Somehow we held on for silver, but it was pretty devastating in the moment.
4. Best/Anything you've done in the sport no one knows about?
In college, I beat a V8 lightweight man in an arm wrestle.
5. Any/Most important advice for young rowers?
Keep playing multiple sports through high school (if you can!). It is one of my biggest pieces of advice. Even after I discovered rowing my freshman year of high school, I continued to play volleyball and swim all 4 years in the other seasons. Three reasons for this. First: different sports allow you to use different muscle groups. You become stronger and more athletic overall and it helps prevent injury. Second: there are so many lessons to learn from other sports teams and experiences. Three: it is important to keep things fun and fresh. Rowing stayed fun, fresh, and exciting for me because I was giving myself time to enjoy other sports and time with those friends. If it is not other sports, make sure you are doing other activities.
Hometown: McLean, Va.
Current Residence: Princeton, NJ
Club Affiliation: Princeton TC
Began Rowing: 2012
Date of Birth:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 180 lbs
High School: Deerfield Academy
Undergraduate Education: Princeton University, 2019
Training Location: Princeton, N.J.
Current Coach: Tom Terhaar
National Teams: Five - Junior, 2012-14; Under 23, 2017-18; Olympic, 2020
International Results: Won bronze in the eight at the 2018 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Won silver in the eight at the 2017 World Rowing Under 23 Championships...Won silver in the four at the 2014 World Rowing Junior Championships...Finished fifth in the eight at the 2013 World Rowing Junior Championships...Won silver in the eight at the 2012 World Rowing Junior Championships. National Results: Won the varsity eight from 2016-2019 at the Ivy League Championships...Won the four at the 2015 USRowing Youth National Championships...Won the four at the 2014 USRowing Youth National Championships.
Personal: Claire loves baking/cooking, traveling, and hanging out with family and friends. She competed in volleyball, swimming, and rowing all four years of high school. She was the 2019 winner of Princeton University's C. Otto von Keinbusch Award for Princeton's top senior female athlete and was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2019. She is a three-time All-American and four-time All-Ivy recipient. Claire majored in Economics.
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