April 6, 2006

As our first race of the season grew nearer, each member of my boat was secretly grateful for the amazing weather and calm water we had all season; setting a four isn't easy, and the conditions made it much easier for us to come together and practice as a boat. On the day of our first race, however, we were all singing a different tune. The weather was horrible: strong winds coming from nowhere, huge waves, whitecaps, occasional rain, and every other conceivable weather-related problem was out in full force. It was as though Mother Nature was finally settling the score, making up for the beautiful practice weather with one horrible set of conditions on race day.

Though the conditions were bad, we had all raced in worse and were not fazed. We put on our game faces and headed up to the start. The conditions at the start were even worse than at the dock and it took several tries to get alignment, but once we were set and the start was called everything outside of our boat was suddenly put on the back burner. We were all aware of our surroundings, but the only thing we were truly paying attention to was the call of our coxswain, forcing us to push harder, move faster, and ignore the burning in our legs. The racing mindset is something that I have never experienced elsewhere; it is the only time my mind has truly been clear and completely focused on the task at hand, the only time that anything seems possible. During a race, if asked to push harder when you're already at maximum pressure, or to walk a second boat just as you've finished pushing your hardest to walk the first, any rower would find the power within herself to make it happen.

On Saturday, as we devoted ourselves entirely to the boat the conditions seemed less harsh, the task less daunting, and the race shorter. It was only after we crossed the finish line, after all the pressure was off that we realize the burning in our legs, our immense shortness of breath, the pain in our shoulders from keeping the blade off the water, and the tightness in our backs from trying to keep the boat set through the rough conditions. As I sat in the boat after the race, feeling like the next big wave would break me in two, it was then that I realized how good I have it. Not everyone can experience racing, not everyone can devote themselves so completely to one task and then, when it's over, sit back and just be proud knowing that yet again you've surprised yourself, pushed yourself harder than you ever thought you could, and truly done your best. It's a feeling that, as racing season picks up again, I'm glad to have back and would never trade.

- Jayne Kubat `08