Too Much of a Good Thing

This afternoon, at crew practice, I realized I am becoming "burnt out" on rowing. It's not that I love it less, or that I am going to stop trying in my last two weeks of the season, but I am having a tough time enjoying it. I am surrounded by amazing people who make it bearable, and the anticipation of returning home on June 6th for the first time since January 7th is also a crutch for me.But at the same time, just hearing about the same technical mistake I haven't been able to figure out for weeks is driving me up the wall, and sort of believing that no matter what changes my teammates and I make to our strokes (for you non-rowing folk, the individual movements of the body and oar that make up the sport) we are unlikely to finish higher than last or second to last at the IRA is also a drain.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not usually a pessimist, but the facts clearly show that Marietta is not on par with Harvard, Princeton, and company. So I am trying to take these few weeks of practice and the June 2-4th races in Cherry Hill, New Jersey as opportunities to become a better rower, enjoy spending time with my teammates, and explore the world of competition of the IRA that few Marietta rowers have the opportunity to experience.

I am glad this year that I have found that I really do love rowing and want to make it a continual part of my life. I am also thrilled with the experiences I have had in rowing this year: taking 14th at the Head of the Charles, winning the Bill Braxton Memorial Trophy, re-claiming SIRA gold, and simply enjoying a crew of men I consider to be great friends and "lifelong allies." Considering that I was not sold on rowing as a permanent part of my college career at the beginning of both my freshman and sophomore years of college, I believe this year was one of much growth for me in finding my passions. I switched majors, didn't I?

So where do I go from here? Well, the immediate answer is to bed, since we have seat racing at 8am tomorrow morning (inter-squad races to determine which rowers are fastest). A bit more extended response is to Cherry Hill, NJ in two weeks to test our mettle at the IRA. But the answer I am embracing most is whatever comes next which, fortunately, Coach says is a couple week break from training. I do believe that you can have too much of a good thing, but now I also am convinced that rowing is always a good thing for me.