Jan. 18, 2008

Going back to Bucknell two weeks before classes started for the spring semester 2008 was not exactly how I pictured ending my winter break. However, there was a unique experience in store for me during these first couple of weeks in January that brought eager anticipation to my return. As a member of Bucknell's Novice Women's Rowing Team I was excited to have been granted the opportunity to take part in the crew team's winter training trip, which took place at Lake Russell in Elberton, Ga.

Not knowing what to expect, I went into the trip completely blind-sighted. However, within a couple of hours after arriving in Georgia, I realized that this trip meant business. Eat, sleep, and row was certainly not an understatement. A typical day had us awake by 6:30 a.m. and on our way to the boathouse by 7 a.m. After a short warm up we rowed, worked on technique, and put to practice everything we had been working on during our winter training for a few hours each morning until it was time to run or jog back to our cottages for a meal and some sleep. This same routine occurred at least twice a day, until about 6 p.m. when each cottage of eight rowers--four novice and four varsity--took turns cooking healthy balanced dinners. Each day ended with showers, downtime, television, and then lights out at exactly 10 p.m. These structured days really allowed our team to focus on the importance of training hard to prepare for the upcoming spring season.

I have enjoyed each and every day as a member of the rowing team at Bucknell. As a novice coxswain I strive to learn more and more about the sport of rowing, rowing technique, and how to work well with a crew of four or eight different rowers each time I get out on the water. I found that throughout the training trip I learned the most when the novice team practiced with the varsity, as the varsity rowers were full of helpful suggestions and pointers that only experience can teach. I know that I gained a lot by attending this trip to Georgia, and the 12-hour bus ride was well worth it!

Who knew that a physically and mentally exhausting training trip could leave us all feeling so refreshed at the end of the week? Perhaps it can be best summed up by Coach Kish's insight--a student-athlete is the most honest kind of student there is. Devoting our time and energy into academics can only be enhanced by the structure, teamwork, and drive for success that is present in the crew team. All in all, I plan to continue to work on what I learned in Elberton, Ga., about my position as coxswain and I look forward to returning in the spring to kick off a season that I know will be filled with success!

- Katherine Relle '11