Nov. 14, 2007

The day we had all been waiting for had finally come. Our first Bucknell novice crew race was hours away, and we were all "psyched out of our minds!" We had loaded up on carbs and team spirit the night before at our pasta dinner, and we were ready for an unforgettable introduction into the racing aspect of women's rowing. We all woke up in the morning and met in the Caf to have breakfast together, and then headed to the mini-buses for the trip down to Virginia. When we got down to the athletic center, we saw all of the varsity girls waiting to wish us luck, and decorating our buses with warm wishes. It was the perfect start to a great day on the Occoquan.

When we arrived at the river, we were all happy to see Frederick Foster, Betty Jane, and Skimmeree (those are the names of our boats) waiting for us on the trailer. It was total chaos around the trailer with 30 girls new to the regatta scene trying to unload boats off the top of the trailer, while two other teams needed to share the space with us. We successfully rigged all three boats by the time the parents arrived with the food. The parents were so great with helping out before the race with bringing delicious food, taking pictures, and offering a lot of support! We all ate a good brunch before the race, and each boat had a meeting with the coaches to discuss our strategy. I think at this point we all became extra-excited and a little nervous! Our coaches assured us that all of our hard work over the fall season would certainly pay off during this race.

Each crew walked their boat down to the docks, and rowed up the course to the start of the race. At the starting line there were 21 novice coxswains trying to maneuver themselves through the strong current to the line. It was total pandemonium! Two of our boats actually grounded for a second! Once the first Bucknell boat started down the chute, the two other boats cheered them on, and quickly followed them in starting the race. With our adrenaline levels at an all-time high, we began the race just as we had practiced with 20 of our strongest strokes. We knew the different schools we would be racing against, and that tight turns and continuous pressure were crucial to beating our opponents. We raced as hard as we could for the entire 20 minutes. Every stroke we took was for our teammates. We remained focused as we pulled away from various boats, and listening to the encouragement and direction from our coxswains, we finished the race strong and together.

As we climbed the hill back up to the trailer, we were informed of our place in the race, and when we reached the top, we heard that the Bucknell novices had placed third, sixth and eighth at the Head of the Occoquan. Pretty impressive... We were congratulated by our coaches and told that this was possibly the best novice fall race ever! It was a wonderful feeling to have pushed your hardest to reach a common goal with your teammates and your coaches. We ended the day on a very good note, proud of our fall accomplishments, and looking forward to the spring season!

- Caitlin Oster '11