“The rattle of the riggers of the finish, the music of the tide beneath her body as she shot between the strokes, the grim yet heartening sound of splendid and unbroken strength when all eight blades crashed in together – these are the things that no one who has heard and felt them will ever forget. Some delirium. Some tremens. Some kaleidoscope.” – Sir Theodore Cook
A kaleidoscope of experiences: perhaps the best way to describe the three years I spent as a member of the Vanderbilt Rowing Club. I was first introduced to crew by alumna Amber Hurley, who taught me the ways of the erg. While most oarsmen usually detest the erg, seeing it as a vehicle of all the pain but none of the pleasure of rowing, I took an instant liking to it under Amber’s guidance. Of course, that doesn’t mean I was in any sense capable on it. Embarrassed by the fact now but elated at the time, I approached then-president Michael Desmarais at the student organizational fair at the start of my sophomore year to tell him of my impressive 2k split: 2:02.
In addition to bringing that split down more than twenty seconds (though I am still far from my goal), I have made many memories and learned many lessons over the past three years. Due to other commitments that I was hesitant to let fade and a pre-med course schedule that never seemed to relent, my full integration into Commodore Crew was a slow process. Although I was stroke of the men’s novice four and eight my sophomore fall, finding extra time to erg was all but out of the question for me, let alone any time devoted to the myriad duties required of us as a student-run organization. Promotion to varsity in the spring shifted my allegiances more towards crew, but my other activities were still the driving forces in my life.
A semester abroad changed all of that. Being away from rowing – early mornings and erging included – and away from the friendships I had made with my teammates made me realize the extent to which I enjoyed the sport. Returning from Madrid in the spring of my junior year, I threw my energies into the team, erging every chance I got, becoming an officer, and generally getting pumped up about rowing.
This excitement continued through senior fall with me serving as both treasurer and trip coordinator and rowing three seat behind Neil Greenwell in the varsity men’s boat. Soon, however, a surprising situation arose: our coaches – all three of them – decided to discontinue their relationship with the team. While the shock of this decision has never quite faded, my initial disappointment and lack of direction were remedied as I realized that these circumstances allowed me to direct even more of my energies into Vanderbilt Rowing Club.
The four officers of the team (we had reduced the number the previous semester due to what we thought would be a small team in the fall – we were wrong) along with some other varsity rowers quickly regrouped and took charge. We planned schedules, workouts, stepped up recruiting, and, perhaps most importantly, we began searching for coaches. We were lucky enough to find two superb coaches: Mills Ramsay, who I found using our ergs one afternoon, and Jon Miller, who had coached briefly a year before and came to us ready to change the face of the team.
With their leadership and the team’s excitement and eagerness for something new, we began revamping Commodore Crew. A pair and a number of new oars were purchased, practices were reconfigured, efficiency was maximized, and attitudes were changed. The past semester, my last semester, was the highlight of my time with the team. Not only did I become a better rower (out of necessity, for rowing in a pair is no easy task), but I learned how to succeed when the odds look bleak and, even more importantly, how a group of committed people working together can allow that to happen.
In the hands of Jon and Mills, Neil and Tristan, and all the other officers and members of Vanderbilt Rowing Club, I have no doubt that Commodore Crew is on the brink of greatness. While staying around to see what develops would certainly be interesting, the time for me to move on to the next stage of my life has arrived. May the many lessons rowing taught me serve me well.
-Chris
