Row Row Row Your Boat

As, upon arrival, I was told that collecting my belongings from last year would put into imminent danger the whole of Cambridge. This experience, together with the vision of all the lectures and individual consultations being online, led me to make a radical decision; to try rowing. Rowing is an integral part of Cambridge and perhaps that is why around 70 % of students will try it at a certain point throughout their studies. I missed this chance for some inexplicable reason in my first year, but I've been all the more passionate about this whole experiment in the last few weeks.

For people outside the Cambridge community, this may seem like a lot of noise for nothing; however, becoming part of a college rowing team is a big commitment and most importantly an act that will mark every aspect of your student life.

First, before I get to the more technical details, it should be noted that rowing is largely about the student community associated with the sport. During the first weeks, the so-called novices are taken care of by one-year-older matadors, who teach them the basics of proper rowing, introduce them to "professional" slang and maintain the right morale. The latter one is a particularly important point, as getting up every other day at six o'clock, just so that one can freeze on the water for two hours, starts getting on many people’s nerves after a while. Therefore, it is important to permanently point out the brighter side associated with this activity. Each training was followed by a group brunch (late breakfast) or a visit to the college cafe. In addition, every other week, the Trinity rowing club organizes social events that aim to further strengthen relationships between the promising young athletes. But even without these added things, it is such an inherently collective sport that students spending two hours together every other day on the water naturally tend to meet even outside of training.

Enchanted by the feeling of being part of a large sports community, I easily forgot during the first few outings how strenuous this physical activity itself is. At the beginning, it is literally just a matter of trying not to capsize, but with each training, you move incredibly further and perfecting the technique also implies a smoother movement of the boat and overall synchronization of the entire team. While the correct allocation of energy will relieve a person, the absence of breaks devoted to balancing the boat means a strict one hour of rowing (the remaining hour is divided between training in the gym and preparation of the boat). In rowing, I first encountered the need for absolute concentration, at least when it comes to sports. The rower must not only pay attention to the perfect execution of each tab but must above all ensure the synchronization of the entire team. In addition, it is necessary to listen to the cox, who indicates the direction and pace of the voyage, and the coach, who runs next to the boat on the shore and criticizes any person’s turning in the wrong direction (the rower must look only ahead).

It started with the corona and it also ends with the corona, as the recent nationwide lockdown resulted in the general closure of all rowing clubs in Britain.