Crew

To many people, sitting in a boat to tear up your hands, cut your calves, and be left gasping for air while moving across icy cold water does not sound very appealing. However, this was my routine five days a week for 7 years. I began rowing my freshman year of high school. Rowing, also know as crew, involves long boats (called shells) with eight oarsmen and a coxswain competing in a race against other crews.

When a crew first begins to row together the set (or equilibrium) is often thrown off because the oarsmen are not used to rowing as a crew. This is the key to having the most efficient row. The oarsmen must all be in sync with every stroke, a single mishap can throw off the rhythm. 

When the crew matches each stroke with one another and is in sync, this is when the magic happens. I have found that this only happens when you enter flow, when you actions and awareness merge. The oarsmen no longer thinks about what height he needs to hold his hand or how much his hands burn from the blister that just opened. Rather he is doing what he has trained his body to do while keeping his eyes locked on the shoulders of the oarsman in front of him. Sight no longer becomes a necessity in rowing, it is all about feel. Feeling when one oar is a split second behind the rest of the oars or feeling the build up to the next stroke.