- 2021 Highlights #2
Personal Statement
When I was in seventh grade, my father realized I was terrible at basketball. As he searched for another sport I hadn’t already done, he remembered something he tried for a week fifteen years ago. It was a long shot, but why not? He signed me up for the Gunnery development rowing program . Once I got there, it was clear there had been some type of mistake, the development group was full. I was placed in the high school men’s novice eight, and I loved every second of it. There, in three seat while bow pair exasperatedly attempted to explain the unfamiliar rowing terms, my passion for the sport began. From then on, that passion only grew. From being pulled onto the competitive team a week into my development season, to becoming the youngest varsity rower at my club, to rowing independently at the Head of the Schuylkill, and even to founding my own rowing club at my high school, my passion for rowing and ambition to constantly improve has continually pushed me beyond the limits of what I thought possible. Now, this ambition is urging me to row at the highest level possible at a school that will be the optimal fit for me.
Throughout my rowing career, I have displayed a constant drive to grow, learn, and improve. This relentless ambition has helped me to progress in my technique, strength, and overall performance by allowing me to trust in the advice of my coaches and teammates. It also allows me to use this support system to individually succeed. Taking individual initiative in my rowing career has always been of high importance to me. Whether that means finding new resources to improve or starting a new club to unlock the sport to others who have not been exposed to it, I do whatever it takes. When I become set on a goal, I am determined to achieve it. I give myself a timeline, hold myself accountable, and work hard. This is what enables me to keep constantly improving, a trait that will carry on throughout my college career and beyond.
In the past, I have pushed past the limits of what myself and others expected of me. This in true in many aspects of my life, not just confined to rowing. My goal in college is to continue this habit. I strive to break through levels, athletically and academically, that in this moment seem distant. One of my coaches always told us that there will always be barriers in our lives, limits to what we can do or how well we can perform. However, when we meet these barriers, we are meant to break them down. We, as rowers, are meant to push through the pain, stress, and exhaustion and succeed. This is something I have carried with me, and something I employ in every aspect of my life. It is my goal to bring this attitude with me in the next step of my rowing career.
