Astrid Bidwell '25 Recruiting Profile

Hi! My name is Astrid Bidwell and I am in 2 seat for Varsity at Marianapolis Preparatory School. I joined rowing my freshman year initially because my mother had rowed in college but quickly fell in love with the sport. I row in both the fall and spring seasons. I remember the day I fell in love with the sport, it was my first day on the water. I crabbed twice within thirty minutes but picked myself up. There were moments that day when I was rethinking my choices self-doubt began to cloud my mind as I fell in with the rhythm of the boat. As my muscles are screaming to quit I push through not only because I want to prove it to my coach, but I want to prove it to myself. Before rowing I did numerous sports and felt out of place, I didnt want to succeed. In rowing, I want to excel when I am done erging I want to be unable to walk when we finish a lap I want to look down at my hands and see blisters forming. Rowing has allowed me to push away that self-doubt and let it all out on the water. My fondest memory of Crew was my first race in Spring, we won. But that wasn't why I loved it, I pushed one minute off my previous time that race, and the whole time as I was rowing I thought "I want to do this." I know that I am certainly not perfect but when I row I push from those imperfections and grow. I love rowing because it allows you to grow as an athlete and a person. My teammates have become my second family and there is nothing better than making your family proud, that's what I strive to do every time I go on the water, I try to make my family proud.