Charlotte Randall '22 Recruiting Profile

When I started five years ago, I was set on rowing simply for pleasure and not competing, as I was focused on academics. However, four months later, in January of 7th grade, I competed, and rowed, in a double for the first time. Although we came last, I eagerly waited for the next time I could do it all over again.

Three years of average results with a few exceptions and an overwhelming academic schedule in comparaison to my teammates, pushed me to quit the sport, following the French National Championships in July 2019. Stopping rowing equally broke me and fuelled my passion for it, as my life had previously revolved entirely around it which meant that I was lost and where I thought I would have an opportunity to allocate more time to school and thus, better my academics, I was less efficient, which meant little changed.

After watching old videos of me rowing and at competitions, I realised how much I missed it and came back full-time within a week in early November. At first it was tough but I quickly regained my level and even surpassed it and I was more motivated than I had ever been. Shortly after, the national lockdown led me to row at home, which was immensely rewarding as I learnt self-motivation and determination. In the same year, at the 2020 French National Championships, after two and a half months of training, my teammate and I came second in the pair by half of a second, leading our club onto the podium for the first time in its’ history. That finish gave me the reassurance, that I had a place in the sport, and the confidence to aim for bigger goals such as my long-time dream of pursuing rowing at a high level alongside academics in the States. I feel particularly drawn to the States, as it is the only country in which I am able to choose a university that will not compromise the level of academics I seek, or my passion for rowing.