Abby Welch '24 Recruiting Profile

“That’s a bummer, Abby.” My first rowing coach often said these words to me in my early days of rowing in response to my half-hearted grumbles and groans over certain training exercises (most likely running). I’d always respond with a laugh and move on to tackle the task at hand. I can’t lie, when I first joined the Rochester Rowing Club, I was a complainer sometimes. I loved the sport but sometimes felt unaccustomed to its physical and mental demands. Fast forward five years, I’ve come a long way and appreciate the value of every little thing coaches instruct me to do (and in the process have come to love running!). I can say one thing for sure, those seemingly throw-away words from my coach taught me an important lesson: there will always be moments in my academic and athletic life when I have to do mentally and physically trying things, and the best way for me to respond is to reframe my mentality and get to work. And, almost without fail, it’ll pay off. The task will make me better and stronger in some way that I wasn’t before. 

I’m a junior in high school and have been rowing for five years now. Those “bummers” have paid off, and I can say with full confidence that this sport has helped me develop into someone I’m so proud to be. It has shaped me physically, socially, mentally, and emotionally and helped me to become a resilient and determined person. The sense of family that the team brings has become equally important to me. I know my teammates are always there for me, and in return, I am there for them. I hope to find this same invaluable sense of community with my rowing teammates in my college life too! 

I struggle to put into words my love for this sport and all the things that go along with it. I want to be able to continue this passion in college while also maintaining high grades and becoming a more well-rounded person. College is an exciting chapter in a person’s life, and I want to enjoy and be enriched by every moment while I am there. I can’t wait to continue developing as a rower and a person during the bustling life of college that awaits!