Emily Calkins '26 Recruiting Profile

    My experience in sports is woven together by a tapestry of perseverance, devotion, and unrelenting passion, from the exhilaration of winning on the water to the excitement of competing in the pool and the discipline of martial arts. I am the athlete and person I am today, prepared to take on the difficulties and successes that lie ahead, thanks to every rowing stroke, swimming lap, and martial arts move. I started rowing in the spring of 2023, my freshman year of high school. I joined the team because I am tall and the coach expressed how much he would love to see what I could bring to the table. The first day I started crew I fell in love with the art of the sport. I thrive on the exhilarating sensation of pushing my internal limits and feeling the rhythm of the oars every stroke I take.

    Over the years I have been involved in multiple sports and teams. I played Basketball at the Freshman and Modified levels in the 8th and 9th grade. My 8th grade season I was awarded one of two Coaches Awards, followed by the Most Improved Player award. Beyond Basketball, I was also a part of Modified Swim, my 7th and 8th grade years and this past season of my Sophomore year I was a part of the Varsity Swim team. During my 2023 swim season, I got the opportunity to race in a relay at the Section III meet. 

In addition to Basketball and Swimming I have been training in Martial Arts for just over ten years. I am currently a 3rd Degree Black Belt and a paid Instructor at my dojo. I am a natural born leader who has a heart for connecting with others. My position at my dojo has taught me how to truly push my mental and physical limits, when it comes to discipline, leadership skills, personal growth, and most of all internal drive and dedication to whatever I put my mind to.

My Novice year of crew, 2023, was definitely a learning curve, but all of the hard work paid off when we won 1sr place in our Novice 8+ category at the New York State Rowing Championship in Saratoga, New York. Prior to that, we also achieved a first place title at our sectionals competition at Onondaga Lake and we also achieved a first place medal for our Syracuse chargers invitational. During my first year of varsity crew that has just past, I was a rower in my junior 4+ boat and we earned a scholastic second place silver medal at  the New York state Rowing championship, in addition to two silver medals at our chargers invitational in a junior varsity 4+ boat and a varsity 8 boat as a sophomore.

To add to all of the exciting achievements that I have experienced in just two seasons of rowing, I got the amazing experience of racing in Baldwinsville top boat this past season. This boat was a part of many things, one being a great boat with strong and disciplined rowers, but two, we were most of all a boat that bonded so much by the end of the season. This past season I have made friendships that I will never forget. My Junior four boat, full og three other amazing rowers and I, got the honor to race at the SRAA National Championships Regatta, in New jersey. We made it to the semi finals and came fourth in the hour heat, by just 2 seconds. I am so grateful that I got to experience nationals with such an amazing group of hard working, and dedicated rowers, and hope to be back next season.

    On top of the many sports and extracurriculars that I have been a part of over the years I am also an active member of my church communities and the christian youth club through my school. For the past 4 years I have been serving for my church consistently every other weekend doing numerous things which include camera production, greeter, and being a youth Junior leader. I am finishing my sophomore year as a member of the junior honor society and I have also achieved a high honor roll every semester since my eighth grade year. I am in multiple advanced classes for my grade such as Spanish III, Algebra II, and Chemistry. After this year I will be qualified for an advanced regents diploma.

    I'm really excited about the opportunity of progressing each year and eventually discovering the perfect college where I can continue my rowing journey. My ultimate goal is to bring my unwavering dedication, honed skills, and genuine passion for rowing to a collegiate team. As time passes, I am steadily advancing towards the realization of my dream to row at the collegiate level. This journey means the world to me, and I am fully dedicated to putting in the hard work and perseverance required to turn this dream into a reality. Rowing has been such a significant part of my life, and the thought of continuing this journey at the collegiate level fills me with excitement and determination. I can't wait to see where this path leads me and the incredible experiences and opportunities that await as I pursue my passion for rowing at the next level.