| Beating Burn-Out |
 |
| Articles - Ninthgirl | |||||||||||||||||||
| Written by ninthgirl | |||||||||||||||||||
|
I've been coxing for six years. Compared to some, I'm sure this is a pretty short time. However, six years of this intense sport can get to be exactly that, intense. During winter training this year, I found myself fantasizing of a life without crew. What would it be like not to have to worry about team politics, destroying our team's new eight yet again (I've only done it once, but once is quite more than enough), training novice coxswains, and getting up at 4:30 a.m.? Fall season took a lot out of me, and I wasn't sure I was ready for a grueling spring season. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, coxswains can suffer from burn-out. I never pictured myself without crew. I have always been positive that crew has sunk into my soul so deeply that I'll be an aged and hobbling woman somewhere still yelling over a microphone at some poor high school crew somewhere who's trying to deal with this old fogie of a coach. All of a sudden, however, I began to imagine college life without crew. You know, a life that included sleep and homework and my non-crew friends.Then, the season really began. I kept pressing on until the season started because I couldn't picture my life without crew. And, I'm so glad I did. Once I got back around my guys and the river and boats, I remembered why I cox. It's that feeling of coming home when I go down to the river. I never thought any river but my very first practice spot could become home, but my college crew's river now holds memories as well. I cox because when I get into a boat, it's my way of flying. Sitting in a sternloader and getting slammed into the foam padding so hard that it hurts, or getting right up against a boat's hull in a bowloader and feeling every motion of the rowers behing you. There are two even bigger reasons I cox, however. The first is the people. Rowers, I am convinced (and other coxswains), are inherantly superior to the rest of the world. It's not the simple act of being on a crew, but rather that crew tends to attract quality people. I've heard from almost everyone I know that crew is all about the people. And the last reason is because I was right. Crew is in my soul. Something about me is more right, more full, when I'm coxing. It's like all of me can come into play at once, in one magical moment of intense concentration and focus. One of my coach's used to say that there's no bad day on the water. With the caveat of a major equipment failure, I would say she's right. So, if any of you are feeling fed up, or burned out, take a step back. Look at the river on a misty morning under a pink sunrise. Run your hand over the fiberglass of a boat. Think back over some great crew memories. Fondle your favorite medals. Then get out there and give it one more try. If you're a coxswain to the core, you'll remember why you love this sport. Ninthgirl User Comments:
Ninthgirl
|