After settling in Chestertown, Maryland, Spring Break 2012 is living up
to its expectations. With two-a-day rows we have been maximizing our time here
at Washington College’s boathouse and in the warm summer-like weather. After a
long winter hiatus and an intensely productive indoor training period, it feels
fantastic to be back on the water and in boats.
Here in Chestertown, after a morning to get situated we started in on
seat racing. After three afternoons of racing
totaling around 40 pieces, we’re all feeling the burn. Many rowers, including
my roommate Paige and me, have taken ice baths. It was painful, but Becca’s
dancing to “Call Me Maybe” was a great distraction. The novice coxswain Claire
has also helped by walking on rowers’ backs. Despite the groans that seat
racing inevitably involve, it’s great to begin getting used to tentative
lineups as we move forward. We’ve also done some valuable technical work since
the sun shines much brighter during the Maryland afternoon than on the Charles
at 5 a.m.
Spring break is also known for being a great opportunity to get to know
other teammates. In addition to the usual shenanigans around the hotel, this
year was the debut of the “Miss Chestertown Spring Break” pageant. The audience
saw silver metallic spandex, a howling wolf shirt, and tomato-patterned shorts
in the beauty section, followed by a display of talents ranging from hair braiding
to Irish dancing. The next day, we had the afternoon off from rowing. Many of
us spent the afternoon in Annapolis shopping, eating ice cream, and walking off
the lactic acid in our legs. This evening we tie-dyed T-shirts, and the final
evening will be the performance of class skits.
Our time in Chestertown has been a fantastic way to get to know our
teammates and to start turning the fitness we honed during winter training into
boat speed. We have a few more days in Chestertown—enough time for more great
work before our race on Saturday with Washington College. After the long bus
ride back to Wellesley, we’ll be showing some crazy speed upon our return to
the good ol’ Charles on Monday morning.
- Maggie West ‘14
