Blue Crew was a force to be
reckoned with this week. We executed several power workouts on the erg during
practice with focus, drive and intention. These workouts involve rowing short,
hard pieces that train the rowers to use their explosive drive without any
inhibitions, pouring all their energy into every single piece and leaving
nothing on the water (or in the erg loft, as the case may be). The best part of
Blue Crew’s determination to take our winter training regimen by storm is that
the high intensity could be seen not just during the power workouts, but also
in other aspects of our practice schedule: during steady state pieces, stair
runs, and even yoga. I have been ever impressed by the team’s collective
determination and relentlessness.
Another
task the team tackled on recently was laying out a specific mission for the
year, and detailing the steps and attitudes it’s achievement will require. Eric
Hoffer, an American Philosopher, once said, “it is the awareness of unfulfilled
desires which gives a nation the feeling that it has a mission and a destiny.”
From our team discussions, it is clear that every member has unfulfilled
desires, goals they feel a burning desire to achieve. Nonetheless, not a single
teammate allows herself to feel dragged down by the fact that they remain
unfulfilled, or by an overwhelming sense of apparent unattainability. Instead,
these desires to achieve greatness fill us with a sense of purpose and fuel our
thirst for success. We have united around our common goals and created a
mission, our destiny, which we will stop at nothing to attain.
Our mission
structure consisted of three components: our goals for the season, their
support system, consisting of several pillars that establish a mindset and
purpose behind achieving our goals, and commitments each teammate makes to
adhere to each pillar. We agreed on four goals to comprise our mission. In addition, we selected eleven pillars to
support to our mission: Tenacity, Unity, Trust, Motivation, Confidence,
Intention, Accountability, Risk, Respect, Positivity and Fun. Finally, each
teammate made eleven commitments to her teammates, each relating to one of the
pillars. In making these commitments, we promise to honor the mission we have
collectively agreed upon.
Watching
the team make such a direct statement of intent, agreed upon and reaffirmed by
each individual teammate, really inspired me. As a newcomer to the team, I am
floored by the passion and devotion each rower brings to the table. Starting
out the season with unparalleled purpose has made me really optimistic to see
how each rower and the team as a whole will improve over the course of this
season.
Meg Roberts '16
