Dear Rowing - Stephanie Gold
May 12, 2020 | Women's Rowing
Dear Rowing,
I want to start by saying thank you. You have taught me more about myself in the last three years than I could have ever imagined when I walked into the boathouse for the first time. While this was not the ending anyone could have imagined, I would do it a thousand times over with this team. Rowing, you have proved to me that hard work pays off, you have challenged me in ways I didn't know possible and taught me the true meaning of teamwork.
You are unique in that you open your arms to people like me with no rowing experience and transform us into DI athletes. As my teammates can attest, my path to you was far from straight. I always played sports growing up. Everything from basketball and soccer to cross country and track and field. I was even a member of the Muhlenberg College Track and Field (DIII) team before transferring to BU. Little did I know, I was saving the best for last.
It takes a special type of crazy to love this sport. At Splash I was approached by a member of the women's rowing team who said, "You look athletic. Try out for women's rowing!" After that first meeting, I was hooked, so hooked, that the 1.4 mile walk from Danielson Hall to DeWolfe Boathouse every morning at 5:30am didn't even scare me off. There were over 40 girls at my walk-on tryout and at the time of my last practice this spring, only three of us remained.
Rowing, you are not for the weak of heart. I thought I knew the definition of hard work, until I met you. I was proven wrong time and time again. From 2K to 20K and everything in-between, I was taught that I am capable of more than I know. My first season after only learning to row six months before, I was racing against girls who had been training since birth and people who had been competing at the international level for years. I really learned the power of fake it till you make it and the impact of just showing up.
On and off the water, you demanded drive and determination like I've never seen. I'm beyond thankful for this team for embracing me, inspiring me, challenging me, and laughing with me along the way. You taught me leadership skills, mental toughness, discipline and confidence that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
Walking on to the Boston University Women's Rowing team was truly one of the best decisions I ever made. It is an opportunity that I have never taken for granted and has sincerely shaped me into the person I am today.
I'm envious of the next walk-on class that gets to experience putting their blade into the water for the first time, setting the boat all 8, the incredible rush of racing down the course and even getting those first blisters-turned-calluses. This sport has showed me that I am stronger than I know and capable of getting up and pushing myself day in and day out, both for myself and my teammates.
From the beginning of this season we all knew this group was special and it is truly devastating not being able to witness what this team could have accomplished together. That moment out on the water when we were told our season was cancelled was one that I will never forget, but I will also never forget the way my teammates came together to celebrate what we had done. Our last race pieces on the water and the makeshift senior night meant more to me than I can put into words.
While it's difficult knowing this season didn't end the way it was supposed to, I will forever be grateful for the countless sunrises, laughing fits, and teammates that became my best friends. I want to say thank you to my teammates, coaches, family and the entire Athletic Department; because of you I am proud to be a member of this program and I will be forever grateful to the sport I didn't even know existed four years ago.
Stephanie Gold
I want to start by saying thank you. You have taught me more about myself in the last three years than I could have ever imagined when I walked into the boathouse for the first time. While this was not the ending anyone could have imagined, I would do it a thousand times over with this team. Rowing, you have proved to me that hard work pays off, you have challenged me in ways I didn't know possible and taught me the true meaning of teamwork.
You are unique in that you open your arms to people like me with no rowing experience and transform us into DI athletes. As my teammates can attest, my path to you was far from straight. I always played sports growing up. Everything from basketball and soccer to cross country and track and field. I was even a member of the Muhlenberg College Track and Field (DIII) team before transferring to BU. Little did I know, I was saving the best for last.
It takes a special type of crazy to love this sport. At Splash I was approached by a member of the women's rowing team who said, "You look athletic. Try out for women's rowing!" After that first meeting, I was hooked, so hooked, that the 1.4 mile walk from Danielson Hall to DeWolfe Boathouse every morning at 5:30am didn't even scare me off. There were over 40 girls at my walk-on tryout and at the time of my last practice this spring, only three of us remained.
Rowing, you are not for the weak of heart. I thought I knew the definition of hard work, until I met you. I was proven wrong time and time again. From 2K to 20K and everything in-between, I was taught that I am capable of more than I know. My first season after only learning to row six months before, I was racing against girls who had been training since birth and people who had been competing at the international level for years. I really learned the power of fake it till you make it and the impact of just showing up.
On and off the water, you demanded drive and determination like I've never seen. I'm beyond thankful for this team for embracing me, inspiring me, challenging me, and laughing with me along the way. You taught me leadership skills, mental toughness, discipline and confidence that I will take with me for the rest of my life.
Walking on to the Boston University Women's Rowing team was truly one of the best decisions I ever made. It is an opportunity that I have never taken for granted and has sincerely shaped me into the person I am today.
I'm envious of the next walk-on class that gets to experience putting their blade into the water for the first time, setting the boat all 8, the incredible rush of racing down the course and even getting those first blisters-turned-calluses. This sport has showed me that I am stronger than I know and capable of getting up and pushing myself day in and day out, both for myself and my teammates.
From the beginning of this season we all knew this group was special and it is truly devastating not being able to witness what this team could have accomplished together. That moment out on the water when we were told our season was cancelled was one that I will never forget, but I will also never forget the way my teammates came together to celebrate what we had done. Our last race pieces on the water and the makeshift senior night meant more to me than I can put into words.
While it's difficult knowing this season didn't end the way it was supposed to, I will forever be grateful for the countless sunrises, laughing fits, and teammates that became my best friends. I want to say thank you to my teammates, coaches, family and the entire Athletic Department; because of you I am proud to be a member of this program and I will be forever grateful to the sport I didn't even know existed four years ago.
Stephanie Gold
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rowing
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