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I used to be on a crew team, and it was a co-ed youth team. It was my first summer on the youth team, with zero experience. The seating arrangement depended on one’s skill level. So if I were experienced, I would sit towards the front of the boat, but since I was new, I sat at the end of the boat. The people in the front were called Pacers, people in the middle were called the Engine, and people at the end were called the Rocket.
My team had a tradition of team bonding after every practice. We did things like going to eat brunch, singing at karaoke places, shooting pool, or going to the manager’s house to play games. Everyone seemed really nice and easy to get along with at first. Then as I got to know the people on the team more, I realized that people on this team were extremely arrogant and competitive. I specifically remember this one guy that I met: he would always put down the new youth, saying how we are really bad at this sport. He would belittle us and act a if he was the coach. I disliked this guy so much.
I started to get competitive myself, and I was determined to prove to that guy that the newbies got skills too. I went out to every practice – four times a week, twice in the evening and twice in the early morning. By early I do not mean 10a.m. I meant practice was at 7a.m., and I had to leave my house 5p.m., so that meant I had to wake up at 4 in the morning! I always went to practice early too, so that I can get extra advice on rowing techniques from my coach.
Week by week, I was moved up row by row: from Rocket to Engine to third row Pacer. By the end of the summer, which was two months from when I first started, I was placed as row one Pacer. I felt so empowered at that moment when my coach read off the roaster for the New York race that was scheduled in a week. I was finally able to prove to the guy that I disliked that he was wrong about the new youths.