When we look at the prospect of sport from an outsider’s perspective, we only see the surface which tends to be that it is good for your physical health and well-being. Sport is so much more than that but in order to see for yourself you must experience it.
Before rowing, I tried a handful of different sports including running, karate, swimming, and cycling but it wasn’t until rowing that I experienced a true passion for sport. It took me a while to find the sport that piqued my particular interest but when I joined my local rowing club, I knew that it would be where I stayed.
It has changed my life and every day I am struck by the never-ending opportunities that I am being provided with. I always knew that I wanted to be highly competitive in sports, but I didn’t know where to start my journey. At rowing, I started my first step on the ladder in a stable play boat with floats. Then before I knew it, I was rowing my first regatta and had picked up a handful of new friends along the way.
The people I have met through rowing have shaped me and moulded me into the person I am today, and my social horizons have been expanded greatly. Rowing is a highly community-based sport, it brings people together because of the shared common interest and drive to achieve a specific goal such as success and standing on a podium. As well as this, if you are rowing in crew boats then you find that teamwork and cohesiveness are attributes you will acquire.
It took me a while to find the sport that piqued my particular interest but when I joined my local rowing club, I knew that it would be where I stayed.
However, you don’t need to meet the criteria of elite athletes to be good at rowing or enjoy it. That is only a small part of it which a minute number of athletes will aspire to achieve. It’s important that the foundation for the desire to do rowing, a challenging sport, is based on the pure enjoyment of it. Then, all the surrounding factors such as socialising, motivation, and fulfilment will follow because they are the part of the sport that completes it.
I also found that schoolwork and rowing started to merge together and work hand in hand with one another. Rowing was a form of escapism from the stress of doing my exams and provided me with a positive mental attitude. Every stroke I took in the boat was a further release of the pressure I felt from trying to perform well academically. I stand by the fact that rowing has made me a better student because I am able to concentrate more, and I always have the competitive drive within me to perform well.
Rowing was a form of escapism from the stress of doing my exams and provided me with a positive mental attitude.
All of the reasons I have mentioned above contribute to why you should take part in sport. It could take a while to find the sport that suits your characteristics, but it is worth the search and rowing should definitely be on the list. It is a sport that has such undeniable inclusivity and adaptability that there is a part to be played by everyone who wants to be involved.
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