Rowing is an odd sport.
Typically, those who row either leave the sport incredibly quickly or leave after a long time. But, nearly everyone who once rowed, comes back to it.
This is the revolving door of rowing.
No matter what the sport throws at you, there is always something bringing you back. Even if it is only to go to Henley or the occasional end-of-season dinner, there is something endearing about the sport that makes people return.
As someone who has found themselves in and out the sport constantly, I do find it hard to get away and there are quite a few moments where I find myself longing to go back.
People may leave rowing for many reasons: some grow out the sport and want something more; some have had enough of the sport; others get burnt out; some lose the desire to compete in sport at all.
Rowing has a way of breaking or making people. It can transform lives. But it can also ruin them.
It requires a level of emotional and physical commitment that can often lead to burnout, forcing people to leave the river, after being completely destroyed.
With others, however, it can completely transform their lives, giving them an opportunity to do extraordinary things. It can open doors and enrich careers and future prospects.
A lot of people spend decades rowing and have stuck around for 20+ years. Sometimes, those who have been burnt out find their way back and give it another go; sometimes the second time round they can achieve even more.
There is no denying that rowing is a beast of a sport. Aside from the physical demands, its impact emotionally can be immense.
And this creates a revolving door of people – those wanting to try something new, those who are burnt out, those who are coming back, and those looking for a challenge.
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