Over the last few months our student-athletes have been hearing back from universities, learning insider tips for college and beyond, while also preparing for the racing season. The spring is an incredibly exciting time, it also poses a lot of questions about the future. Recently, our Queens varsity team had a unique visitor at one of their practices. Wendy Lam, currently in her third year of high school, recalls the experience and its effect on how she plans to incorporate rowing into her schedule after Row New York:
When I was getting a granola bar, I spotted a stranger by the coach’s desk. A few minutes later, Coach Bre had us gather around and introduced us to Janit Gorka. Janit is the head coach of a new women’s rowing program at Cabrini College, in Philadelphia, PA. Cabrini College, she explained, was a liberal arts college with a variety of majors available. She spoke about the new division 3 rowing program, and the goal of striking a perfect balance between college classes and practice time. Additionally, we learned about their large financial aid package for rowers. This got my attention. I mean who wouldn’t like a larger financial aid package and a balanced college schedule, all while rowing in a division 3 program?
Janet mentioned her two sons to help demonstrate the difference between division 1 and division 3. Her oldest son, who is a division 1 athlete, spends 6 hours per day practicing early in the morning and in the late afternoons. It amazed me to learn how committed he was to rowing. Her younger son, on the other hand, was considering a division 3 program to achieve a balance between his schedule and a normal social life. She quickly concluded her college introduction so we could have the rest of the time on the water to ourselves. In the boat, I spotted her taking out her camera to snap photos of us. She was keen to notice each of our movements. I was quite a mess at the beginning of practice but I slowly got used to her presence and started focus more on the boat.
From the experience, I learned more about the differences between division 1 and division 3 rowing. It’s truly a choice between prioritizing the classroom or rowing. Both have advantages and disadvantages that I will need to consider. I believe I am more of the division 3 type. I started rowing in middle school, and since then I have been addicted and in love with rowing. I plan to row in college but it is a matter of how much. Should I do 6 hours of rowing each day, or choose more of a relaxed and balanced life in college?
My goal is to achieve a simple life in my first year of college: to get used to my surroundings, and have half a day for class and half a day for a job. In addition, I want time to exercise and row to keep my body in shape. I want to have a good social life and have the evenings to myself. I want to be able to maintain good study habits and at the same time keep up good exercising habits. Rowing has helped me keep up with all of those goals in my middle school and high school years. Janit’s visit gave me a clear picture of what a division 3 women’s rowing program looks like. As I weigh my options going forward, I will consider a program like hers to achieve my theme of balance while in college.
We can’t wait to see where Wendy’s rowing career takes her, and what she may be interested in her final year of high school. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Wendy!
