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Carol Quijada (far right) and her teammates on the dock.

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts revisiting the lives of Row New York’s graduates as a part of our 10th Year Celebration.

Carolina Quijada
Row New York Class of 2007

“Nothing has really had such an impact in my life as being a rower.  As a college student I don’t accept anything less than my very best.”

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I have so many great memories of my time with Row New York, but my favorite is definitely the weeks leading to my first race ever, and the race itself. As a novice rower, I was always in the barge learning over and over again how to row and feeling like I didn’t really improve. Then about two weeks before the 2004 Long Island Sprints (hosted by Row New York on Meadow Lake) my coach was missing someone in the boat and I happened to be at the boathouse for some extra workouts. He put me in an eight for the first time and I was okay. He kept picking at me over and over again; calling my name about ten times more than anyone else in that boat. I was embarrassed at first but when he said I should be happy to get the extra attention I relaxed a bit and became more confident in my abilities. I had just two weeks to learn how to be in a shell and to be connected to eight other ladies.

The night before the race, I ate a big meal in order to not be so hungry the next morning, and I went to bed early (not since 5th grade had I gone to bed before 10PM). I seriously thought I’d get sick from the excitement, but that excitement just fueled me through the day. The race was definitely intimidating. I saw girls get into our lake with their game face on and their legs so well defined and muscular. I felt even tinier than when I stood next to my teammates. We rowed to the starting line, and as the alignment was being fixed, my coxswain, Minhee, had her arm up to indicate we weren’t ready. We were still backing the boat into place when the race was called to GO. The race itself was a blur. All I remember was Minhee calling for power after power to catch up. And then we were next to the leading boat. Minhee kept calling for us to get her next to their stroke, to their 5 seat, to bow pair. I almost caught a crab in that and I don’t know how I got out of it. Next thing I knew, we were done. It wasn’t until we docked that someone told me we had won with two boat lengths of open water. I didn’t believe it until I saw my dad’s recording of it. I really saw the connection in that boat, to the ladies rowing together, and I believe the biggest bonding experience for that lineup was made in that race. I still keep in touch with everyone in that boat.

Life has continued to be exciting and to move fast since I graduated from the Row New York. I’ve been working hard to pay my way through college, I got married to my high school sweetheart, and I began coaching for Row New York.

During my last season my parents actually let me know I had to quit Row New York to find some sort of work or scholarships. My parents instilled the idea that I had to go to college and, for me, it was the only way out of struggling. I was going to take a year off to just work, but a former teacher convinced me to at least go to a community college. That summer, Row New York’s founder and Executive Director, Amanda Kraus, asked me to babysit her son, Wyatt, and I was able to get enough money to pay for my first semester. My dad helped me a bit with the missing portion of tuition, but that was it. I was able to buy my own books, supplies, clothes, and I was even able to contribute with groceries. The next couple of years, I paid for my schooling and kept a part of me in Row New York. I volunteered as much as I could, since I didn’t have much more to offer, and even got over my fear of driving the launch. I really want to give so much back to Row New York for making me into the woman I am today.

Row New York is still a huuuge part of my life. I keep in touch with many coaches and I’m grateful to Amanda for being like a second mother to me. I know that the support I had as a teen did not end when I graduated from the Row New York program. I once confessed to my coaches that before Row New York I was a C-student, barely getting the minimum passing grades and being content with that. Nothing has really had such an impact in my life as being a rower. As a college student I don’t accept anything less than my very best.

I am also a coach to Row New York’s adaptive team. This is another dream come true for my entire family. It’s not easy to have such amazing memories of races, BBQs, friendships, hardships, and overall joy as my sister, Ivonne, watched from the dock. She has Down Syndrome and many sports or programs are out of her reach. When the adaptive program launched Ivonne was totally on board with being a rower “like her sisters”. Just watching her and other adaptive rowers on the water is so rewarding, and helping them achieve their goals is beyond amazing. I know I’ll to continue to be part of this team – I’ll just be on the other side supporting new rowers on this amazing adventure.

In other aspects of my life, I just took one of many certification exams to become a high school English teacher. I want to continue educating younger generations and hopefully instill some of the discipline and lessons I got from my rowing days. Today I am happy to say that my husband and I can contribute to Row New York in other ways and help them continue the empowerment and strength of current rowers. Chris knows how much I grew from the program and he wished he had the same experience, but we know many teens will be able to have this experience with the efforts (driving carpool, coaching, cooking, volunteering, etc.) made from parents, friends, and staff. It seriously makes me so happy to see fresh faces every season and have confidence that these ladies (and now gents) will at least have someone to support their dreams as well as actually get a shot at them.

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