Written by Ben Dines '15
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Junior Christopher "Patrick" Doyle (PD) of the men's rowing team spoke with Santa Clara Broncos (SCB) about practice and races, and the ups and downs of being a collegiate oarsman.
SCB: What has your season been like so far?
PD: We will be competing in a few races this fall, but our real season begins late winter quarter/early spring. Preparation is paramount to our success. We had the summer to train and improve on our own, and the first team practices will coincide with the beginning of fall quarter. Right away we have to commit to our intensive practice schedule to ensure we are prepared for that first regatta. We are celebrating our program's 50th anniversary this year, and I know a lot of people in the SCU rowing community are excited for our program's near future. We lost a lot of fantastic seniors to graduation, but we are bringing in an abnormally large recruiting class along with the possibility of athletic walk-ons rowing is known for. I am confident we have the right group to achieve a lot this year.
SCB: How has rowing impacted your Santa Clara career?
PD: Life as an oarsman requires a lot of sacrifice compared to the average college student, but that sacrifice has its rewards. Rowing, like any other collegiate sport, is a huge time commitment; like a job on top of school. My year-round daily routine involves an early morning practice, class, an afternoon practice, and a limited amount of free time interspersed throughout the day. If I am lucky I can spend that time with friends, and not doing homework or resting. It is tough sometimes to watch your friends go out and experience all that Santa Clara has to offer knowing you need to get to bed early for tomorrow's practice. There is no doubt in my mind that rowing is worth it though. I have learned a great amount about discipline, self-motivation, and time management. I have an incredibly tight group of friends on the team, and the opportunity to experience an early morning row on Lexington Reservoir every day is indescribable.
SCB: How do you prepare for practice? Is this different than how you prepare for a race?
PD: The difference between practices and races is the huge disparity in quantity. Rowing is unique in that you only have 5-to-10 races an entire year. For each individual stroke in a six-minute race we put in hours upon hours of practice. We practice so often it becomes part of the daily routine. When we do finally have a race things are completely different. About a week and a half in advance I begin monitoring my diet, activities, and schedule more closely. A day or two before a race we arrive at the course for a practice row and general acclimation to our surroundings. From that point on everyone is committed to going out and executing. We usually have a few meetings to discuss our race plan and everyone focuses up in their own way. I practice a lot of visualization, listen to music, and the history major in me tries to channel the feeling of a warrior going into battle before every race.
SCB: What is the hardest/worst part of rowing?
PD: Two things stand out as the hardest/worst part. One is obviously the time commitment. 5:45 am morning practices six days a week are hard to wake up for, especially because I am not much of a morning person. Coupled with the afternoon practices, it can be difficult to balance school, rowing, and your personal life. Second, is constant mental and physical exhaustion rowers experience. Whether you are in a boat or on the erg you are constantly battling to keep a clear head. Staying perfectly in sync with the rest of the guys is difficult as your mind is screaming at you to quit or give in to the pain halfway through a piece. I played almost every sport in the book growing up and the physical and mental pain rowers go through is incomparable in my opinion. It still seems surreal to me that your aim is to go so hard you black out before the end of the race. Even daily we all experience something hurting or general soreness pretty much year round.
SCB: What is the best?
PD: Once again two things stand out for me. The first has to be my teammates. We spend so much time together that we grow into a big group of brothers (and a sister or two with coxswains). Rowing is a sport that requires every single one of us to be on the exact same page to go fast. I pull my hardest at all times because I know they are doing the same for me. Even after school I am confident I can rely on each of them if I ever need it. My second favorite aspect ties into what makes rowing difficult at times. The mental and physical strain results in personal improvement. Rowing teaches you a lot about yourself, how to surpass self-imposed limits, and achieve things you never thought possible. Continuing through the pain and achieving your desired results is an incredibly powerful feeling. I have picked up life skills that I believe will benefit me for years to come. Being in great physical shape is not too bad either.
Go Broncos!
