On November 15th, 2015 I had to lead a 4-person row boat in a 4000 meter race in Mission Bay, San Diego. It was my first year with my high school’s rowing team and rowing in general, and I loved it. It was 6 in the morning when my coach told my group words I would never forget, “You guys are my top boat. If anyone’s winning, it’s you guys.” I was the stroke of my boat, meaning I set the pace everyone follows. I felt anxious; when you boil it down, the rate of our success depended on me. When we had gotten to the starting line, I remember the sun shining through the clouds and thinking, ‘Man, this has gotta be a good sign, right?’ And once we rowed, we glided through the seawater with ease; the sky became clear and blue. It seemed all was well.
