Rowing at St Andrews

One of the activities that I picked up at William & Mary was rowing and I loved it. Coming to St Andrews there is a bit of a difference. We have to row in Perth which is about an hour away by car (which I also drive sometimes…on the wrong side of the road) and the weather is not really conducive to rowing. Some days it will literally be snowing while we’re on the water and the water could potentially be frozen if it wasn’t moving. Then there is also the fact that we don’t have a dock, not at all, if you want to row you have to walk yourself into that freezing water to launch the boat.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are definitely perks too. Over spring break we took a trip to Kastoria, Greece where we got to train at a facility that has produced several world class rowers in recent years. We rowed basically right into the town, nestled in between several breathtaking mountains. Plus our hotel had a spa—yes the trip was amazing. Then we were also supposed to get the opportunity to row on the Thames but snow and wind cancelled the race. There are also the weekly socials on Wednesday where all sports teams meet up in the Student Union in their respective uniforms and go berserk. (The rowing onesie may be revealing but at least it isn’t a Speedo.) And of course, Thursday morning practice isn’t tough enough if you’re not nursing a hangover.