Day 141: Big Blue River

(Rough Draft)

When the oars hit the water they were already freezing cold. The early morning fall air was a balmy 38 degrees and the smell of frost was in the air, threatening them with ice in the coming weeks. Crew practice this time of year made them all question why they got into the sport in the first place. For some it was a matter of family legacy. Tom’s family had a lineage of rowers stretching all the way back to his great great grandfather who rowed in the Henley Regatta. For others it was a way for them to escape the monotony of everyday life, a reprieve from having nothing to do. And for some it was about money, scholarship money that would enable them to have the kind of future they dreamed of having.

The 4 man crew pulled themselves down the river while a steady gust of wind licked the backs of their necks causing the disks between their vertebrae to shrink in fear of freezing. The only thing that kept them rowing was the promise of a raised heart rate and a warmer body, which they so desperately wanted.

Their coach pulled along side of them in his launch and told them, “Weigh Enough!” which is rowing slang for “Stop”. The quad feathered their blades on the water and slid to slow stop. The coach barked out commands to do a few drills, but some of the rowers couldn’t quiet hear him over the dull roar of his onboard motor and the insistent howl of wind blowing over their ears.

Two of the rowers sat in the boat confused, unsure of what the coach was asking them to do, when the other…