Rowing – Journey of the Captain of Boats

Back in the late Spring term of 2015, I made a choice to do rowing, a sport I had virtually no idea about, barely understood what was required or what even takes place, but with certainty I can say it was one of the greatest decisions I ever made, and paved the road for an epic five-year journey, in which I've forged some of my greatest friendships, as well as who I am as a person.

When I started rowing, I started with a handful of other young boys, who looked just like I did, some scrawny and long, some stocky and short, and I don't think any of us had any idea what the adventure of the sport would be like. Whether it was the thrill of racing, or the fiery and competitive camaraderie, rowing would come to be a staple in all our lives as young men.

I remember in Year 10, the epic exhilarating finish that culminated a season's work into missing out on first place, and the course record, by 0.6 of a second to the then CCGS 10A eight. I remember being devastated that we'd lost, but so proud of what we'd done as a group of boys. I slowly watched myself and these boys I'd known from year 7 transform into some of the biggest, heartiest men I'd ever met. The Boat Shed had instilled them with hearts and resolves of steel, and carved a desire to win.

I don't think any of us knew where the decision to choose rowing would take us, whether it was to Adelaide on a rowing tour to row and compete and win, at the Berri State Regatta in South Australia. Or to magical mornings with fog hovering just above the river's surface. I don't think any of us could've guessed how close this sport would bring us as friends, and how it would forge us with mindsets to overcome any problem put in front of us in life.

Fraser Webb
Year 12 Student, Captain of Boats