Hudson Hale '21 Recruiting Profile

On my first day of rowing, a hot, sticky summer day, I remember learning to erg for the first time.  The rowing club was old and small and smelled the way that old sheds smell in the summer, of must and sweat.  Once we were ready, my coach also introduced us to other skills, like getting out our boat on the water, flipping, and trying to get back up into the boat. I hated it, not because I flipped, but because it was hard. Very hard.

Looking back, I am thankful to my parents for making me stick it out.  I begged them to let me quit, and if I had, I would have missed out on a truly amazing sport and one of the seminal experiences of my life so far.  My parents always told me, “Do what you need to do first, then do what you want to do later on. If they are the same, then you can go far.”  I still think about these words when on the water, as I reach my third 500 meters on a 2k test or, even better, when I wake up at 6:00 in the morning to fit in an erg workout before my day starts. Doing what I needed to do first and what I wanted to do later slowly became the same thing at the same time:  Rowing. 

Along with challenge and growth, I also found friendships in many of my rowing teammates.  We help each other out with putting boats away, cleaning the boathouse, and giving rowing advice to each other. The best part is our unspoken rule of never saying the word “no”. The biggest surprise, however, has been the friendships that have grown with my coach and assistant coaches. For instance, I have gained internships with medical professionals just because one of my assistant coaches has worked in the medical field and takes the time to help me achieve my goals, whether that is in academics or athletics.

As life moves on, I know that I do not row because it's easy.  I row because I know that no matter how hard it is, this is something that I need to do.  More importantly, this is something I want to do.  Rowing has transformed me into a young man, a leader on my team with the opportunity to help run our rowing camps.  I also volunteered to help my coach build a new boathouse and deck, a wonderful experience for me as I contributed to the future of our program.  Most of all, I am a teammate and enjoy going to breakfast or lunch, where we share stories and laugh.  

I may have hated rowing five years ago, but today, I would be nothing without it. Rowing built grit, dedication, and kindness in me. I learned to be a stronger athlete, dedicated teammate, and a kind leader.