Robert Dring '25 Recruiting Profile

From as far back in my childhood as I can remember, the two things that have always made me happy have been being on the water, in some way, and having music in my life. I have played multiple instruments, my favorites being guitar, piano, and drums, in a band since I was 6 which ultimately helped tremendously in my rowing career. When I started rowing my freshman year, I immediately noticed the similarities between the clicking of the oars in the oarlocks and the clicks of the metronome when practicing my scales. I quickly learned to incorporate this inner sense of tempo into my rowing as the stroke seat in any boat my coach chooses. I am happy I have been able to incorporate music into the sport I love. Over the past 2 years, I learned to appreciate and love all of the different and various seasons that come with rowing throughout the year; the cool crisp air and beautiful sunsets off the water in the fall, the cold water when wet launching in the early spring, the blazing hot sun and warm water in the summer, and even the brutal but beneficial erg workouts in the winter. These are some of the reasons why I absolutely love rowing. I love nature and being outdoors and rowing provides me the opportunity to be at peace with nature and the environment while giving me a chance to gain strength and compete. I have formed tremendous friendships as a result of rowing and I am confident these friendships will be life-long. I learn from my friends and teammates and value the support and encouragement we provide one another during the ups and downs of rowing competitively. The countless hours that go into becoming a competitive rower while maintaining a rigorous and challenging academic workload has taught me to have good time management skills. I don’t believe in losing; I believe in learning from, and trying to take something positive away from any disappointment. Rowing has taught me how to persevere and work through challenging times. I am the second oldest of a very close and tight knit family of 13 cousins. I pride myself in trying to teach my younger cousins how to be a successful student, athlete, and human. I have spent many hours teaching them how to kayak, row, swim, fish, and drive a boat. In turn, they have taught me how to be patient and understanding. I incorporate these lessons into my daily life as a teammate and rower. I embrace the idea of working hard individually and as a team to accomplish both individual and team goals. I look forward to the opportunity to row in college, meet new people, continue to set higher goals, and work hard to achieve them.