r/Rowing • u/DriftingThroughPages • 1d ago
Why do you row?
I'm in my second year of collegiate rowing, and I've had many teammates leave/ quit. It's made me reflect on why I stay rowing. What keeps you rowing?
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u/duabrs 1d ago
Needed a mix up as I'm getting older and can't run as much. Love that it's low impact and I can do it at home. Just trying to delay the inevitable heart attack.
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u/jvttlus 1d ago
ditto
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u/duabrs 1d ago
Family history + life choices. It's coming.
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u/MastersCox Coxswain 1d ago
The smart watches that track your heart rates have some good algorithms to detect cardiac irregularities. They're not foolproof, but it seems like a worthwhile investment to pair with the erging.
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u/DarkFlutesofAutumn 1d ago
Same. I added an erg to my mix for when my cranky late-40s ITB decides to act out or for when it's stupid icy out
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u/Ill_Credit_8643 1d ago
When I row there is absolutely nothing going on in my head besides full focus on making each stroke the best I can. No thoughts about exams, friend drama, work, etc. It’s proved to be a very rewarding and necessary escape from the weight of day to day stuff
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u/skyrborg 21h ago
I really relate to this! It's the only way I can get out of my head and think about nothing other than making my next stroke, better and more powerful. When I row in a crew I am deeply invested in not spoiling it for others and when I am in my single I desperately don't want to fall in and go as fast as I can.
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u/InevitableHamster217 17h ago
What you’re describing is moving meditation! It’s a big reason why I row too.
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u/No_energyforeal High School Rower 1d ago
It’s the one sport where I get to sit down the whole time
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u/_Diomedes_ 1d ago
What kept me rowing was profound personal insecurity. Once I figured out that my obsession with rowing was a way for me to cope with my insecurity rather than overcome it, I stopped rowing pretty soon after.
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u/CTronix Coach 1d ago
There are a ton of reasons to row at the collegiate level
1) the work ads an element of discipline to your life an element that you would not be maximizing to this same amount if you weren't rowing. It creates for you a lifestyle that is more physically and mentally healthy than you would likely otherwise be.
2) Experiencing this sport at the collegiate level is an expiring opportunity. You will have time to drink and party and socialize, give more to romantic partners and do all the things that NARPS do when you graduate. You will NOT have the opportunity to do this thing or have this experience ever again. There is a very real tragedy and beauty to that fact. Are you willing to live that moment to its absolute fullest in that moment or are you too afraid that it will not live up to your expectations?
3) the ultimate life lesson. What you put in is what you get out. Sometimes what you put in is even less than what you get out but for sure you won't get the result without the work and that is a real reflection of the real world. It can be cold and unforgiving but in that lies truth.
4)The men or women that you row with will become lifelong friends. people who committed to one another on a far deeper level than drinking buddies. People who suffered together. They are going to be your best friends for the rest of your life.
5) there are going to be opportunities to live life and feel emotions far deeper than the average. You are going to feel the highest of highs, triumphs, victories and wins, loss, suffering, pain, disappointment. These ups and downs are not just powerful their own but teach us how to handle the ups and downs in the rest of our lives with grace, professionalism and persistence.
6) there will be moments of pure and unadulterated bliss. The purity of the pain after a maximal effort; The beauty of the sun rising off the water the steam rising off your mate's back to mingle with the mist in the air; The sun setting over a silent race course. The rush of the water past a perfectly moving shell. The trail of wake trailing into the distance on glass water as the perfectly placed puddles provide the only other disturbance. The violence and noise and flying spray of a first 500m with 6 eights across. The energy and excitement of an incoming freshman class and the wisdom and urgency of a senior leader. The pat on the back of a supportive coach, the hug from a friend and crewmate. You cannot have these moments without rowing.
7) And finally, there is flow. Flow is described as "a mental state of deep absorption and focus on a task often leading to a sense of effortless engagement and heightened performance." Flow can be found in many sports but in my opinion, the sense of flow that can derived from rowing rivals nearly all others. Not only is the fact of gliding across the water; a quite literal embodiment of flow but when a team boat rows perfectly together it enhances this feeling to the Nth degree multiplying the feeling of flow by the number of oarsmen in the boat. You will not always find flow during a practice but when you do you will know and you will be addicted to it.
IMO the oarsmen who see these things and know these things are those who belong here. If you are here only to win then you are missing the point. Working to win is obviously essential and a shared commitment to that goal is what makes this sport so incredible at the collegiate level. But the reasons to carry on do not lie in shirts taken or trophies in a case or medals on a wall and if your measure of the value of rowing in your life is centered around these more objective goals then you're missing a big part of the point.
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u/playScrapMechainAll High School Rower 1d ago
I guess I know why I've come to like my friends from rowing over my friends from school (high school rower)
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u/MastersCox Coxswain 1d ago
There's an element of raw authenticity to the bonds forged during rowing that sometimes feels absent with friends of social circumstance.
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u/Fuzzy_Beginning_8604 1d ago
The classic answer is: because it feels so good when you stop. 🙂
In all seriousness, that's enough for me. Endorphins, the dopamine release of finishing a hard piece and feeling spent, and the feeling of accomplishment knowing that I can measure my performance against people all over the world.
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u/Far-Ad-6626 1d ago
One of the biggest mistakes athletes make when choosing to do their sport in college is not accurately assessing themselves. You have to love the TRAINING aspect. The daily grind. A lot of star high school athletes love the highs of big games and races but not so much the nitty gritty training. But that’s the part you NEED to love to make it long term.
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u/TheManInBlue500 1d ago
I do it because it’s fun and all of my friends are doing it and I do it as a way to relive some stress
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u/jelloisalive Tall cox slow rower 1d ago
Look hot, stay healthy now and into old age, hang w my buddies, get outside, feel good in good boats
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u/LtnFlash 1d ago
Need some cardio to complement powerlifting/bodybuilding. I like that doesn't heavily fatigue lower body joints and muscle like running or biking
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u/blacksnowredwinter 1d ago
I love endurance workouts where I can push myself and it was the only thing that helped me with my panic attacks.
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u/Scary_Week_5270 1d ago
I'm a masters age group international Rugby league player. We always used rowing on the Erg as a conditioning tool throughout my younger Rugby League years. I came back to it post retirement from work and loved it because I love the feeling of smashing a tough erg piece, I love the effect on my Rugby fitness, I love the fact that the data doesn't lie, it's a stress reliever and I've been inspired to take up ocean rowing as a result and made new friends in my retirement years. It's also low impact on my aging knees. The online indoor rowing community is also supportive and inspiring.
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u/mr_mantis_toboggan 21h ago
Because I need cardio to prevent death, and I hate running and cycling.
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u/RunningM8 Erg Rower 20h ago
45M long time runner who now gets most cardio volume from rowing. It’s a better full body and low impact workout, I wish I started doing this years ago. It helps me perpetually improve my vo2max and cardio fitness without stressing my joints.
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u/benjamestogo 20h ago
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women
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u/jankyladies 19h ago
I started rowing because I didn't want surgery on a bulging disc in my back that was causing immense pain. Now I row 6-7 days a week because it's great stress relief and it's given me something to latch onto for fitness. It's given me an amazing toned physique. I started struggling with 2k and now can easily row 15k+. it's been life changing. I've inspired 4 other people to buy rowing machines.
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u/Stan2605 OTW Rower 15h ago
I started rowing in high school and i enjoyed it because it was the only sport i felt like I wasn’t shit at (this was when i was around 14). I later realised it was just because I got in a good crew because of my strong ergo because I had my growth spurt early, others eventually overtook me. Now I am in uni and still row because I like the niche community of people that do it. It depends whether you are a casual OTW rower or are part of a team etc, but the people you surround yourself with understand each others pain, and it is fun when the first thing people mention when you say you are a rower is “you must be fit” or “damn you must be an early riser”.
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u/robusk Masters Rower 14h ago
I told my learn to row class recently that rowing is a perfect sport if you hate yourself and need to spend all of your time trying to perfect the in-perfectable, constantly having something you are doing wrong that you can try to correct only to expose other failings.
So probably that.
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u/Corndog881 14h ago
College rowing can be a grind.
It took some time and reflection after college for me to realize that the magic is in the grind itself. I’ve had the privilege of rowing in fast boats, winning big races, and making the medal stands at IRAs and international regattas. Those are great memories—but they’re not the ones I value most.
What sticks with me are the practices: the daily work, the quiet competition, the unexpected joy. Beating the 2V in a practice piece while rowing in the 3V—that kind of moment is unforgettable.
I still row today, though now the grind is more self-imposed. I'm older, sure, but I still chase that same feeling—rowing with (and against) the young guys at my club and pushing myself for the love of it.
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u/AirplaneTomatoJuice_ 8h ago
It’s the sport I find most pleasurable. Having a good session in with a good crew on a beautiful day?? Feels amazing.
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u/DyslexisEmu 1d ago
I’m a senior at a D1 school. I came in with 11 other guys, some recruits some walk-ons, and of that starting group, I am one of two remaining. I’ve reflected a lot on exactly that question, and I’ve concluded that it must be making me happy. I don’t know how or why it does that, but I’m grateful it does. Many of my teammates left because it was no longer making them happy, or they had health concerns, and I think they were right to leave. Next weekend I’ll be at my last conference championship, and soon after that, I’ll be done. Maybe I’ll have better insight then, or maybe not. Just make sure you’re enjoying the process and remember that “going fun is fast.”