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I haven't written much on rowing lately because, well, I haven't been rowing much. We've had a number of practices canceled because it's been too cold. Our official cutoff temperature -- the temperature at which we scrub practice -- is 44 degrees (don't laugh, Northerners; you try riding in an open boat at 25 mph, arms and legs wet).
And honestly, I haven't missed it that much. More than the rowing, I miss the camaraderie a small group of us shared late last year. We worked our asses off. We shared in each other's pain. We drank. We laughed; we cried. Seriously, though, ever since the Charles regatta in October, it hasn't quite been the same. I rarely see my two closest rowing pals, my roomies in Boston, any more. L. is training for an erg competition (yes, a rowing machine "race") in February and has taken a hiatus from team rowing, and J. is back to rowing (very) part-time. Heck, at least half of the Boston crew is doing other things. N. is preggers, and R. has taken several months' break from rowing. She said she'd be back by February, but I often find that when one takes that much time off, she doesn't come back. She's a competitive (I think semi-pro) beach volleyball player, so she has other athletic passions. I almost feel like part of a small group of college best friends who spent every waking moment together and now graduated, and they have reluctantly moved on to a new chapter of their lives.
I miss you all.
I've also been bumped back a bit in the team's lineup. We have two boats of experienced women, an "A" boat and a "B" boat. For the time being, the new coach has placed me at the head of the B boat, while several of my old A boat buddies are still there. That doesn't bother me, though as a competitive rower, it should. I no longer have the same passion and desire (read "unhealthy obsession" by my concerned BF) to succeed as I had last season. That's partially because of the lack of team bonding I described, but it's also because I've checked off "row at the Charles" on my all-time list of rowing dreams. What's left?
Current mood: Hungry