Ratio - Rowing

They pull themselves into what they cannot see

(Sea) pond, or river at all

The celestial uncontrollable

Which demands a

Dance, this chaotic 

Impossible

Request requires

Perfection that cannot be achieved

From the methodic pattern

A flowing pace to

Contradict, to meet

The tides rising falling,

Swing forward, and back

Never the same stroke twice;

And done again and again, 

The rhythm of a life

Of one who doesn’t stand on stable

Ground, new water is rushing and

Restarts the stroke,

Which never ended

Blade skimming the 

water, guiding that 

behind it is another

Story, and another 

Stroke, who sets the pace from

The cox, from the 

Coach 

From the one who made the boat;

A shell only without its

Soul, the force

That makes it whole and

Complete, yet never finished

The stride continues and

Lengthens; focus on the 

Leg the pull the

Ratio, recovery to exert the

Drive into motion, empty

The mind and tank in full,

Hear the yell of non-

Rowing members of a crew.

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Being a part of any team plays a role in just about every teenager's life, and I am no exception to this trend. Crew, however, encountered me like no other sport. Crew is defined by the linking of forces: water, rower, coxswain, shell, and oar. Each person in a boat is completely reliant on one another to balance, pull, keep rhythm, and to have the same motivation to win. In an 8-man boat, this is an extremely difficult ask. But when all of these forces come together, there is a sort of magic. The feeling of moving through the water as one powerful force, in full synchronization, is unlike any other. This necessary dependence and fluidity of the sport made me immediately connect to it and chase this feeling. When writing this piece, I wanted to convey these feelings and connections, making no stops, but being in constant motion from start to end. The rhythm of a 3:1 ratio guides the boat (and poem) in a motion and gives it purpose through a set of 10 strokes.

Rowing is, in many ways, specific to my personal experience as a person; but it is also deeply rooted in my identity as a Military brat. My entire life I've searched for meaning, connection, and strength. In searching for this, I tried countless activities and sports, including tennis, basketball, softball, dance, and swimming, but none of these gave me what I was looking for like crew did. The 8-man boat brings together 9 people with separate backgrounds, identities, and stories to learn from each other, to follow each other, and to work together to accomplish something great. This community has made me feel understood and valued, and I am completely indebted to all who supported me along the way. However, in writing this piece, my goal was not to convince anyone reading to row. Instead, I simply wanted to share my own story of connection, being only one of many teens who have found a support system through a sport. It took me many tries, failures, and different sports until I found what I was looking for, but this sport and this team have truly been what I needed.