For all those who do not think of the freshmen with a level of respect, look
at the following e-mail written by one of the current freshmen.  If I were
you, I would be psyched that this person will soon be a teammate of mine.  I
would go out of my way to make sure this person never loses the passion that
have this early in their career.  Teammates like this are hard to come by.
In fact, when we have teammates like this, individual personality conflicts
never cause problems.  We know that we all have one thing in common... All
our differences can be counted as strengths if we remember that we love
rowing and we are willing to work hard to that cause.

-----Original Message-----
From: XXXXXXXXXXX@XXX.xxx [mailto:xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx]
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 11:10 PM
To: xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xx.xxx
Subject: oops wasnt finisjhed with my last e-mail


ok so i will do that if it takes me quiting my job or telling them i can
only
work weekends i will. justt ell me what i need to do if it take me doing a
2k
every week or a 1500 to get to have the best erg score on the team i will do
it if it takes me keeping everythingto myself and being the rower that
respects the coxains the most and goes to extra practices and helps around
the sigfht then i will do it i am talking to my boss this weekend and
telling
her i ciant work as many school noghts becouse i need and want to be at
crew.
that boat means so much to me and if i dont make it i will row in the 4
becous3e it is rowing and i love it. i will do whatever irt takes just
e-mail
me back and tell me what i need to do. please chase this season means so
much
to me
------------------------------

Granted, the typing skills could use a little work, but the passion behind
those words is something very special.  There is also an understanding of
the work necessary to achieve at the highest level.

Someday we will be a team which is made up wholly of kids this passionate,
even then, not everyone will be in the first boat...in fact, only a small
portion will be in the first boat.  However, wherever one lands, and however
the boat ends up finishing, if you spend a season rowing in a boat filled
with this type of passion your life will never be the same.  You will be
rewarded by the pursuit of the goal.  That is the truly incredible part of
being an athlete (in my mind) The pursuit of the goal and the process is so
much more important and rewarding in the long term than the goal itself.

I just thought you should know what type of athletes we have on the freshmen
squads... Take notice of them once in a while and encourage them a bit.
These are going to be great teammates.

Cat