This morning’s practice was fun -- I was in a four with DrunkTina, Egret, and Hardcore (and you can tell how much I like rowing with these people because I have nicknoms for all of them). T coxed, at which he’s quite talented. We would actually almost quality as a lightweight boat (each rower <135 lbs, average < 130 lbs), except that DrunkTina, though as short as the rest of us, is not a lightweight (and never will be and never should be because, given her basic body type, she’d be seriously underweight). Even with her, though, I think the boat average is lightweight, because the other three of us are way under the limit.
T was coxing because he can’t row, and can barely walk; he rowed on Friday when he wasn’t expecting to and didn’t have shoes or socks along. Our current boats have "clogs" consisting of one strap across the ball of the foot and a heel cup, so if you don’t weat shoes, your feet get badly torn up, which is what happened to T. If he takes it easy, he may be all right to row in this Saturday’s race.
Watching the junior rowers maks me very glad I’m out of high school. Not only are they expected to do anything DI says, without question, they do a ton more calisthenics and running than I ever plan to do before practice. Also, DI had a Talk with us today, the gist of which was that anything to do with our rowing program has to go through him, not the people at the city. However, he managed to remain calm and civilized, and even apologized (!)for his part in our recent fracas. I told him of my vow that NO ONE, to whom I have not given the right, will ever be allowed to yell at me again, with me just taking it. Coaches have the right to yell at me in class (and sometimes you have to, either to be heard or to break someone’s daze), just not off the water. Once he understood that I wasn’t saying I wouldn’t accept criticism or disagreement, just not in a raised voice, I think he understood what I was getting at and agreed that was a valid point. I told him that if he yells at me, I will walk away and he’s welcome to discuss the matter at a later time in a calmer way.
I love adulthood. I can do things like that. I have control over my environment. If I get teased, it’s because I’m allowing someone ho likes me to do so, not because I’m stuck in a schoolyard with a bully and can’t escape, or just because I have different interests than some others around me. I can choose my friends, I can choose my form of work and play, I can transport myself anywhere I want, and a large fraction of the constraints on my life are of my own choosing. Why would anyone want to be 16 again?
Posted by dichroic at June 11, 2001 08:31 AM