Boys In A Boat Analysis

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Short Answer 1:
“Rowing is perhaps the toughest of sports. Once the race starts, there are no time outs, no substitutions. It calls upon the limits of human endurance. The coach must therefore impart the secrets of the special kind of endurance that comes from mind, heart, and body.” This quote is George Yeoman Pocock crew racing shell designer/builder), from Boys in the Boat. This aptly describes the sport of rowing and what I have gained from it - endurance, learning to work within a team to accomplish a common goal, tenacity (especially after losing or being replaced in a boat by another rower),discipline, and the rewards of hard work. Rowing requires an incredible amount of time and dedication, and aside from schoolwork is the activity …show more content…

The work on technique can be very strenuous mentally, and require great concentration, especially if you are trying to change something in your stroke. Pieces are physically strenuous because they simulate racing, and during a race, each boat member must push himself to his limits. On race day, the two are combined, because one must pull as hard as possible, while maintaining the best form possible. The effort that goes into preparing for each race, and the anguish felt during each race, is well rewarded by the feeling of triumph when you know you have pushed your body to its limits. Obviously, winning feels great too! Also, the feeling of winning is amplified by the feeling of team accomplishment. Everyone on a boat feels duty to one another to pour their heart out into every race. But, equally frustrating and by far my greatest lessons have been those when I did not win, or was moved out of a boat that was winning one week, into a boat the next week that was not doing as well. That disappointment hurt and was hard but it also propelled me to work harder. Probably harder than I would have worked if I had won, and has taught me how much more meaningful an accomplishment is when it comes from great

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