Jan. 18, 2008

Throughout the season, members of the UNC rowing team will provide TarHeelBlue.com readers with an inside look at the Carolina program and the experience of being a varsity athlete at UNC. This installment, the fourth of the 2007-08 school year, is by Megan McMullin, a sophomore from Burke, Va.

As all in the college rowing world know, winter vacation is anything but a vacation from rowing. It is a time to get a step up on our competition, a time to show how serious you are about winning, and yes, a time to spend with your family. This year the Carolina rowing family vacation was to Lake Lanier Islands in Georgia, and people came from near and far. There was a five hour "Catch Phrase" intense van ride from Chapel Hill, flights with snowboards, and even a trek all the way from Ireland. Once reunited our training period began.

Going south from North Carolina we were hoping to be greeted by warmth and sunshine. Unfortunately, we were faced with record low temperatures that left us wishing we had just stayed up north. Being too cold in the mornings to row, our inter-team competitions became the highlight of our mornings. Our first challenge was a controversial relay that left promising teams arguing the number of words in Tar Heels. Other morning endeavors included a 4-mile race around the resort, conquering an unbelievably steep hill with the help of inspiring teammates, and yes, a Carolina rowing original: Big Ball Tennis. After bundling up in the boat for two days, the sun finally decided to join our trip and our two-a-day water practices began. If I only had one word to sum up the focus of our rowing I would choose: technique. Even though Georgia is in a drought, the lake provided endless meters for us to do drills perfecting us for spring racing season.

Even though the focus of our trip was athletics, our team's nights were filled with bonding in hot tubs, playing games of hysterical charades, and in true Tar Heel spirit, huddled around phones listening to relatives give play-by-play and cheering on our undefeated basketball team. These are the nights that I will remember the most after I graduate, the ones that remind me that rowing is more than just a sport in my life, its where my best friendships are made.

By the end though, a true testament to how hard we worked came when, loading our boats, a man told us how impressed he was with how hard we worked. This was just the motivation needed before heading back to Chapel Hill for the beginning of our spring semester.