Rae Pollock: Women's Team Wed.

Rae Pollock

Class: Freshman

Major: Communications

Hometown: Pittsburgh, P.A.

While sitting on the bus to practice next to fellow freshman, Rae Pollock, I thought about who I was going to interview next for my Wednesday post. I then realized while talking with her that she was the perfect candidate. Rae started off this year as a lightweight rower for Mercyhurst and went into our spring training camp a coxswain and I thought it would be interesting to find out what caused the switch, as well as what is was like being a freshman athlete.

Q: What was the transition like from high school rowing to collegiate?
A: The hardest was going from the top of the erg score list and being the best to then being on the bottom. It's a drastic change that is all-around intense. You feel thrown into it. I remember the first day going to get oars and realizing I had no idea where they were, it's all so new and you feel the expectations are higher. I also raced lightweight in high school so coming from that to a team with only one of two lightweight women was difficult since they were all bigger. I had to work a lot harder to try and match their times.

Q: What made you switch from being a rower to a coxswain?
A: I realized I couldn't compete with the top rowers and didn't think that making the V8+ was ever possible. It was then I started to realize that I could help the team more as a coxswain: the women's team needed an extra one, Adrian and Jamie were very supportive of the idea, and already being a lightweight made it easier. 

Q: What's it like being a coxswain in college for you?
A: Well for starters, your entire perspective changes. You go from seeing the head of the person in front of you to then seeing eight rowers alongside a fleet of other boats on a lake. Practices are no longer physically challenging but are now overwhelming. As a coxswain you are focusing on 20 things at once whereas a rower you're just pulling, and after four years of rowing that becomes second nature. When you're a coxswain you have to be prepared for anything and that was a weird transition for me, and I have found it to be very difficult at times.

Q: And what's it like going from being a rower for four years, to being a novice coxswain - and occasionally having to cox rowers who have almost eight years of experience?
A: It's like going from writing with your right hand your entire life, to switching to your left. Everything is backwards and when you're in a boat with such experienced rowers it's easy to question every move and lose confidence. Lucky I share a tight bond with the women's team and they are supporting and willing to help when needed because they know I want to get better. It's scary but beneficial since they have so much experience. 

Q: So then where do you see yourself over the next four team on the team?
A: My goal isn't to get into a specific boat but rather continue to explore this new side of a sport I've loved for five years. I just want to see if I can be a good coxswain, it seems that some have this natural ability and I felt that way with rowing in high school so being able to get that back but with coxing would be the ultimate achievement.