Sideline Stories: Hannah Fitts, Bates Female Rower
The Androscoggin River, where our team has their rowing practices, spans over 11,000 meters of water that is banked on the east by a few hidden farmhouses, and on the west by a preserved forest. The only interruptions during practices are the occasional fishing boats, or our coach stopping to point out a bald eagle. This is where we, the 90-plus student-athletes of the Bates women’s and men’s rowing team, practice every day from September to November, and then again in late April after we crack open the frozen river with sledgehammers. During the rest of the school year, we spend our practice time on indoor rowing machines at the Bates College gym.
Due to the hard work of the entire team, we earned a qualifying bid to Nationals this year for the third time in a row! Bates got to send their top 21 rowers on the women’s side to compete at the NCAA DIII Rowing Championships. For this year’s championship, we flew to Indianapolis, along with 36 other teams, and many of the competitors’ parents. I flew next to a wide-eyed first year, who asked all about the snack tents, the cool NCAA water bottles, and the hotel that we share with teams from all over the country.
When we arrived at the racecourse, despite being greeted by our three smiling coaches and familiar boats, we could feel the drastic change in ambiance. The song “Twist and Shout” was playing over the loudspeaker, and the women from the Universities of Washington, Texas, and Ohio surrounded our little red tent with their whirling fans and their blasting hype music.
Amongst the competition, cheering parents and teammates, interviews and nervous rest periods, we tried to find quiet time. This race was the culmination of a year of hard meters, erg relays, eight-minute pieces, early mornings, ice, grit, and flexibility. We owed one final all-out effort to honor our teammates at home, our coaches, Bates, and most importantly, ourselves.
We left our snacks, NCAA water bottles, and hotel room keys on land as we rowed to the start of our final race on Saturday morning—the last time we would row together as a unit. Just before the announcer called our team to the starting blocks, a bald eagle flew over our heads. We smiled and felt like we were back home. Seven minutes later, we crossed the finish line and collapsed into each other’s arms filled with pride, gratitude and joy.
