Why do we train so hard?

A classmate of mine once said to me, "Why do you train so hard for? Do you guys even win?" (This is a rhetorical question.)

So why do we train so hard for? Plenty of passer-bys probably look at us, shake their heads, and wonder why. As a junior, I used to sit at the bleachers, worn out after monday's training, and wonder why.

But now, even as dboat season is about to end, and the seniors are reaching the end of their rowing time in acjc, it is clear to all of us why we train so hard for. It's not something simple, that you can put into words. It's something indefinable, something intangible. That tingle of excitement before training, that rush of heady power during training, and the drained yet contented feeling after training, that's but only part of it. Nothing can compare to the feeling of the team. Everything we do, we do it for the team. (Or at least we're supposed to.) There should be no space for selfishness. Even those of us seniors who once felt separate from the team and on their own, have found their way into the comfy web of inter-connectedness.


I don't know if the juniors have begun to grasp intimately the knowledge of why they train so hard. Or perhaps they only train because they have to. Perhaps it's inertia, that they're merely going along with the flow. But these aren't reasons. And an aimless journey would lead to digressions. And an aimless journey without the will to go on would cause you to say, "It's alright, let me rest now."

There are many words to encourage people in this. Row with your heart! they say. Row the person in front of you and behind you and beside you! This is YOUR TEAM. DO it for the TEAM. But words are but words. They could fly past you and not make an impact. When you hang desperately on the edge during training, about to collapse and die, these words only make a difference if you know what they mean. Only if you believe in them. I don't know how many of you have your heart and soul here in this club. Perhaps only half your heart and half your soul. Half of you is standing out, unwilling, or perhaps afraid to step in.

What is there to be afraid of? Even if you cannot run as fast, cannot row as fast, cannot do as many pushups, what does that all matter if but you try. If only you are but honest with yourself. IF only you dont "cheat your teammates". I always say, if you have done all you have to do, been true to yourself, then there is nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be ashamed of. But HAVE YOU?

There is great joy to be found in placing yourself with this team. All you need is the will, the heart, the fire. The desire to do all you can. This club is about absolutes. Absolute faith, absolute spirit. Absolutely all you have. And when you give your all, you can perhaps understand why we train so hard for. For the medals? Or for the memories gained, the indefinable reshaping of your soul?

When anyone asks you, "Why do you train so hard for? Do you guys even win?"

I hope you can honestly say with conviction, "Yes. We win in more ways than one."