Frances DePree

“Rowing has a lot of life lessons; it’s like life but on a smaller scale, and that’s great. You can just be in a boat and nothing else really matters. It sort of embodies all the values you learn. It sort of gives meaning to them. Sort of like going into combat. Repetitive motions and structures. It’s very elusive and beautiful as a sport. What’s really beautful is when you’re all rowing perfectly together. It all works out sometimes so every once in a while you have a few strokes where everyone just picks up the boat and the boat just flies. It’s all sort of like a puzzle, like a life puzzle. An exploration of relationships, your own body, working together and making the boat fly. I just like to achieve flight in my life. Rowing is one way, it feels like flying.”