Well, this hasn't been a typical year by any means. Two days before we were supposed to leave for our spring break training trip in Virginia, we were given the news that our entire season was cancelled and the University at Buffalo would be going all remote for classes. This summer we had hope that we would row a bit this fall. The dock was fixed up and put out. We got new ramps to make using the dock so much easier and safer. Arms were put on to keep the dock in place so it was usable no matter the water level. Things were looking up for us.
As we got closer to the start of the school year, it became clear we would not be able to row this fall. Unfortunately, rowing in any team boat is impossible when you need to be six feet apart. That means we needed to get creative to keep our team together and engaged in this new climate of remote learning. Turns out that you can do recruiting meetings via zoom. You can also participate in workouts, social meetings and even team building via zoom.
We did have 2 in person events with a small group of athletes. Last weekend we cleaned up the trees and branches around the boathouse. They were growing over the fence and through the fence. We cut those back and pulled a whole lot of leaves leaving the place a bit more spruced up and feeling loved. Today we pulled the docks out and put everything away for the winter. It was nice to see each other in person and get to say hi as well.
UB Rowing will now switch over to our winter season. We will continue to make good choices to keep ourselves healthy and hope for the best come spring. We miss our time together and we miss rowing on the water. See you on zoom!