Thursday, June 11, 2009

Coxswain

Ever since Luke and Ariel thought about going to the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Ariel has talked about joining the UTC rowing team. (Luke, Ariel, and Jacob took rowing at Yale University one summer, and they loved it.)

Tonight was the club night at UTC orientation. Ariel eagerly went up to the rowing club booth.

Rowing Club Dude: Oh, hello.

Ariel: Hi.

RCD: So, you like rowing?

Ariel: Yes, I learned to row at Yale a few summers ago.

RCD (sizing Ariel up): So…you were the coxswain? (For those of you who don't know, a coxswain is the tiny girl who sits in the shell and yells "Stroke!")

Ariel: No. I rowed.

RCD (looking at Ariel again): Really?!

Ariel: Yes.

RCD: We could really use a coxswain—they have to be under 110 lbs., and you’d be perfect.

Now the humor in this is that ever since Ariel has talked about UTC rowing, I’ve told her, “Ariel, if you show up to the crew club, the first thing they will say is, “Oh, are you a coxswain?”

As a parent, it’s always nice to be proven right!

I think Ariel is mulling the idea of being a coxswain. She has perfect rhythm and loves being out on the shells. And besides, how often does a petite woman get to yell at anywhere from four to eight brawny men and have them obey the very words that roll off her tongue?! Sounds like fun to me.

5 comments:

  1. Yep. That sounds like the "chance of the life time" for Ariel. Are her brothers joining? If so, they'll have to be under her power!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. No, my talents are required on the fencing strip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hopefully she won't contract tiny woman syndrome.

    I *really* hope you guys get to come!

    Grace Duke

    ReplyDelete
  4. Go for whatever they offer her and when the first guy pulls the lame "my rotator cuff" just snapped, she can slide into his place and show 'em how it's done! It's sort of how I pithed softball for 11 years on an all male team!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I signed up for the Ultimate Frisbee club during my orientation. The only problem was that I never found out what time they played. It relieves/pains me to know that although I signed up on their e-mail list, I've never received a single e-mail.

    ReplyDelete