Rowing is a sport that requires utmost performance not only as an individual but also as a member of a team. The best moment of my athletic career was representing Harvard University at the British Henley Royal Regatta this summer because I won as both a team leader and a team member.

British Henley Royal Regatta is a weeklong tournament that puts crews from around the world to the test in a duel-racing format. It was instituted over 150 years ago and is incredibly popular among the British crowd as hundred of thousands show up to watch and to show their support. I was in the Varsity boat that raced in one of the most prestigious events of the regatta, the Ladies’ Challenge Plate, second only to the Grand Challenge Cup, which is contested among national teams. Harvard was also represented by the JV and Freshman boats in the Britannia and Temple Cups.

Despite fierce competition, all three Harvard crews advanced to their respective finals thus setting stage for one of the best team performances in the regatta’s illustrious history. Our JV was the first Harvard boat to race in the final, right away setting a high standard by capturing the Britannia Cup. Next, after losing one of their rowers to stomach flue at the last minute, our Freshman boat found a replacement and managed to win by a narrow margin over a charging British crew.

My Varsity boatmates and I were inspired by our teammates’ triumphs and knew that it was up to us to complete the sweep. I was sitting in the stroke seat. The stroke sets the rhythm for the other rowers in the boat to follow, so it was up to me to lead my teammates into ‘battle’. As the starting judge announced the count down, “Five, four, three…,” the time slowed. As motivation I thought about the Wisconsin crew who spoiled our otherwise perfect season several weeks earlier and how much we all wanted redemption for that loss. Finally, the starting judge yelled, “GO!” and as I pulled my oar through the water, I felt my teammates locking onto my rhythm. The boat jumped off the line. Twenty strokes later it was clear that our determination was too much for the opponent as we captured the lead and continued to increase it down the racecourse.

Once we crossed the finish line I collapsed into the hands of our coxswain, exhausted but incredibly proud, proud of my personal achievement of leading Harvard’s top boat to a very prestigious victory and proud of my team’s performance at the regatta. Now I knew that all those cold, winter mornings when I persuaded my teammates to get out of bed to sneak in an extra workout before class were all worth it, and so did they.