I like to row

Kara Kohler, usw1x Tokyo 2021

kara_merica_bear What a day. I have spent the past few days reliving the highs and lows of big boat Olympic selection.

This morning I got to witness the flood of emotion as the 8+, 4-, and 4X were named to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team. Complete joy and relief mixed with the exhaustion from the last few weeks of seat racing almost every day. For some, this is their first, second, or third (@megmus 😉) Olympic team. For some, they have tried and failed multiple times to make a Senior National Team but today made their dream a reality and found themselves on the Olympic Team.

The big boat naming date is BRUTAL. Inevitably you have to watch teammates, or BE the teammates, who have worked just as long and hard as you, who have pushed you to be better than you ever thought possible, fall just short of the Olympic dream. We train for so many hours a day for so many years for so little in return. When the time comes and you fall on the wrong side it is devastating, and can feel like it was all for nothing.

After I was cut from the 2016 Olympic Team I remember feeling so lost and angry at myself. I wrongly assumed I had reached my potential in the sport and was so overwhelmed because I was 25 years old, had zero income or savings and felt like I had no skills to get a job. Let's just say it was a rough ride figuring out how to spend my time while I was deciding whether or not it was worth it for me to continue rowing.

Instead of dwelling on my shortcoming or hard feelings for the selection process I eventually decided it would serve me best to focus on all the great improvements I had made and then identify and work on my weaknesses. For me, part of that meant seeking out new experiences. While difficult at the time, change really is a powerful thing. It gave me some incredibly valuable perspective that I am so grateful for today.

Cheers to all my teammates whose dream came true today. It has been a long road to reach this first step of the Olympic dream. You inspire me daily to show up and perform to the best of my ability. And to my teammates who will not be heading to Tokyo next month - thank you for inspiring me daily to show up and perform to the best of my ability