This past Saturday was our crew “initiation” night. Now, despite what you may have heard about hazing in college sports, I’d like to assure you that the novice initiation night for crew is quite tame and very enjoyable. We met on the Townhouse Greens at 7:30 (PM, for once!) and sat in a huge circle (there are 50 or so of us). Then we went around the circle. Everyone said his or her name and the last movie that made him or her cry (not sure how this question was selected). Additionally, novices (new rowers) said where they were from and why they decided to join crew, and varsity rowers told a favorite story from crew. Let me just tell you, my abs actually got a little bit sore from laughing so hard. I had experienced some of the events the other rowers described (e.g. people falling into the water, flipping boats, etc.), but it’s always funny to hear them again.
After the stories, we walked through the rain (it always seems to rain on initiation night) to the waterfront, where one of the team seniors made a quasi-philosophical (but mostly silly) speech about what the river means to us, and then we RAN IN. The novices weren’t supposed to know about this (although some did), so it came as a surprise to many of them. Luckily, the water was warm, and the outside air wasn’t too cold yet (although walking back across campus was a little chilly).
The rest of my weekend was pretty laid-back. I had a dance movie marathon with some friends, got some homework done, and ate a lot (brunch in the Great Room is one of my favorite things about weekends on campus!).
Today, since it’s Yom Kippur, a lot of public schools aren’t in session, so the Admissions Office tends to be pretty busy. I was signed up to give a campus tour at noon, but due to some strange group arrangement, I ended up not being needed. Although I can always use the extra homework/nap time, I was a little bummed- it’s fun to give tours and interact with prospective students.
Anyway, that’s pretty much all I have to say for now… Have a great week, and I’ll try to do the same!
