The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the legislative organization that governs college and university sports, recently regulated that women’s rowing is now a team sport.

“… The cabinet approved a recommendation from the Women’s Rowing Committee that no individual awards be given at the championship.”

A comprehensive review of the decision and its implications is covered in an article by Ed Hewitt. The link to the article follows: “Full Report: NCAA Women’s Rowing Becomes Team Sport; AQ’s In, Event Awards Out“.

[Photo by John Gichigi/Getty Images]

Roz Savage is attempting to row across the Pacific Oceansd by herself. Following her progress, she has reached one of her destinations:

“… Roz Savage reached the main island of Tarawa on Saturday, setting foot on dry land for the first time in more than three months. Two locals carried the laughing 41-year-old toward an applauding crowd, which adorned her with a floral lei and headpiece and gave her a drink of cold coconut water.”

link: Briton completes 2nd leg of cross-Pacific solo row

Savage writes on her blog:

“… So as I approached the final 20 miles into Tarawa, I had had less than 6 hours of sleep in the previous 48 hours, and the heat was brutal. The wind had dropped away to nothing and the sun was intense. When I got to 9 miles out, I really wondered if I was going to make it. After rowing 3000 miles, the last 9 seemed to loom very large. I put some good rocking music on to help me through.”

link: Arrival Day + 1: HELLO TARAWA! posted on September 7, 2009

Congratulations to Roz Savage!

Catherine Forsythe

Perhaps rowing across an ocean alone is beyond sport. It is an adventure, an existential quest and more, and is certainly life altering.

Roz Savage has rowed across the Atlantic Ocean. Now, this 41-year-old woman is crossing the Pacific Ocean, rowing alone:

“… It was, of course, incredibly hard, both physically and mentally. She had done some rowing while at the University of Oxford – but the open ocean was a different challenge altogether. But she emerged a tougher, happier person on the other side, and is now deep into her new attempt to row the Pacific, a journey she hopes to use to raise awareness of environmental issues.”

link: Roz Savage: rowing oceans for a better world

Savage used to work in finance, which was significantly different from crossing oceans alone. On her personal website, she blogs about her adventures. According to her latest entry dated September 3rd, she is now in the Pacific Ocean, nearing Tarawa.

The header of Roz Savage’s site says “rowing towards a greener future“… and hopefully rowing towards ‘terra firma’.

Catherine Forsythe

The Rev. Tess Baumberger, a minister at the Unity Church of North Easton, Massachusetts, has a background in rowing. She is familiar with both the English approach to rowing and the American style. There are distinct differences and positive attributes to both.

Dr. Baumberger sees a metaphor in rowing:

“… In rowing, if the boat is balanced it goes faster and more smoothly through the water, but it can only be balanced if every rower maintains his or her own balance. Lesson seven is that things go more smoothly if everyone is responsible for maintaining his or her own center and balance.”

link to the article that Rev. Baumberger has in the Norwich Bulletin

[Image by Ainunau via Flickr]

*** Tess Baumberger is a Unitarian Universalist minister serving Unity Church in North Easton, MA. She writes a weekly column for the Easton Journal.