Sharing the Love
Early on with this blog I made a decision that I wanted to share the many thought and ideas I have. During an opportunity to speak to a group of School girl rowers from Walford in Adelaide a question popped into my mind that was interesting. It is a question that relates to the reason I have chosen to keep this blog. The question was why am I doing this? Why I am talking about rowing? Why am I sharing my love of this sport?
While I spoke with the girls in their boat shed the question popped into my mind and as it did I decided to use it as a guide for the dialogue that we had. Immediately I finish what I was saying and began to explain why I was really there from my own perspective. The reason why I was there was because rowing has been a wonderful influence in my life. Many of the reasons why I have loved the sport have had to do with the passionate people who share the love of the sport, openly, expressively and with great understanding for the challenges and reward of our sport. It was this type of sharing that inspired me and enabled me to question with curiosity the ways to achieve success.
It is the fuel that has energised much of my journey and so I feel compelled, motivated and comfortable with the idea of sharing the love of rowing with young rowers through opportunities like I am fortunate to have. This is the same response and reason I have for the question about why I have keep this blog. Rowing is much more than a sport and like any passionate person who loves what they do. I know that this is a bias statement and I don’t care. So last night when I had the opportunity to speak to the Wellford parents, some of their daughters, the school leaders and other rowing supports it was a message that a was keen to convey.
The lessons learned from rowing have been so powerful and life changing that I can help but get a little emotional about it. The young athletes had the same curiosity and questions as I had years ago when starting out and that is still very much alive in me. The fact that rowing can connect people in such away was vivid to me as I stood up on stage looking out across the audience. The young athletes expressed the joy at the sense of bond that comes from working and competing together. The parent share that joy as they are so emotional involved in their children’s development and this leads to a connection between many of the parent as they have that shared and common bond also. The teachers in the room are another member of the lively and dynamic relationship between student, parent, school and rowing. Then you have the coaches and when you consider all the efforts, energy, frustrations and joy it is remarkable to be invited to join them and share my own perspective and play a very small part in the dynamic relationship to rowing and each other.
‘Do what you love and love what you do’
So the response to the question that popped into my mind was clear and guided the experience of sharing with the girls our love for rowing. During the dinner speech it was the same question that guided the way in engage with the audience. It is the same question that guides this process of keeping a journal and sharing it through this blog. Sharing the love even goes further than the connection to rowing because many of the things that we all experience in rowing are life experiences. Rowing is a great way to learn about others and self. It’s a great way to learn about how and why we perform and transform. It’s a great way to challenge our thinking and ourselves. It’s a great way to test us and it’s a great way to bring us together. What I have realised through this blog is that it is great to be able to share in this way and when I consider the ability we have with the web it’s amazing.
What I have noticed with this blog is that the many people out there who enjoy rowing who use the web to learn, connect etc are part of the same wonderful experience of relationship to this sport. The sharing, accessing and connection is something that I am becoming aware of through this medium and through the opportunity to engage with Schools, clubs and the business world. Rowing enables me to do that and I love the opportunity and responsibility to do this. So I hope anyone reading this blog enjoys it.
While I spoke with the girls in their boat shed the question popped into my mind and as it did I decided to use it as a guide for the dialogue that we had. Immediately I finish what I was saying and began to explain why I was really there from my own perspective. The reason why I was there was because rowing has been a wonderful influence in my life. Many of the reasons why I have loved the sport have had to do with the passionate people who share the love of the sport, openly, expressively and with great understanding for the challenges and reward of our sport. It was this type of sharing that inspired me and enabled me to question with curiosity the ways to achieve success.
It is the fuel that has energised much of my journey and so I feel compelled, motivated and comfortable with the idea of sharing the love of rowing with young rowers through opportunities like I am fortunate to have. This is the same response and reason I have for the question about why I have keep this blog. Rowing is much more than a sport and like any passionate person who loves what they do. I know that this is a bias statement and I don’t care. So last night when I had the opportunity to speak to the Wellford parents, some of their daughters, the school leaders and other rowing supports it was a message that a was keen to convey.
The lessons learned from rowing have been so powerful and life changing that I can help but get a little emotional about it. The young athletes had the same curiosity and questions as I had years ago when starting out and that is still very much alive in me. The fact that rowing can connect people in such away was vivid to me as I stood up on stage looking out across the audience. The young athletes expressed the joy at the sense of bond that comes from working and competing together. The parent share that joy as they are so emotional involved in their children’s development and this leads to a connection between many of the parent as they have that shared and common bond also. The teachers in the room are another member of the lively and dynamic relationship between student, parent, school and rowing. Then you have the coaches and when you consider all the efforts, energy, frustrations and joy it is remarkable to be invited to join them and share my own perspective and play a very small part in the dynamic relationship to rowing and each other.
‘Do what you love and love what you do’
So the response to the question that popped into my mind was clear and guided the experience of sharing with the girls our love for rowing. During the dinner speech it was the same question that guided the way in engage with the audience. It is the same question that guides this process of keeping a journal and sharing it through this blog. Sharing the love even goes further than the connection to rowing because many of the things that we all experience in rowing are life experiences. Rowing is a great way to learn about others and self. It’s a great way to learn about how and why we perform and transform. It’s a great way to challenge our thinking and ourselves. It’s a great way to test us and it’s a great way to bring us together. What I have realised through this blog is that it is great to be able to share in this way and when I consider the ability we have with the web it’s amazing.
What I have noticed with this blog is that the many people out there who enjoy rowing who use the web to learn, connect etc are part of the same wonderful experience of relationship to this sport. The sharing, accessing and connection is something that I am becoming aware of through this medium and through the opportunity to engage with Schools, clubs and the business world. Rowing enables me to do that and I love the opportunity and responsibility to do this. So I hope anyone reading this blog enjoys it.
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