Blake Tyra's South Africa Study Abroad Blog: Rowing Team

Wednesday, June 10th, 2015

2:00pm South African Standard Time

Weather 66° F Sunny and low winds for a change

Another great couple weeks in South Africa. Over the past month, I’ve met a lot of students in my classes that are from South Africa and I’ve had the opportunity to get together with them outside of class. I met many of them from a group project I had in my Meteorology and Climatology class which required us to meet outside of the classroom. I have been having a fantastic time getting to know them and finding out even more about the South African culture.

Two of my friends, Grace and Andreas, are on the NMMU Rowing Team and invited me to come watch them practice. So, last weekend I met up with them at 6am on a Saturday to come to a practice on a river just outside of town. I knew next to nothing about rowing before the practice, so it was a day of learning all about the sport of rowing.

Upon arriving, I joined the team for their warm up run around the neighborhood near the river. It was a beautiful morning and we got to watch the fantastic sunrise as they prepared the boats. To get the boats in the water, each person grabbed a side and followed the strict commands of the boat captain, called the Cox, as he directed in a military like style when to pick up, move, flip, and set the boat down once into the river. I was very impressed with the discipline of the team and how they all had to work together both in and out of the water.

I had the luxury of riding around in a small motor boat with the rowing coach, who also happens to be named Blake. Blake was very happy to have me there to watch and explained everything that was going on throughout the practice. During the morning session, they ran one 8-person boat and a 4-person boat. Each boat captain (Cox) sat in the front or back and did not have a paddle, but was to steer the boat and ensure everyone was rowing together. Since this was a practice session, the Cox was also instructing different skills to his or her boat members with the help of the coach.

After the morning session, the team had a breakfast braai. It consisted of a gas grill in which they cooked 30 eggs and 4 packs of bacon and used hamburger buns to make sandwiches. It was delicious and totally how South Africans cook around here. During the break Grace and Andreas both practiced rowing in a single boat called a Skull. A skull is very hard to balance because of its short length, whereas an 8 person boat is the most balanced. Andreas tried the skull first and took it slow and never tipped it once. Grace didn’t have such luck; she tipped her Skull after only a few moments and Andreas had to swim out in the river to help her.

During the afternoon session, the team continued to run drills and work on different aspects of rowing strokes. The river we were on is the only river in Port Elizabeth and is surrounded by large rolling hillside. It was a great escape from the city as we buzzed up and down the river in our boat following the rowers. It was fascinating getting to know Blake and hearing about his worldly travels. He has been all over Europe and even to the US, so it was fun to share our love of travel with each other. He is now currently on a 2 week business trip to China.

Blake said that I would be a Cox if I were to join a rowing team, meaning I would be responsible for steering the boat, giving orders on when to start and stop, and coaching on proper technique. He said my slim build makes me best suited for a Cox because I wouldn't add much weight to the boat that the muscular rowers are already adding. I was fascinated learning all about rowing and am excited to look into joining the Rowing Club at St. Cloud State when I return this fall.

In other news, I recently got hired as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) for a company called Event Medics which provides medical staffing for various special events nationwide. I will be providing medical care at events in and around the Twin Cities and am excited to being working as an EMT since earning my certification last summer. I have also been hired for the second summer in a row as an intern in the Minnesota 4^th District Court IT Department. There I will be gaining experience in my field of study, Information Technology Security, which is an excellent opportunity that I am grateful to have while completing my undergraduate degree. I have a busy and short summer ahead of me when I return on June 25^th, but I am looking forward to every minute of it. For now, I am just living each day to its fullest here in South Africa as my adventure of a lifetime begins to wind down.